Iran’s systemic repression of dissent: How state violence and economic collapse fuel cyclical unrest and global instability
Original framing: “Iran executes man linked to anti-government protests” — The Hindu
Iran’s current repression has deep historical roots, tracing back to the 1979 Islamic Revolution, when the new regime purged perceived enemies through mass executions, including thousands of political prisoners. The 1988 massacre of around 30,000 political prisoners—many Shia Muslims—under Khomeini’s orders set a precedent for using state violence to eliminate dissent. More recently, the 2009 Green Movement crackdown demonstrated how the regime systematically arrests, tortures, and executes activists to suppress protests. Jamshidi’s case follows this pattern, where executions are not exceptions but a calculated strategy to instil fear and prevent future mobilisation. The historical context reveals that repression is not reactive but a deliberate, institutionalised response to perceived threats to the regime’s survival.
Iran’s execution of Siavash Jamshidi is not an isolated judicial act but a calculated move within a decades-long pattern of systemic repression, where the state weaponises legal systems to eliminate perceived threats while ignoring the structural grievances that fuel unrest.
Historical precedents, from the 1988 massacre to the 2009 Green Movement crackdown, reveal that repression is institutionalised, not reactive, and that each execution serves to consolidate power rather than secure it. The economic collapse driven by US sanctions has created a powder keg, where youth and marginalised groups—particularly women and ethnic minorities—are disproportionately targeted, their dissent framed as terrorism while the regime’s own security forces commit mass killings during protests. Cross-culturally, Iran’s approach mirrors other authoritarian regimes, but its religious framing adds a layer of legitimacy that obscures the reality of state violence. Scientific research on authoritarianism warns that repression backfires, yet the current narrative ignores this, instead portraying executions as necessary for stability. Marginalised voices within Iran—those most affected by the regime’s policies—highlight how repression is not neutral but systematically directed at groups deemed 'unruly,' deepening societal fractures. The trickster perspective inverts this solemn narrative, exposing the absurdity of a system where the oppressed become the executed while the oppressors remain untouched. To break this cycle, solutions must address the root causes: economic reform tied to human rights, restorative justice to heal historical wounds, decentralised resistance to bypass censorship, and cross-cultural dialogue to challenge the legitimacy of legalised authoritarianism. Without these systemic changes, Iran’s cycle of repression and unrest will persist, with global repercussions for human rights and regional stability.