Environmental Protest Met With Violence in Iran

Shaghayegh Ghezalayagh 18 December 2021

Image courtesy of Hamidreza Nikoomaram/Fars News Agency, via Associated Press

On 9 November, thousands of farmers and their supporters gathered to demand the revival of the Zayandeh Rud River, after it dried up.

Farmers in the central Iranian city of Isfahan have been staging sit-ins to protests over severe water shortages. Protestors showed up in solidarity and sat on the dry bed of the Zayandeh Rud, which translates to ‘fertile river’, demanding the government to restore water flows to the river.

Residents and farmers of Isfahan relied on the Zayandeh Rud river as their main source of water supply and for farming, but the diversion of water through underground pipes to other provinces has caused the river to dry up. Many blame government mismanagement as a cause of the water shortage.

Protesters were heard chanting, ‘Give Isfahan its breath, give our Zayandeh Rud back.’

On 26 November, France 24 reported that riot police were deployed after 67 people were arrested for disrupting national peace and security. Security forces retaliated against protestors using tear gas, batons and guns.

One farmer reported that the security forces used megaphones to tell the farmers to evacuate within 10 minutes, but before they had time to take their belongings, their tents were set on fire and tear gas was thrown at them.

‘I never expected them to do this to us, to beat us, fire at us and injure farmers,’ the farmer said.

AlJazeera reports that two men were shot and killed. One victim was a 30-year-old passer-by who was accidentally killed when a rioter shot bullets in the air to provoke the crowd. The second victim was an 18-year-old man who was coming back home from work.

Though no official reports or accounts have been released, videos of injured protestors and their alleged stories of violence faced by riot police and security forces have been making rounds on social media, provoking international outcry over the treatment of Iranian citizens who had been protesting peacefully.

Iran is facing its worst drought in 50 years, with 97% of the country facing some level of water scarcity. The water crisis impacted households, agriculture and even caused power blackouts.

President Ebrahim Raisi conducted a meeting with environmental experts in an attempt to find a solution to the crisis. Meanwhile, the first vice president, Mohammad Mokhber, said that he ordered the agriculture and energy ministries to find a solution.