The Protests

At the time when Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi spoke about human rights in his annual speech at the UN General Assembly, Iranian protesters took to the streets to protest the police brutality and discriminatory religious laws against women in Iran.
The angry people who only a few weeks before this incident had seen how Sepideh Rashno was arrested for speaking out against the mandatory hijab and how the government subsequently aired her coerced confessions on television and had seen the video of a mother pleading with Gashte Ershad (Morality Police Patrol/ Guidance Patrol) not to take her sick daughter into custody for wearing improper hijab once they learned of Mahsa Amini’s death took to the streets in protest.
On September 17, the first sparks of these protests took place in Tehran, Sanandaj and Saqqez. Then the protests quickly reached other cities and different social groups and classes.

Geography of the protests

Thirty-one provinces have been the scenes of the protest in Iran from September 17 to December7.
In the 82 days of protests examined in this report, a total of 160 cities from 31 provinces have become the scenes of protests 544 times (only protests with over 30 participants have been counted in this statistic). In the cases where the protesters did not find their way to the street, there was an overwhelming security presence in the area.
In addition to 544 mass street demonstrations, 143 universities protested on campus 615 times.
Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) was able to verify that the following cities have held protests in the past 82 days, between September 17, to December 7th, 2022:
Saqqez, Sanandaj, Tehran, Mashhad, Karaj, Divandareh, Baneh, Paveh, Rasht, Dehgolan, Takab, Isfahan, Marivan, Bijar, Ghorveh, Mahabad, Yazd, Bukan, Kamyaran, Tabriz, Hamedan, Arak, Kermanshah, Ilam, Yasooj, Qom, Qazvin, Bandar-Abbas, Rafsanjan, Sari, Urumieh, Kish, Birjand, Kerman, Sabzevar, Shiraz, Khorramabad, Zanjan, Abdanan, Naqadeh, Amol, Gorgan, Piranshahr, Semnan, Manjil, Sardasht, west Islamabad, Ardebil, Gonbad Kavoos, Varamin, Talesh, Tonekabon, Zarin Shahr, Zahedan, Qeshm, Dehloran, Babol, Nourabad, Sarableh, Noshahr, Marvdasht, Oshnavie, Saveh, Shirvan, Qaemshahr, Garmsar, Babolsar, Lahijan, Ahwaz, Kashan, Roudsar, Quchan, Pakdasht, Bandar Anzali, Shahriar, Langeroud, Rezvanshahr, Shahrekord, Kashmer, Malekan, Dehdasht, Shahroud, Neishabour, Mahmoudabad, Hashtgerd, Fooladshahr, Barazjan, Parand, Fardis, Kouhdasht, Alvand, Shahinshahr, Fouman, Qaem, Rey, Bushehr, Chabahar, Zarindasht, Najafabad, Dezful, Abadan, Qods, Islamshahr, Jahrom, Damghan, Javanroud, Dorud, Rashtkhar, Yazdanshahr, Tabas, Galougah, Torbat, Heidarieh, Lali, Bojnord, Bandar lengeh, Khomeini Shahr, Zabol, Falavarjan, Maragheh, Malayer, Andimeshk, Behbahan, Qasr-e Shirin, Boroujerd, Boroujen, Miandoab, Saravan, Iranshahr, Nikshahr, Astara, Fereidounshahr, Tafresh, Fasa, Khash, Rasak, Damavand, Siahkal, Ghahdarijan, Mouchesh, Pishin, Ouz, Somehesara, Izeh, Hafshejan, Masal, Khomein, Semirom, Nokabad, Khoi, Sepidan, Toisarkan, Bandar Deir, Khorambid, Dashti, Mehr, Zahak, Sarjangal, Ravansar.
According to the latest population census in 2016, the population of these cities includes more than 43 million Iranians. The chart below compares the population of the mentioned cities.