Six years have passed since the November 98 protest uprising that took place in more than 150 cities, 29 provinces, and more than seven hundred locations across the country. The uprising was met with bloody reaction by the government, resulting in the killing of hundreds and arrest and imprisonment of thousands. Although this protest movement was suppressed, it actually became an important turning point in the struggle against the Islamic Republic.

In the final hours of Thursday, November 13, 2019, the leaders of the Islamic Republic announced that the price of gasoline would triple from the morning of Friday, November 14. Protests against this regime action began on November 14 and gradually expanded. The peak of these protests was on Saturday and Sunday, November 15 and 16. The regime leaders responded to the popular protests with full violence. On Khamenei’s personal orders, the repressive forces shot people in the head and chest; Heavy weapons were used against gatherings in southern Iran, and thousands were arrested. Severe censorship was imposed on the media. The internet was cut off, and at that moment the regime admitted that the November 2019 uprising was turning into an uprising against the government and a “full-scale war against the system and the revolution.”

Now, after six years, the real number of victims of the bloody repression of the government in November 2019 has still not been announced. The official statistics given in this regard were not and are not reliable in any way. At the time, the government itself admitted to killing several hundred people, but Reuters, citing government sources, announced the figure at around 1,500. Also, there is no precise information about the fate of the thousands of protesters who were arrested during the November 2019 protests.

The slogans of the November 2019 uprising first and foremost explicitly targeted the centre of power of the Islamic Republic, the Velayat-e-Faqih (governance of the clergy) system, and the Supreme Leader Khamenei himself․ With its widespread resonance in all parts of the country, the uprising shook the pillars of power of the Islamic Republic. The leaders of the Islamic Republic saw the nightmare of their downfall in the face of this popular uprising. They panicked and rose up with all their might to confront it. 

November 2019 was an important turning point in the effort to transition from the Islamic Republic and consolidate the goals of January 2017, which flourished in subsequent movements, especially in the “Women, Life, Freedom” movement.

The popular movements of our country from January 2017 to November 2019 and the “Women, Life, Freedom” movement have changed the face of society, created a new balance of power in it, and imposed an important part of their demands on the government; from dismantling the system of compulsory hijab to breaking the monopoly of the government over the public space of society and deepening its internal divisions. 

Although the Islamic Republic today is struggling to revive the atmosphere of terror and fear in society and to go backwards with widespread executions and intensified repression, the reality is that these efforts are, above all, a sign of fear for the future of this corrupt and inefficient regime and the increasing acceleration of its internal collapse.

“Hamgami for a Secular Democratic Republic in Iran” commemorates the victims of this great popular uprising. We once again express our sympathy with the grieving families of the victims of November 98 and support their lawsuit against the murderers of their relatives. We continue to demand that the perpetrators and those who ordered the killing of the people be brought to justice. All those who were involved in the repression and killing of the people in November 98, from the perpetrators to the commanders, must be brought to justice.

Crimes against the people must never be forgotten.

“Hamgami Coalition for a Secular Democratic Republic in Iran”
15 November 2025