As Iran's protests—sparked by economic woes in late December 2025—rage on under a near-total internet blackout, with reports now citing hundreds dead, Swedish-Iranians are voicing anguish over lost contact with family and urging global support. Despite the brutality, many see hope for regime change.
The demonstrations, which began among shop owners protesting soaring costs and have broadened into widespread criticism of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, continue amid a violent crackdown. Security forces have used live ammunition, with BBC reporting over 200 killed and other sources citing hundreds—figures that have risen since initial tallies of around 60.
Iran's Thursday internet and phone shutdown has left diaspora communities in panic. In Sweden, Sanna Khadem, 48, from Kalmar, hasn't heard from her siblings since Wednesday. "I feel so bad. I'm worried... They shoot from one meter away. It's so brutal," she says.
Hope persists amid despair. Khadem highlights exiled opposition figure Reza Pahlavi's calls for continued protests, quoting her sister: "People are tired, there's an economic crisis. They have nothing to lose."
Rana Soleimani, 51, from Stockholm, calls the situation "incredibly painful," worrying about her mother en route to a rally and decrying rising executions. Gaby Hosseini, 62, from Helsingborg, has lost touch with her daughter and grandchildren for two weeks: "I get a lump in my throat."
Mitra Najafi, 63, shares horrific protest videos and calls for Western action, like embassies providing internet access.
Solidarity protests have erupted in Stockholm, Malmö, and Helsingborg, demanding international backing and Iran's freedom. "Finally, after 47 years with a dictator," exclaimed Farahnaz Anami in Stockholm.