Iranians in Scotland 'hopeful' protests could lead to secular democracy

Iranians living in Scotland say they’re hopeful protests could lead to the end of the Islamic Republic and the rule of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and the start of a “secular and democratic” Iran.

At least 500 people are believed to have been killed in the last fortnight as the regime cracks down on demonstrations, with hospitals treating many seriously injured civilians.

With the internet in the country having been shut down, it’s becoming increasingly difficult for people with family there to get information.

The regime has called protestors “troublemakers” while the United States has threatened to intervene with military action in support of those on the streets.

‘We dont know what’s happening’

Davood Sabaei said the last 80 hours has been “devastating, difficult, and worrying”.

“There’s a digital blackout in Iran,” Mr Sabaei told STV News.

“It is scary. We don’t know what’s happening there.”

With international media unable to report from the country, snatched videos from mobile phones are the only insights into what’s happening.

Mr Sabaei said it’s like there is “a blackhole” in Iran.

“There are 90 million people living there, but we don’t know anything else. It is really difficult,” he said.

‘The videos are distressing’

Mahrou Jamali told STV News that the last few days have been “hell”.

She said she has not been able to contact anyone from her family.

“We get very small snippets of news in the dead of night using Starlink,” Ms Jamali said.

“The videos are quite distressing. Bodies piled on bodies. You have people injured. You hear people screaming.”

She added: “On the other side, you see hundreds of thousands of people taking over streets and cities, storming the capital, screaming for what they want, which is foundational change, not reform”

Ms Jamali said the protesters in Iran are aiming for a “revolution”, and she’s very hopeful for a “secular and democratic future” for her home country.

“We know what we want very clearly,” she said.

“This is not about reform or social or cultural problems – we want the Islamic republic to leave Iran. We want people to have freedom of speech to vote for who they want and freedom of religion. That will never be the case as long as the Islamic regime is still in place.”