In a week marked by heightened unrest and intensifying repression, Iran witnessed a new wave of protests and state-backed violence spanning from the restive southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan to industrial cities and university campuses across the country.
On April 12, medical and dental students staged a protest outside the Ministry of Health in Tehran. The students objected to the baseline scoring system used in the February 2025 national medical exams, demanding fairness and transparency in the evaluation process.
On April 11, “Resistance Units” in Zahedan staged symbolic protests.
On April 10, local media reported that the body of Isa Nazari, a 15-year-old Baluch fuel porter, was found mutilated with gunshot wounds in the Kalagan area of Golshan County, southeast Iran. Nazari had reportedly been arrested weeks earlier, on March 13, following gunfire from officers at the Fahreh checkpoint. Activists and rights groups condemned the killing as another example of systematic violence targeting marginalized Baluch communities.
April 12—Tehran, Iran
Candidates of the 2024 Quality Enhancement Exam for teachers rally outside the Ministry of Education, protesting systemic irregularities like non-transparent score adjustments and lack of accountability.#IranProtestspic.twitter.com/VLYKR0lelU— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) April 12, 2025
Between April 8 and April 10, regime security forces and housing authorities launched coordinated raids in multiple Baluch neighborhoods, including Ramīn in Chabahar, the Gorgij district of Zahak, and Shirabad in Zahedan, southeast Iran. At least eight homes were destroyed, including that of a widow with two orphaned children. Eyewitnesses described the use of pepper spray, electric batons, and forced evictions during nighttime operations. Officials cited land use violations, but residents say the demolitions target long-standing inherited properties.
On April 8, families of political prisoners also gathered outside Tehran’s Evin Prison, demanding the revocation of death sentences for their loved ones and denouncing the surge in executions, particularly ahead of upcoming nuclear negotiations with the United States.
April 12—Isfahan, central Iran
Protest rally by school bus drivers, demanding better work conditions and pay.#IranProtestspic.twitter.com/5g5DdKW9Bh— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) April 12, 2025
From April 8 to April 9, widespread protests erupted in multiple cities:
- Tehran (Tehran Province): Education workers demonstrated in front of the Ministry of Education, decrying irregularities in teacher qualification exams. Families of political prisoners gathered outside Evin Prison.
- Bushehr (Bushehr Province): Workers at the Fajr Jam Gas Refinery resumed protests over unpaid wages and wage discrimination.
- Shiraz (Fars Province): Telecommunications workers protested unfair dismissals.
- Rasht (Gilan Province): Textile workers at Iran Poplin protested delayed salaries and a lack of job security.
- Isfahan (Isfahan Province): School bus drivers held a protest over unpaid wages and contractual issues.
- Kashan (Isfahan Province): Medical students protested poor food quality and unhygienic cafeteria conditions.
PMOI Resistance Units in Zahedan carry out anti-regime activities, condemn execution of political prisoners.#Iran #PMOI #ResistanceUnits pic.twitter.com/jQxwPdf5Hr
— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) April 12, 2025
- Qazvin (Qazvin Province): Defrauded investors in the Reyhan Tak auto company protested in front of the judiciary.
- Ahvaz (Khuzestan Province): Retired oil workers protested for unpaid pensions and better welfare support.
- Kermanshah, Shush, and other cities: Pensioners marched under slogans like “Only the streets will bring our rights.”
April 9—Qazvin, northern Iran
Defrauded customers of the state-backed carmaker Reyhan Tak rally in front of the offices of the justice ministry to reiterate their demand for the delivery of their purchases based on the original contract. #IranProtestspic.twitter.com/1Zu39xfGBi— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) April 9, 2025
On April 5 and 6, security forces in Zahedan demolished additional homes in the Shirabad district.
On April 6, more families of political prisoners rallied outside Evin Prison in Tehran.
This week’s developments paint a picture of a society at a breaking point. From ethnic repression and housing injustice to labor unrest and political dissent, Iranians across all sectors are voicing demands for justice, economic dignity, and civil liberties. Yet the regime’s response continues to rely on brutality and silence, highlighting its growing disconnect from a defiant population.