ISTANBUL — The protests that have gripped Iran since September may have diminished to some extent in recent days, but demonstrators reached by NPR insist the protests will not die out or fade away regardless of the government's brutal crackdown. The demonstrators managed to be in touch with NPR despite Tehran's efforts to curtail internet access and other means of communication.
But analysts say Iran's hard-line government that answers to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei can only maintain its grip on power by continuing to arrest — and sometimes kill — protesters. Security forces have arrested thousands and shot people on the streets. Compliant courts have handed down death sentences. Two executions have been carried out, with fears of more to come.
