Protesters in Iran’s holy city of Qom join nationwide protests

Six women detained during protests in Tehran have been transferred to the women’s ward of Evin prison, US-based rights group Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said.

The women were moved late on Wednesday after spending a day in intelligence custody, HRANA reported, citing an informed source.

They were identified as Elnaz Kari, Negar Ghanbari, Helena Rostami, Masoumeh Nouri, Fatemeh Hashempour and Aida, who was identified only by her first name.

Israel's Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology Gila Gamliel voiced support for nationwide protests in Iran, urging international backing for the demonstrators.

“You are not alone. I call the world to hear your cry for freedom and to support you,” said Gila Gamliel in a post on X, accompanied by a video addressed to the Iranian people.

“Let’s make Iran great again,” she added, tagging Iran’s exiled prince Reza Pahlavi.

Dariush Ansari Bakhtiarvand, a 37-year-old protester from Fooladshahr in Iran’s Isfahan, was killed by direct gunfire during overnight demonstrations on Wednesday, according to information received by Iran International.

Ansari, sources said, was shot by government forces during the protests and died before reaching hospital. Iran International had verified his identity and reviewed video footage showing his body.

He was targeted while participating in the demonstrations, a relative told Iran International. The head of Isfahan province’s criminal police confirmed the death of a “37-year-old citizen” in Fooladshahr on Wednesday night, without giving details.

The human rights group Hengaw also said he was killed by direct fire from security forces.

Shirin Ebadi, the Iranian lawyer and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, said she hopes 2026 will mark the end of what she called the “dark prefix” of the Islamic Republic from Iran’s name.

In a New Year message posted on Instagram, Ebadi described 2025 as “a year of successive hardships” for Iranians, saying living standards deteriorated, children suffered more harm, and women faced “double discrimination and wider insecurity,” with femicide becoming “a harsher reality than ever under the law.”

Writing amid the fifth day of protests in Iran, Ebadi said universities had become more unsafe for students, medical staff were under greater pressure, and workers, retirees and teachers endured relentless economic strain.

Nearly 2,000 people, she said, were executed in Iran in 2025, calling the figure not a statistic but an “official record of state violence.”

Despite the suffering, Ebadi said 2025 was also “a year of resilience,” expressing hope that 2026 would bring lasting freedom, kindness and hope to the Iranian people.

Iranians are openly rejecting the Islamic Republic, Israel’s foreign ministry said on Thursday, commenting on ongoing protests across the country.

In a post on X, the ministry’s Persian-language account said: “The people of Iran are present in the streets with a loud voice and declare that they do not want this government.”

The authorities have poured public funds “into the throats of terrorist groups Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis,” while pushing Iran’s economy “to the brink of collapse” in pursuit of nuclear ambitions, the account added.