NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Many Iranians continue to be beaten, tortured and killed for standing up against their government, according to Iranian families in Middle Tennessee.
They’re outraged over the death of a 22-year-old Mahsa Amini who died while in the custody of Iran's "morality police."
Middle Tennessee is home to many Iranians, and they're worried sick about their families.
"There was like this anger was with all the people in Iran for so long. They said enough is enough. We want a revolution. We don't want the Islamic regime anymore," said Saeid Samadi-Dana, an assistant professor at Austin Peay State University.
Samadi-Dana can’t help but worry about his immediate family still in the country.
"My parents are there. My brother, his family, and their 2-year-old daughter live in Iran. My wife's family — they live in Iran," Samadi-Dana said.
He said communication with them hasn’t been easy since Iran’s authoritarian leaders cut internet access to conceal its crackdown on mass protests.
Many Iranians are turning to virtual private networks to bypass disruptions.
"The Islamic regime has actually censored and filtered a lot of social media apps," Samadi-Dana said.
The Iranian native recently spoke with his family and they’re hanging in there. They're staying away from the protests, but it doesn’t mean they’re completely safe.
"People have been just crossing the street in the area of the protest. They have been beaten," Samadi-Dana said.
In protest of the Islamic regime, women are removing their headscarves, cutting their hair and risking their lives in support of Amini. They’re tired of not being treated like human beings, according to Shayda Niksefat, junior at Vanderbilt University.
"A lot of these innocent university women are being killed. They’re being killed by the government, and people who believe this article of clothing is meant to be there, it’s meant to suppress," Niksefat explained.
Niksefat and Samadi-Dana know times are scary for the Iranian people and worry about their families in Iran. They feel it's time for a change and it's their job to be their voice here in the United States.
"Mahsa Amini, her name deserves to be said. We are her voice now. The people that can say this needs to stop and this needs to change," Niksefat said.
Human rights groups say at least 133 people across Iran have been killed by authorities since the protests began, that figure could be a lot higher.
Thousands more have been arrested, according to activists.
More demonstrations are being planned here in Nashville in the coming weeks in support of the Iranian people.
