Tehran’s Revolution Anniversary Overshadowed by Crackdown (Full Transcript)

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: Now, more than a month on from Iran's brutal crackdown on mass anti-government protests, which left thousands dead, there have been reports the regime is widening its crackdown on dissent, arresting several leading members of the reformist movement in recent days. Well, since the unrest began in late December, the U.S.-based human rights activist news agency has confirmed the deaths of nearly 7,000 protesters, including more than 150 children. And in the last week, there have been signs of a renewed crackdown. Several reformists have been arrested in their homes, while the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, already in prison, has been given an additional six-year sentence. Well, for the first time since those protests, the BBC has now gained access to Iran. Our chief international correspondent, Lise Doucette, is in Tehran for us. And let me just tell you this. Lise is reporting from inside Iran, on condition that none of her material is used on the BBC's Persian service. These restrictions apply to all international media organizations operating in Iran.

[00:01:06] Speaker 2: The flags and the bunting are out as Iran marks the 47th year since its Islamic revolution. But since then, there has never been a moment like this. We can feel it, even in the short time we've been here in Tehran, when we speak to people on the streets. The pain is still palpable after unprecedented force was used to put down unprecedented protests, causing a huge loss of life. And people tell us of how they struggle even to buy basic foods as the cost of living soars. And all this as the U.S. threatens again to carry out more military strikes if negotiations fail. So as Iran's leaders mark the anniversary of their revolution, they also meet their most significant challenge yet.

[00:01:59] Speaker 1: Well, a short time ago, Lise joined us live from Tehran. She spoke to my colleague, Matthew Omrolawola, just as the fireworks were starting in the capital.

[00:02:10] Speaker 2: It's our first day back in Tehran. Our last visit was last year at the end of the 12-day war between Iran and Israel, which drew in the United States. And I have to say, the mood this time is strikingly different. When we went through, we drove through the streets of Tehran and went to Revolution Square, you have strings of fairy lights, the flags and bunting are decking the streets and the squares. Huge, brightly-painted murals of smiling Iranians have been put up as Iran marks the 10 days of events to mark the anniversary of the 1979 revolution, and it's 47 years old. The weather today is grey and drizzly, but we feel this grey pall across the city. You feel that the pain is still raw after the momentous events of the past few weeks that we cover, that people, media around the world covered, unprecedented protests met by an unprecedented crackdown and a growing, a huge loss of life. We still don't know exactly how many people were killed in the crackdown, how many people were injured, how many people are still missing. And while some people, we were just recording for radio, so no cameras, some people still said, no, no, too dangerous. But so many more wanted to send a message to their leaders about their pain over what had happened. The authorities are making a point of saying, we're going to list, we're going to document all of the people who were killed. And today we were told they have so far listed a little bit more than 3,100 people who had been killed. They say that the unrest was the work of rioters, of troublemakers and terrorists. And yes, while there was some arson, the burning down of buildings and mosques, which the protesters of course saw them as symbols of the regime. And so therefore it was a political gesture, but the government has basically called this, and basically said that they will face the severest punishment, the death penalty even, for these acts of attacks on public property. The number that we have been getting, and it keeps rising from international-based human rights groups, is a little bit less than 7,000, but we may never know, or at least not know for a very long time exactly how many people have been killed. Some people have been reluctant to tell the authorities about the loss of their loved ones, fearing that they would face consequences for their loved ones, their family members, their friends being identified as protesters. We did have reports that some of the authorities were asking for money to be able to receive the body, to have it handed over for burial. So there's a lot of uncertainty in this mix, and a lot of things which are very, very hard, very, very hard to confirm. It's still really only days after. But what they are trying to do, the authorities, is make this a show of strength. Tomorrow will be the end of the 10 days of commemorations for the anniversary. The Supreme Leader has called on people to turn out into the streets, and undoubtedly millions will turn out. The government, the authorities do have a bedrock of support, but others will not be marking this day. They are waiting for the 40 days of mourning in Shia Muslim tradition to honour those that have lost their lives in this latest wave of unrest.