EU Parliament chief defends Iran protesters’ right to speak freely

The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, has rejected criticism from Iran’s mission to the European Union, saying protesters in Iran are calling for fundamental freedoms, including the right to express dissent online without fear of arrest or violence.

Responding on January 9, Metsola said the ability to criticise leaders freely was something many Iranians were being denied.

“Must be nice to be able to tweet from Europe and be able to use the internet freely to publicly disagree with leaders, without being arrested, beaten or having the country’s telecommunications disabled,” she wrote.

She added that such freedoms were precisely what demonstrators across Iran were demanding.

“That’s the sort of thing people in Iran’s streets are asking for,” Metsola said.

Protests driven by worsening economic hardship have spread across multiple provinces in Iran in recent days, prompting a swift security response from authorities and raising fears of renewed violence.

Demonstrations erupted on December 28 in Tehran and several other major cities, with protesters voicing anger over soaring prices, unemployment and declining living standards. Shortly after the gatherings began, authorities moved to restrict internet access and cut telephone lines, a familiar tactic used during previous periods of unrest.

Experts and rights groups warned the communications blackout could signal a broader crackdown, noting that similar measures in the past have preceded the use of lethal force against demonstrators.

The current wave of unrest is the most significant since nationwide protests in 2022, which were sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in the custody of Iran’s morality police. That movement drew international condemnation and was met with a heavy-handed security response.

The latest developments have also drawn renewed attention from Washington. US President Donald Trump reiterated his warning that the United States would respond if Iranian security forces were to kill protesters.

By Aghakazim Guliyev