For the past forty-years, thousands of dissidents, students, intellectuals, and journalists have been systematically arrested, imprisoned and tortured for the sole crime of speaking up against the oppressive rule of the mullahs. Many are still languishing in prisons, some have died, and some have simply vanished with no trace.

Not only has the regime terrorized its own people, they have also demonstrated a high priority for supporting global terrorism.

Many Iranians are following the events in Iran carefully. Despite an unprecedented internet shutdown by the regime, the Iranian people have succeeded in providing the world with video evidence of the Mullahs’ brutality. “We see you, we hear you, & as Secretary of State Michael Pompeo stated, the U.S. is with you.”

The legitimacy of the Islamic Republic is now under serious question. The protests that began two weeks ago in Iran are different from most previous protests. These protesters have covered more area, overwhelming small and midsize cities across the country. They also have reportedly drawn more than 16 million participants in over 100 cities, much more than did the 2009 Green Revolution protests in Tehran.

In over 100 cities, the Islamic Republic security forces responded by opening fire on unarmed protesters, largely young men and women between the ages of 14 and 30, according to witness accounts and videos. Unofficial reports say that death toll is close to 5,000 and over 15,000 injured and arrested. The numbers could be much higher. 

Photographs of some of those murdered in cold blood have been sent to me and I am sharing them with you. May their memory kindle the fires of freedom.

Are we finally witnessing the end of the Islamic Republic? Yes, but perhaps not immediately. Still, it is only a matter of time -- and not a very long one either.

A Crisis of Legitimacy in the Islamic Republic of Iran Forty Years After the Revolution