Iran protest: Gathering for human rights held at ASU in Tempe

Protest over Iran held at ASU

At least 2,000 people are dead, by some accounts, amid nationwide protests in Iran, and in the Phoenix area, ASU students and community members have gathered for their own protest at the university's Tempe campus. FOX 10's Nicole Krasean has more.

TEMPE, Ariz. - As some reports state many people have died amid nationwide protests in Iran, Arizona State University students and community members are holding their own protest against the regime, in the Phoenix area.

The backstory:

According to the Associated Press, 16,700 people have been arrested and more than 2,000 have been killed since the protests began on Dec. 28, with a vast majority being protesters.

Per the AP, the demonstrations are the biggest Iran has seen in years, and are spurred by the collapse of Iran's currency that has morphed into a larger test of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s repressive rule.

The AP, however, concedes that understanding the scale of the protests has been difficult. Iranian state media has provided little information about the demonstrations. Online videos offer only brief, shaky glimpses of people in the streets or the sound of gunfire.

Due to the level of unrest, the American government is urging U.S. citizens currently in Iran to leave the country if possible.

Local perspective:

In Tempe, Arizona State University students and community members are holding their own protest. Organizers say they expect around 200 people at the gathering, which they described as peaceful and nonpartisan.

Protesters said they feel supported by President Donald Trump’s statements against the Islamic regime that currently rules Iran. These demonstrators say the current Iranian regime is responsible for thousands of deaths in just the past few days. They also say the situation boils down to a lack of freedom, an issue they say has been haunting Iran for decades.

"We can’t hear much," said Hessam Rahimian, who escaped Iran in 1987. "For five straight days, the Islamic Republic has killed internet [access], and has killed the phone lines. So that is a very easy, quick way for the government to kill, murder Iranians and do it without the entire world knowing."

What's next:

President Trump has reportedly canceled talks with Iranian leaders and sent a message to protesters stating that "help is on the way."