For Vancouver resident Maryam Shariatmadari, each passing day without contact from her family in Iran is a torment. Since the Iranian government severed phone and internet access on January 8, 2024, she has been left to scour distressing images from the protests, fearing she might recognize a face among the wounded or dead.
Living in a State of Fear and Sleeplessness
"I haven't slept in days," said the 40-year-old, who is pregnant. Her last communication was six days prior, when she spoke to her 67-year-old mother in a small town near Tehran. During that call, her mother revealed she had been participating in street protests when government forces began firing guns. "I know it's dangerous, but I want to be there with my family right now," Shariatmadari expressed, her anxiety palpable.
The nationwide uprising, which began in late December over the rising cost of living, has evolved into a broader movement demanding the resignation of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The crackdown has been severe. According to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, at least 2,000 protesters have been killed and more than 16,700 arrested.
A Widespread Communications Blackout
The Iranian government's decision to enforce a near-total communications blackout has left the Iranian diaspora in Canada, and specifically in Vancouver, in a state of helpless dread. Shariatmadari's family is known to authorities, having been arrested multiple times in the past for protesting compulsory hijab rules in 2018. "I gave my mother's number to a friend in the country, but no one is answering her phone," she said. "I don't know if any of my family is OK or not."
Another Vancouver resident, Tahminmeh Sadeghi, 61, shares this anguish. Having lived in Canada for 35 years, her parents, brother, cousin, and aunt remain in Iran. Phone service has been unpredictable since the unrest began, with occasional, fleeting international connections. "The last time I got ahold of my sister-in-law, the phone cut out within a few seconds," said Sadeghi, an organizer with the Women, Life, Freedom movement.
International Condemnation and Threats
The situation escalated on Wednesday, January 13, when Iranian officials warned of fast trials and executions for those arrested. The Islamic Republic also threatened reprisals against any intervention by the U.S. or Israel. In response, U.S. President Donald Trump told the Associated Press he had been informed plans for executions were on hold, shortly after promising protesters that "help is on the way." Canada has also formally condemned the deaths of protesters in Iran.
For families in Vancouver, however, the political statements offer little solace. Their immediate reality is one of sleepless nights, constant fear, and the desperate hope for a sign that their loved ones are safe, a hope made excruciatingly difficult by a government-imposed wall of silence.
