Swedish-Iranians are following developments in Iran with concern. Iran has been rocked by widespread protests since the beginning of December. In recent days, there have been reports that many people have been killed, while the internet and telephone services have been shut down, according to the international organization Netblocks.
"We are very worried. We haven't heard from our families either yesterday or the day before," says Sanna Khadem in Kalmar, who has siblings in the Iranian capital.
“I became anxious”
She last spoke to her sister on Wednesday.
"I urged her to go out into the streets, and I felt a little anxious afterwards. But I want everyone to go out and show that they are against the regime," she says.
Since then, there has been silence on WhatsApp, FaceTime and regular phone lines.
"They're not answering, and that means there's a completely brutal shutdown of the internet, the network, the phone, and everything just so that no one can get in touch. I'm just scared," she says.
We just sit and watch all the short films that come out on Instagram and Twitter.
Different feeling
In Helsingborg, Gaby Hosseini anxiously awaits word from her daughter and brothers in Iran. Because she is involved in human rights work, she is cautious in her contacts with relatives so that they do not suffer reprisals.
"If they (the regime) know they have been in contact with us, they could end up in prison for many years, or even be executed. That makes me afraid to call, so I try to leave messages where I don't say anything about the protests, but just tell them to be careful of each other," she says.
Both believe that the ongoing demonstrations are different from the waves of protest that have previously swept across Iran, and wish that politicians and media in Sweden and the West would act.
"This time it feels different. The population is tired of all these young people who have been killed over the years. Enough is enough," says Sanna Khadem.
