Iran’s Deadly Protests Unite a Nation Behind an Old Struggle

The Kurds have been a lightning rod for the regime’s crackdown on dissent for years, but now they have galvanized opposition to the Islamic Republic.

A member of the Komala of Revolutionary Toilers of Iranian Kurdistan watches for drones in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq, on Oct. 3. 

Photographer: Hawre Khalid/Getty Images 

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It took a drip-feed of information over several hours before Kurdish activist Chiako Fatehi discovered it was his older brother Ramin who had died in the Iranian jail cell.