This photo essay documents the protests that followed Iran’s 2009 presidential election, an election that was widely contested by large segments of the population. Supporters of opposition candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi accused the authorities of large-scale electoral fraud and argued that their votes had been overridden through what they described as an electoral coup.

In the weeks and months that followed, millions of Iranians—many of them young—took to the streets in cities across the country, demanding accountability, transparency, and recognition of their vote. The protests, which became known as the Green Movement, were met with a heavy security response as Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei endorsed the re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad despite widespread public dissent.

The photographs in this series were taken under extreme security conditions. Due to the risk of arrest, the photographer worked with small, discreet cameras and frequently altered appearance and clothing to avoid identification by security forces. On several occasions, being mistaken for plainclothes security agents also placed the photographer at risk from protesters themselves.

Some individuals appearing in these images were later identified as public figures or relatives of senior officials, while others remain anonymous participants whose stories unfold through individual frames. Additional context and identification are provided where relevant in the accompanying captions.

These images form a visual record of a pivotal moment in Iran’s recent history, documenting public dissent, civic courage, and the contested space between state power and popular protest.