One hundred and twenty small Iranian flags were placed on Dallas Hall Lawn this week. Rows of red, white and green blew in the wind, with each flag symbolizing a person who has died during the ongoing anti-government protests in Iran.

The protests began on Dec. 28th when the country’s currency plunged to an all-time low, worsening inflation and economic conditions. As tensions grew, Iran’s security forces initiated crackdowns with violent force to disperse protestors, leading to thousands of deaths. To raise awareness of the violent government crackdown, SMU’s Association of Iranian Students held a memorial from Feb. 9 to Feb. 11 to honor civilians and protestors who lost their lives.

“We wanted to share this awareness with the SMU community,” said Eshan, an Association of Iranian Students member, who asked to be identified by his first name out of fear for his family back home in Iran. “What’s happening in Iran, it’s really devastating for us that [we’re] experiencing this stuff in our country.”

Surrounding the flags were poster boards with roses bearing the names and portraits of Iranians whose lives were honored throughout the memorial.

The Association of Iranian Students holds a memorial on Dallas Hall Lawn to honor the lives of those who have been killed due to the violence in Iran in Dallas, Texas, on Feb. 10, 2026.
(Chloe Casdorph)

On Monday evening, the first day of the memorial, the association held a candlelight vigil and screened videos about the protests, featuring some of the victims and messages of support from around the world. Over the three days of the memorial, around 100 people attended.

“Currently [the people of Iran] are voiceless because the regime has suppressed them so badly that they cannot even come out of their homes,” Eshan said. “They still do executions in the prisons. They cannot speak for themselves, so we Iranians that are out of Iran, we try to be their voice and share this awareness with everyone.”

Eshan came to the United States from Iran to pursue a doctorate in civil engineering at SMU in 2023. He has seen the government’s brutality firsthand.

“This regime took power in 1979; before that, Iran was a very successful and prosperous country,” Eshan said. “Since this Islamic Republic got the power, and from then, their brutal crimes have not stopped. They have done this for 47 years.”

Two of the deadliest days of the protests were Jan. 8 and 9. According to Amnesty International, Iranian security forces, including Iran’s police force, cracked down on protestors with the unlawful use of “rifles, shotguns loaded with metal pellets, water cans, tear gas and beatings.”

Iran International, a news network based in London, reported that previously classified documents revealed 36,500 people were killed by security forces on Jan. 8 and 9.

Association of Iranian Students member Iman Malekshahi has spoken with loved ones back in Iran who feel this number is not accurate.

“What I’m hearing is the real number is probably more than that,” Malekshahi said. “And also the fact that the massacre has not stopped. It’s still going on in Iran, and there are a lot of people in custody and in prisons in Iran that we don’t know what’s going to happen to them next.”

Iran shut down the country’s internet on Jan. 8 in what critics called an attempt to limit organizing efforts as well as suppress communications about the government’s protest crackdown. Mobile Internet access returned on Jan. 28, but many users can only connect for a limited period, if at all.

Figures on the death toll conflict due to a lack of internet connection and information sharing. The U.S.-based Human Rights News Agency currently estimates the death toll at 7,005, which is the figure widely used by mainstream news outlets in the U.S. But the true number may be much higher, because cases remain under HRNA’s investigation.

Eshan said the memorial received increased attention from community members who visited to learn more and engage in meaningful conversation.

Posters show the faces of those who have been killed in Iran due to the violence in Dallas, Texas, on Feb. 10, 2026. (Chloe Casdorph)

A rally organized by IranzVoiceDFW will be held Saturday, Feb. 14, at the JFK Memorial Plaza in downtown Dallas at 1 p.m.

“If anybody is interested, that would be the best way to support us,” Malekshahi said.

The association is working on its next event to continue raising awareness about Iran and speaking for those who have died.

“We want [governments] to help us topple this regime and help goes beyond condemnations or just talking,” Malekshahi said. “It’s a threat for the whole entire world. It would make the world a better place if they could help us and take action against this.”