8 dissenters explain why they risk their lives

• Protests in Iran were sparked by the killing of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who died in custody after being arrested by Iran’s “morality police.”
• There have been mass arrests of students, journalists, activists, artists, sports figures and celebrities.
• USA TODAY communicated with Iranian protesters over an encrypted channel. This story publishes their testimony in their own words.

Three weeks into nationwide protests triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman who was in custody after being arrested by Iran’s “morality police,” authorities continue to violently crack down on anti-regime demonstrators.

Amini was allegedly detained and beaten to death for not conforming to Iran’s strict Islamic dress code, which includes, for women, a head covering known as a hijab.