Three weeks into nationwide protests triggered by the killing of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman who died in custody after being arrested by Iran's "morality police," authorities continue to violently crack down on anti-regime demonstrators. As the uprisings have spread to dozens of cities, the government has blocked Internet connectivity in Iran. There have been mass arrests of students, journalists, activists, artists, sports figures and celebrities who have, at great personal risk, expressed a range of social, economic and political grievances with Iran's hardline government. Iran has seen large-scale anti-government protests before. However, they have fizzled out amid overwhelming brute force from Iran's security services. Still, many analysts and participants say these protests feel different; that dissenters have appeared more willing to brave beatings, arrest and even death as they demand justice and an end not simply to mandatory hijab wearing, but to Iran's oppressive clerical regime. USA TODAY conducted interviews with protesters on an encrypted communications channel to hear directly about their demands and to understand how they have experienced the protests. For their safety, and to preserve anonymity, the last names of those interviewed have been withheld. Read all of the accounts at the link in our bio.