Nazanin Boniadi to Voice of America: We Must Unite to Achieve Democracy

Nazanin Boniadi, speaking on the sidelines of the "Role of Unity in Advancing Democracy" conference at George Washington University, told Voice of America that in order to help the people of Iran achieve democracy, there is no way but to "unite." On Tuesday, December 5, Boniadi, a human rights activist, stated in an exclusive interview that although "the international community may think this revolution is asleep and that the people of Iran no longer want democracy," it is our duty to convey the message to the world that "the people of Iran are oppressed and this regime silenced protesters with oppression and violence, but this revolution is not over and is alive in the hearts and minds of the people of Iran." She emphasized the necessity of unity among opposition forces against the Islamic Republic, saying, "We can only succeed hand in hand" and added, "I support anyone who works and struggles for the freedom of Iran, regardless of their ideology, whether they are monarchists or republicans; what matters to me is that their hearts truly beat for the people of Iran and the future of Iran and that they work for secular democracy." The George Washington University hosted a two-hour session titled "The Role of Unity in Advancing Democracy" on December 5, featuring Nazanin Boniadi, a human rights activist and winner of the Sydney Peace Prize. At the beginning of the session, which focused on "Women, Life, Freedom," Alyssa Ayres, Dean of the Elliott School of International Affairs, asked Boniadi about the formation of the "Women, Life, Freedom" movement and its reflection in Iranian society. Boniadi referred to the slogan "Women, Life, Freedom" as a phrase opposing "a misogynistic, criminal, and oppressive regime." She emphasized the dynamism of this protest movement and spoke about the fallen youth and prisoners such as Narges Mohammadi, Tomaj Salehi, Fatemeh Sepahri, Majid Tavakoli, and many others who have been unjustly detained, imprisoned, and tortured in the prisons of the Islamic Republic. In another part of the session, the host asked Boniadi, a recipient of the Sydney Peace Prize, about her presence in Oslo during the Nobel Prize ceremony without Narges Mohammadi. Boniadi stressed the need to "put aside our differences" and emphasized the necessity of supporting Narges Mohammadi, a human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, regardless of ideological beliefs. At the end of the session, a Q&A was held where students and attendees asked Boniadi various questions—from establishing democracy in Iran after the Islamic Republic to the role of women and the transition from a patriarchal society, which this human rights activist stated is the key to the success of popular protests both inside and outside of Iran.