“Change is equal to hope”. Shiva Mahbobi has never lost hope for change in Iran. At the age of 12, living in Iran, Shiva was arrested for campaigning for women’s rights. At just 16 she was imprisoned and tortured for over 3 years. Over 25 years later, in 2022, huge protests were sparked in Iran and around the world after it was reported that a 22 year old Iranian woman, Mahsa Amini, died after being beaten by police for allegedly violating Iran’s strict rules by not wearing a hijab. Women in Iran burnt their hijabs, cut their hair and people took to the streets to demonstrate.
Shiva knows their anger all too well and has worked tirelessly as an activist to make a difference. Once released from prison, Shiva sought asylum in Turkey before moving to Canada and eventually the UK where she lives now. Here, she is the spokesperson for the Campaign to Free Political Prisoners in Iran, which she co-founded. Last week, 20th of June, was an annual International day of action to support political prisoners in Iran. Here, Shiva talks to Annie about the reality in Iran for women and children, her own experiences as a child campaigner, in prison and solitary confinement, her own frustrations and family, her work as an activist and a psychotherapist, making change in Iran and how we can help.
Content warning: references to physical abuse and torture, rape and mass killings.
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Changes is a deaf friendly podcast, transcripts can be accessed here: https://www.anniemacmanus.com/changes
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