The Know Daily - Friday 28 April 2023

_{Friday Edition ∙ Read in 5m 18s ∙ Listening to Shervin Hajipour}

I was born in Tehran, Iran’s capital, and although I have lived in the US for far longer than anywhere else, I can’t help but observe what’s transpiring in my homeland with a mixture of immense pride, heartbreak and hope. Even now, 224 days after protests first began, ordinary women and men are continuing to risk their lives to fight for their rights. Their main objective is to overthrow the dictatorial government and replace it with a secular democracy.

Late last year, I was part of a group of artists, activists and authorities on human rights who came together and demanded that the UN remove the Islamic Republic of Iran from the Commission on the Status of Women. We spoke with ambassadors and shared first-hand accounts of what was actually going on inside the country. Many people warned us that it would never work. But, miraculously, it did - and the Islamic Republic of Iran was booted out in December.

International pressure is critical in a movement like this - as is morale, for those who are risking their lives. After 43 years of feeling like the UN turns a blind eye to human rights violations perpetrated by the Islamic Republic, Iranians suddenly felt like the world was watching. “Please don’t forget about us” has remained their only ask.

Revolutions take time. And although the current events in Iran may seem distant from where you are right now, never underestimate that our voices and actions can make a difference. While democratic change must come from within the country, it’s the global community that provides the sails or the anchor. Read on for ways you can show your support for the people of Iran - plus a potted history, culture recs and more.

Take care,
Nasim x

🇮🇷 “Women, life, liberty”

Demonstrations broke out across Iran on 16 September 2022, sparked by the death of Mahsa Jina Amini in state custody. The 22-year-old had been arrested by the country’s so-called morality police for allegedly violating rules requiring women to wear a headscarf.

What started as a cry for “woman, life, liberty” soon transformed into a wider movement against Iran’s authoritarian regime, led by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. More than seven months after the protests began, Iranian women and men are continuing to fight for equal rights.

How did Iran get here?
The 1979 Islamic Revolution was a key turning point in the country’s modern history as it culminated in the overthrowing of the country’s powerful Shah (king). The monarchy was formally abolished and Iran was declared an Islamic Republic led by Ruhollah Khomeini.

Khomeini, Iran’s first supreme leader, introduced strict ideological systems inspired by Sharia (Islamic) law. This included a ban on alcohol, control over the media, the segregation of men and women in public and, most notably, the compulsory hijab for women.

On 8 March 1979 - International Women’s Day - thousands of women and men marched against these enforced "modesty" rules. “The objection was not to women who were wearing the scarf - the objection was to the mandatory scarf,” Iranian-American academic Haleh Esfandiari told Time magazine last year.

What about protests in the twenty-first century?
“Nationwide protests have been recurring in the country since December 2017, with shortening spaces of time between each spate of protests,” human rights lawyer Gissou Nia told The Know. “However, while all those protests were sparked by concerns over the economy and the environment, this latest round of protests was triggered by demands for human rights and basic dignity.”

According to Nia, this focus on human rights means the international community can’t easily dismiss this latest round of protests. “International observers have sometimes been keen to accept the Islamic Republic’s version of events that any dissent in the country is incited by external forces,” she said.

So what’s the situation now?
On 1 April, Iran’s judiciary chief warned that women will be prosecuted “without mercy” if they are seen in public without a veil. And while he did not specify what that punishment would be, women refusing to wear the hijab have faced arrest, fines, imprisonment and even execution in recent months.

The group Human Rights Activists believes that more than 19,700 people have been arrested during the demonstrations. Another group, Iran Human Rights, estimates that 500 of them - including 70 children - have been killed by the regime.

What can I do to help?
Here’s something you can do that only takes a few seconds: add your name to the End Gender Apartheid campaign. This open letter - backed by leaders, lawyers and cultural figures from Iran and Afghanistan - is calling for gender apartheid to be recognised as a crime under international law, alongside racial apartheid. This will set a historic precedent and offer the international community new ways to prosecute those involved in the atrocities.

🇸🇩 Sudan latest: Hundreds of citizens and foreign nationals were evacuated from the conflict-hit capital of Khartoum, but many more remain trapped. This morning, a ceasefire between rival factions was extended for 72 hours.

🇺🇸 White House race: Joe Biden formally announced that he will run for re-election in 2024. Already the oldest president in US history, Biden would be 86 by the end of a second term.

📲 That’s so Meta: Facebook and Instagram’s parent firm reported profits of $5.7bn for the first quarter of this year, surpassing expectations following widespread job cuts. Meta said AI was “driving good results” across its business.

👏 It’s fantastic: Mattel unveiled the first Barbie doll with Down’s syndrome. “Our goal is to enable all children to see themselves in Barbie,” said the toymaker.

📺 Black Mirror is back: The sixth season of the award-winning satirical sci-fi thrillerseries is set to land on Netflix this June, with an all-star cast including Salma Hayek and Aaron Paul.

❣️ Donate to: the Iran Human Rights Documentation Center, which records human rights abuses in Iran by conducting interviews with survivors. This essential documentation is used in human rights litigation and at the United Nations to drive global action and hold Iranian officials to account.

🥘 Visit: Berenjak, a Persian restaurant in Soho and Borough in London, inspired by the makeshift kabab houses which line the streets of Tehran. The kebabs here are outstanding, as are the cocktails.

📚 Read: The Origins of You: How Breaking Family Patterns Can Liberate the Way We Live and Love, a book by relationship expert Vienna Pharaon. It’s an essential read for anyone wanting to understand just how much our past influences who we are now, as well as our relationships with those around us.

🎥 Watch: The Voice of Dust and Ash, a profound documentary by Iranian-American director Mandana Biscotti. The film tells the story of artist and humanitarian Mohammad-Reza Shajarian, who risked his life to confront the Iranian regime.

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