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Your Call

The stories of women who've fled the brutal crackdown in Iran

Ms. Moradbeigi said security forces shot her with metal pellets, mutilating her right arm.
Emily Garthwaite
/
The New York Times
Ms. Moradbeigi said security forces shot her with metal pellets, mutilating her right arm.

On this edition of Your Call’s Media Roundtable, we discuss the plight of Iranian women who've fled the regime’s brutal crack down, following the recent Women Life Freedom uprising in Iran.

The New York Times spoke with three mothers who decided it would be better to risk their lives by fleeing to spare their daughters a lifetime under the authoritarian regime.

Last September, Mahsa Jina Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman, was arrested for allegedly breaking Iran's forced hijab law. She died in custody three days later. Her death sparked months of protests all over the country.

Human Rights Watch documented security forces using shotguns, assault rifles, and handguns against protesters. Security forces killed at least 520 people, including 70 minors, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency. Nearly 20,000 people were arrested.

Earlier this year, Amnesty International released a report confirming allegations of rape, violence and "extreme torture" of protesters in detention.

Guest:

Cora Engelbrecht, reporter and story editor on the International desk at The New York Times

Web Resources:

The New York Times: Iranian Mothers Choose Exile for Sake of Their Daughters

The New York Times: Dreaming of a New Iran — Diaries from three young women

Radio Free Europe: Iranian Women Reveal Degrading Tactics Employed By Security Authorities

BBC: Iran protests — Return of morality police met by defiance

Malihe Razazan is the senior producer of KALW's daily call-in program, Your Call.
Rose Aguilar has been the host of Your Call since 2006. She became a regular media roundtable guest in 2001. In 2019, the San Francisco Press Club named Your Call the best public affairs program. In 2017, The Nation named it the most valuable local radio show.