“They taught you not to shine. And yet, you shine.” These words by Pier Paolo Pasolini resonate deeply with the courage of Iranian women who have broken through the walls of fear and silence, sparking an irreversible transformation. The chant “Woman, Life, Freedom” echoes in the hearts of all who seek to reclaim their dignity against a theocratic, authoritarian regime responsible for severe repression, as told by a free voice from Iran. For security reasons we do not publish her name. On 5 May 2025 a bill against violence towards Iranian women has been withdrawn. Parliament was distorting its content, so the promoters preferred to withdraw it. The reality unfortunately surpasses all imagination,
The fierce repression against women and girls who violate the headscarf obligation has reached a level that has provoked a large protest movement. On 5 February 2025, Iranian President Pezeshkian declared: ‘I cannot enforce the law because it creates problems for the people and I will not go against the people’. It seemed like a historic turning point, but the current situation is quite different, as a free voice from Iran tells us.
It’s hard to describe how liberating it is to speak openly about the harrowing challenges I’ve faced as a woman in Iran over the years. I want to talk about the censorship, the lack of freedom, and the absence of equal civil rights for Iranian women over the past 46 years. This brutal repression by the Islamic Republic has inflicted deep psychological wounds on Iranian women.
Despite making up 50% of Iranian society, and many being educated, running significant businesses, serving as managers, investors, and leaders in regions bordering Asian countries, Iranian women continually strive not to lag behind their male counterparts. Unfortunately, the laws of the Islamic Republic aim to punish and control women, but in doing so, they also harm the free men of Iranian society.
What challenges have you faced in Iran?
As a woman in Iran, I am compelled to diminish myself—to be less visible, less vocal—to have my work acknowledged or even considered.
In a society where patriarchy is deeply ingrained, I was often judged not for my work but for my gender: Was it appropriate for me to speak this way? Was it acceptable for me to think like this? Was I taken seriously as a woman, or merely seen as an ‘ornament’?
My main challenges included:
Fighting exponentially harder to be taken seriously.
Being cautious not to appear ‘too bold’ to avoid accusations of impropriety.
Navigating countless red lines.
Enduring the fact that, solely because of my gender, paths were more arduous, prolonged, or entirely blocked.
Yet, what sustained me and many others was our passion for our work—a mysterious force that keeps us going, even when surrounded by walls.
My free voice crosses the red lines they’ve drawn, exposing me to risks such as:
Loss of personal freedom
Loss of job opportunities
Financial or professional security
Even physical or psychological safety
Iran perceives ‘free,’ ‘independent,’ and ‘creative’ individuals as threats to its power. They tolerate only what serves their ideology; a free woman is dangerous to them.
Nevertheless, despite these dangers, my existence and resistance are acts of rebellion. Humanity, freedom, and beauty cannot be stifled, not even in the darkest places.
Furthermore, the use of modern technologies like facial recognition, drones, and apps to repress women symbolizes the fusion of traditional dictatorship with modern tools. The Iranian regime seeks to elevate social control to unprecedented levels.
Key aspects of this process include:
Severe human rights violations: Identifying and punishing individuals for personal choices (like dress) directly contradicts the fundamental principles of individual freedoms enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Normalization of repression: when regimes use technology for control, these methods risk becoming gradually normalized, making social resistance more challenging.
Spread of fear and distrust: people no longer feel safe, even on the streets or among others, as anyone—or even a smartphone app—could denounce them.
Sign of the regime’s weakness: this extreme level of control demonstrates the government’s diminished popular legitimacy; a power legitimized by consensus wouldn’t need repression and intimidation.
However, the widespread popular opposition is very encouraging. It indicates that Iranian society has significantly changed; many women and men are no longer willing to obey blindly, even under the threat of persecution.
This fierce repression might worsen in the short term, but in the long run, no power can withstand the will of those who desire freedom. I am optimistic because information technology can be a tool of oppression, but also an instrument of resistance and awareness.”
As you know, about a month ago, the head of the Iranian government stated that he did not want to implement an even more repressive law against the people. What happened next? Does a relaxation of the persecution led by the so-called Revolutionary Guards seem credible? Is the situation improving or worsening?
The situation in Iran is ambiguous and twofold:
On one hand, repression is conducted in a more covert and targeted way, with silent arrests, invisible security pressures, and the use of technology for control without direct confrontations.
On the other hand, the Iranian regime is engaged in delicate negotiations with the United States and possibly other Western countries; negotiations that are more than ever linked to the country’s internal and external future.
This situation has several important consequences:
Until the negotiations conclude, the government will try to maintain an apparent calm, as it doesn’t want its violent image to compromise the talks.
However, repression is still present, just more hidden, so society feels insecure, but without significant news emerging.
The outcome of the negotiations can be very decisive:
If an agreement is reached that gives more power to the government (e.g., lifting sanctions without significant changes), there could be more visible repression afterward.
If the negotiations fail or the government feels weakened, conditions could worsen severely or, conversely, opportunities for popular movements could emerge.
I feel like I’m living in a period of calm before the storm; an ambiguous situation, full of internal and external pressures.
Editor’s note: in this first part of the interview, artificial intelligence was used to translate, order and schematise the content, which is original
