Iran's future, women's protests, opposition abroad and drones for Russia – Shirin Ebadi

The war in Ukraine and the protests in Iran are the main headlines this year. What is happening now in the most closed country? My guest is Shirin Ebadi who is an Iranian human rights activist. In 2003 she won the Nobel Peace Prize. How are the regimes in Iran and Russia similar, why are women protesting, and what will be the structure of the new state?

Shirin Ebadi is a lawyer. She became Iran's first female head of the court. After the Islamic revolution in Iran along with other women she was removed from this position. According to the Islamists who came to power, a woman should not make decisions that are binding on men. Since 2009, Dr. Ebadi has been living outside of Iran.

Iranian women's protests. Why Iran should be considered a terrorist state. The Iranian regime not only sells kamikaze drones to Russia, but also provides financial support to Hezbollah and the Houthis in Yemen. People in Iran are against the policies of this government.

Protests can and should lead to regime change in Iran. The Iranian people are in great anger. For 43 years, people have tried all non-violent methods. They tried to have a dialogue, write letters, go to the polls, ask for something, and so on. But all this remained unanswered.

Why are Iranian women not afraid? Women with higher education are discriminated against. The life of a woman is worth half as much as the life of a man, in court the testimony of two women is equal to the testimony of one man, a man can have up to four wives, whom he can divorce without any reason, and it is very difficult for a woman to file for a divorce. Iranian women are very angry: they no longer want to put up with the laws that have been imposed on them since 1979.

The regime in Iran and the regime in Russia have much in common. President Putin is capable of using anything to stay in power. Everyone is morally prepared and admits that he is actually close to using the atomic bomb. At the moment, the Iranian government does not have access to nuclear weapons, but I can say that the regime in Iran is extremely cruel.

Protest leaders. There are many groups of young people who have coordinated their activities. They work together, but they don't have leaders. When the Iranian people hold free elections under the auspices of the United Nations, then they will choose their leader.

What kind of help from abroad can be? Iran has been under sanctions for years. There is not much the West can do to put pressure on the Iranian regime. The demand of the Iranian people to the West is to reduce the level of diplomatic relations with Iran from the level of ambassadors to just responsible employees.

The Iranian opposition has extensive experience in fighting from abroad. In fact, it is possible to act effectively from abroad as well. The most important mission of the opposition abroad is to spread the news about the protests of the Iranian opposition inside the country and to discuss the situation in the country with Western governments.

Can a military alliance between Russia and Iran strengthen Iran? If Putin were strong, he would not buy missiles and drones from the Iranian regime. I don't think Putin can help the Iranian regime exterminate its own people.

The role of religion in modern Iranian society. Inthe name of religion they oppress, imprison and kill people. As a result, people in Iran are no longer religious. Right now, all the Iranian people want is for their country to become a secular democratic state.

The model of the state structure can be determined only by the people and only in the course of a referendum. It is at the referendum that people will decide what they want to see: a monarchy, a republic, a parliamentary regime, a multi-party regime ...

What will the return to Iran be like? I will act as a lawyer, a lawyer defending victims of human rights violations. I don't see any other role for myself than this one.

All Russians who oppose Putin fear a bloody civil war. I really hope that regime change in Iran will happen without bloodshed.

Видео Iran's future, women's protests, opposition abroad and drones for Russia – Shirin Ebadi канала Mikhail Zygar