Author of the national bestseller Reading Lolita in Tehran, Things I’ve Been Silent about, The Republic of Imagination, That Other World, and Read Dangerously.
DC/Republic of Imagination
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I am so very excited to announce the world premiere of the film adaptation of my beloved book Reading Lolita in Tehran on Saturday at @Romacinemafest! Thrilled to watch the film w/ the amazing cast in Rome & see my book come to life on the screen! 🎬📚@Golshifteh @ZarAmirEbrahimi
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In 1981, I was expelled from teaching at the University of Tehran for refusing to veil. Since then I have hoped for a day like today when Iranian women courageously cast off their veils. My hope is close to the new reality in Iran!
#MahsaAmini #IranProtests2022 #مهسا_امینی
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Shirin Ebadi,@LadiKhanom,& I are calling on the president of @oberlincollege @ctambar, to investigate #MohammadJafarMahallati & his role in the #1988Massacre. From 1987 to 1989,he was the IRI’s ambassador to the UN. He has denied the existence of the executions. Our letter below:
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Are we really going to allow this crazy person force our teachers to carry guns?What next?Churches, movie houses, malls, streets, metro, buses.Cant believe this is even being discussed.
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Let us not forget that @AlinejadMasih ‘s brother is still in the Islamic Republic’s jail.The only crime Masih&her brother have committed is revealing the truth and truth is one thing the Islamic regime is most afraid of.
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I stand in solidarity with the courageous and resilient Iranian women refusing to wear the mandatory veil, who, in doing so, are fighting for not just women’s rights but human rights.
#Iran #IranProtests #WalkingUnveiled
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I've added my name to this letter of Global Solidarity for #Iran.
#IranSolidarity #WomanLifeFreedom #زن_زندگی_آزادی #MahsaAmini #مهسا_امینی
The Iranian peoples’ victory over IR repression would be a major step toward global equity. They cannot do it alone... the Iranian people need your support!
Will you sign our petition calling for #IranSolidarity from the intl community?
Spread the word!
change.org/IranSolidarity
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Changing the language in #RoaldDahl's books changes history as it was and creates a fake history. We need to know the past-- including the offensive parts. That is how we avoid repeating the offense. We must know it in order to change, rather than rewrite it out of existence.
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The conflict between the Iranian people and the #IslamicRepublic isn’t just political- it’s existential. Iranian people, esp. Iranian women are fighting for their right to live, and to live according to their choices. And for this right, they are prepared to give their lives.
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Today and everyday, we stand in solidarity with women’s struggle for their rights everywhere, especially in Iran, where women are at the forefront of the struggle. Happy women’s day, everyday. (Photo appeared in the NYT, originally shot in Tehran, in 1979, by H. Golestan).
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Amazing how little coverage Iranian people’s protest is getting.
“Intense clashes with Basijis at the University of Tehran,” says the speaker in the video.
Chants of “Don’t be afraid, everyone is standing together!”
Internet & info remains limited on Day 4 of #IranProtests. Their voices must be heard. You can help! #Internet4Iran
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They must really fear @AlinejadMasih and her brother to issue such unjust verdict. In empathy & with Hope! #StopExecutionsInIran
1-Today, My innocent brother has been sentenced to 8 years. Islamic Republic of Iran’s authorities stormed into prison his cell & hurriedly took him to trial. They’re scared of the anger of a nation as the hashtag #StopExecutionslnlran went viral yesterday.
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I told @BBCWorld this AM that the protests led by Iranian schoolgirls, men, & women are "the best way of telling the regime if mandatory veil & your reactionary laws are my culture and tradition then why is it that you have to kill us in order to make us obey them?" #مهسا_امینی
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Thank you! We need to remind the elected officials why they were elected & who they are elected to serve.
Dear Democratic leaders: We've got Twitter covered. Figure out what power you have as LAWMAKERS. That's why we elected you.
#MuslimBan
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I'm currently in Rome for a series of events mainly focused on the Iranian people’s uprising against the Islamic Republic. Amazing how people from all different parts of the world empathize with the Iranians’ cause! The universality of seeking freedom!
#زن_زندگی_آزادی
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It was such an honor to receive the Taobuk Award For Literary Excellence alongside the great writers @joycecaroloats and Annie Ernaux!
Thank you @TaobukFestival ❤️📖
#ReadDangerously #ReadingLolita #booklovers
@GiCivi @adelphiedizioni @antonel92750321
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Dear friends, it is with great joy that I share with you the news that my latest #book ‘That Other World,’ is now published. Those of you who loved Reading Lolita in Tehran and the Republic of Imagination will hopefully enjoy this book, too. More info here m.facebook.com/story.php?sto…
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In empathy with Salman Rushdie. What makes a man whose only weapon is his words so dangerous to those powerful men armed with weapons that they want to literally eliminate him?
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@amanpour is true to her principles. The Islamic regime could not bully her into compromising her values, her integrity as a woman and a journalist, and as a believer in human rights.
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For people who are upset and outraged about Oberlin’s lack of action against #MohammadJafarMahallati, send tweets to @oberlincollege and @ctambar requesting action!
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Proud to join the international campaign to free imprisoned human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh from prison in Iran. Please join us by posting your own protest photo in solidarity with #FreeNasrin. @ichri iranhumanrights.org/2020/09/…
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کووید ۱۹ جان و سلامت زندانیان را به خطر انداخته است. به کارزار آزادی زندانیان سیاسی و مدافعان حقوق بشر بپیوندید تا همصدا با هم آزادی آنها را بخواهیم. خطاب به مقامات ایران بگویید: #آزادشان_کنید
همصدا با هم فریادمان را قدرتمندتر کنیم تا راهی نداشته باشند به جز شنیدن.
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This #InternationalWomensDay I'm thinking of all the brave young women in Iran, esp. the young girls going to school while the government is poisoning them. Their resilience will be remembered!
#WomenLifeFreedom
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This photo was taken last week at a protest in solidarity with the women and men in the Iranian streets. We will continue protesting the regime from afar!
#زن_زندگی_آزادی
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Ukraine is reminding us that democracy in a country thousands of miles away, a country whose citizens we don’t know and whose language we don’t speak, will strengthen and redefine democracy in our own country. Support Ukraine. Support Democracy.
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Can we afford to remain silent?
600k+ people have signed our petition to release Nasrin Sotoudeh. After 2 unfair trials, Nasrin was sentenced to 38 yrs in prison & 148 lashes, just for her work as a lawyer defending women’s rights in Iran. Help us reach 1 million signatures to show Iran we won’t stay silent.
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Resistance can take many forms and is never limited. Watch these Iranian youths resist the autocratic regime through their artistic expression.
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Protesting forced hijab==demanding freedom of Choice!
Protesting forced hijab = not a crime.
Protesting forced hijab = not a crime.
Protesting forced hijab = not a crime.
Nasrin Sotoudeh was sentenced to 38 years in prison & 148 lashes for speaking out against Iran's abusive forced hijab laws out. #FreeNasrin now.
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In times like this we need Beauty! With thanks to @LadiKhanom
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It’s hard to believe Reading Lolita was published 20 years ago, & my secret reading group formed 8 years prior. It’s surreal that the book, with its description of twisted totalitarian leaders, juxtaposed hopeful & courageous opposition voices continues to ring true in #Iran & US
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From yesterday’s D.C. protest against the #IslamicRepublic. Fighting with/for our granddaughters, daughters, sisters, mothers, & grandmothers. And in support of the women & men standing up to the regime in the Iranian streets. #Mahsa_Amini #IranProtests2022 #مهسا_امین
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One of the best ways to prevent a war is to support the human rights of the Iranian people. In their protests they asked for their rights, NOT for war.
Conflating rights advocacy with warmongering is an abhorrent way to shame and silence activists, and only serves to exacerbate the suffering of those being oppressed and abused.
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Today, I'm thinking about James Baldwin. He and others would have never dreamed LGBT could be open enough to even think of publicly marrying
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As I write in my book #ReadDangerously, the first targets of totalitarian mindsets are women, minorities, and culture. The Supreme Court's decision overturning Roe v. Wade is the newest exemplification of this.
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“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” Celebrating Martin Luther King
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A beautiful book by dear @MahnazAfkhami that details the Iranian grassroots women’s rights movement, which is often overlooked and forgotten. An important read— especially today as women, children, and men are fighting for freedom in Iran.
#زن_زندگی_آزادی
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Trump’s attacks on the Islamic regime do not mean he is defending Iranian people’s human rights.He himself is a violator of rights.
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Honored to share the cover of @Corriere with the incredibly talented cast of Reading Lolita.
Beyond moved to see my beloved book, filled with decades of memories, brought to life on screen—esp. in these sadly, yet predictably dark times. #ReadingLolita #Iran #Filmadaptation
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Awarded the #NobelPeacePrize for her advocacy against the #IslamicRepublic's death penalty and human rights abuses, Narges Mohammadi represents all the Iranian women fighting for freedom & equality in #Iran. Rightfully deserved for a resilient advocate!
#NargesMohammadi
2023 #NobelPeacePrize laureate Narges Mohammadi has dedicated her life to fighting against the oppression of women in Iran and promoting human rights and freedom for all. For this the Iranian regime sentenced her to 31 years in prison. She has been in prison since 2015.
ALT Picture of Narges Mohammadi. Next to it is a burgundy coloured text box with the quote: "I have to keep my eyes on the horizon and the future even though the prison walls are tall and near and blocking my view."
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I am relieved, I am exhausted, I am joyous and hopeful. The Biden victory is the first step. Now for the next step in solving the many problems we face.
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Seeing Reading Lolita in Tehran come alive on screen at @PSFilmFest was an unforgettable experience! Sharing this moment with such a warm, enthusiastic audience was a beautiful reminder of how film, much like literature, connects us all.
#film #premiere
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.@SalmanRushdie @PENamerican Satanic Verses didn't insult true Muslims,it offended their oppressors who treated their own authors same way
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My @lemondefr profile“Ce mouvement a un but:retrouver la vie, parce que la République islamique nous a privés de celle que nous aurions toujours voulu avoir. Le combat des Iraniens n’est pas seulement une résistance politique, mais une lutte existentielle.”lemonde.fr/m-le-mag/article/…
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In memory of George Floyd: “The victim who is able to articulate the situation of victim has ceased to be a victim: he or she has become a threat. James Baldwin
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#NavidAfkari, a famous and courageous Iranian wrestler, was executed by the Iranian regime on Saturday. I just signed a statement condemning this action and urging the international sports community to boycott Iran. You can sign it here bit.ly/2ZIKdey
#نوید_افکاری
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Yes & Yes! That is how art becomes subversive through ' a revelation in the heart!'
Remembering Leonard Cohen with his timeless, astonishingly timely wisdom on democracy and its redemptions brainpickings.org/2016/11/10…
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Good to be in this fight alongside of you dear @NazaninBoniadi. We are all fighting the same fight.
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I so enjoyed my conversation this weekend with @CarolineFourest! We talked about the current Iranian uprising, totalitarianism, and the need to nurture democracy.
#WomenLifeFreedom #زن_زندگی_آزادی
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My interview with @corriereveneto about the subversive role of literature against #totalitarian mindsets, #NargesMohammadi's #NobelPeacePrize, and why I remain hopeful even during such a dark, violent time.
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Having immigrated from my beloved country of Iran in flight of a totalitarian regime, I have witnessed the totalitarian tendencies and lawlessness that can occur. Yesterday’s horrifying events and imagery at the US Capitol too closely resemble the same regime I escaped.
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My statement on the Islamic regime’s unjust imprisonment of #AlessiaPiperno.
"Freedom has no boundaries, it knows no East or West, freedom is universal."
@adelphiedizioni
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I want to express my empathy and solidarity with the courageous, powerful, and determined Afghan woman. I understand the fear and repression they face from the murderous Taliban, but I also know them to be resilient and innovative in resisting oppression. They represent hope.
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I signed this important letter calling for the release of Iranian poet #Ali_Asadollahi & other writers who are unjustly imprisoned in #Iran. Throughout history, Iranians have always identified with their poets. Poetry can open up spaces & imagination that tyrants often close.
"The continuing persecution and prosecution of Iranian writers constitute clear violations of their freedom of speech, and freedom of conscience, as protected by #Iran’s own laws and its legal obligations under international law."
JOINT STATEMENT: pen.org/joint-statement-call… #Iran
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Iranian people stand up to the regime in different ways.One way is to bring joy and music into the streets.
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Was reading Louise Penny and came across this:”Happiness as an act of defiance. A revolutionary act.” Exactly my feelings especially when I think of Iranian people’s uprising against the Islamic regime.
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I stand with the incredibly courageous Iranian men and women who are taking to the streets to protest the regime.
Woman. Life. Freedom!
#IranProtests2022 #MahsaAmini #OpIran #WomanLifeFreedom
#مهسا_امینی
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@realDonaldTrump Mr. Bigshot occupying the White House by not taking sides has already made clear whose side he is on.
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Inspired that so many people see their hope in Iranian women & their uprising
#زن_زندگی_آزادی #WomanLifeFreedom
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Good to wake up to these words:
“By believing passionately in something that still does not exist, we create it. The nonexistent is whatever we have not sufficiently desired.”
~ Franz Kafka
thanks to @ilya_poet
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Coronavirus in the age of Trump:I am reminded of the officials in Iran and their whitewash.Trump&his supporters’ rhetoric more like that of the Islamic regime’s
This is the most irresponsible, dangerous piece of propaganda I have yet seen. Nothing like it anywhere else on a mainstream news channel, watched by millions. This woman will be responsible for unnecessarily spreading the virus.
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My interview with @BBCWorld this morning:
"Iranian women coming into the streets asking for freedom of choice and of association are not 'westernized,' their struggle is rooted in the struggle of Iranian women since mid-19th century."
#Mahsa_Amini #IranProtests2022 #مهساامینی
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It’s an honor to be recognized for the Pell Center Prize for Story in the Public Square! Such a memorable evening at @SalveRegina last month.
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کتاب سرخپوست تنها، اثر @moniruravanipou در گوگل پلی چاپ شد. مشتاق خواندن ان.
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The news you don’t hear on the news about Iranian people’s daily struggle against a brutal, corrupt & incompetent regime
Today Sunday teachers and retired teachers whose demands have not been heard gathered in protest in front of the parliament. Enough with tyranny they say, we cannot put food on our tables.
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"For Iranian women, this movement is existential."
My piece in the @guardian about the current situation in Iran and how the country is at a turning point.
bit.ly/3ff5FTG
#WomanLifeFreedom #مهسا_امینی #زن_زندگی_آزادی
@carmitstead
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"هنيئاً لنا هذه الجحيم"... إلغاء حوار ثقافي في الكويت مع كاتبة إيرانية raseef22.com/article/1077121 via @Raseef22
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Currently in Italy giving interviews and talks about what is going on in Iran. For those of us watching the uprising from afar, empathy is so important! Grateful to see how many people here are hopeful and inspired by Iranians fighting for freedom.
#زن_زندگی_آزادی
🗣️ “Un tratto tipicamente umano è l’empatia. Non possiamo essere ovunque nel mondo, ma possiamo leggere tutto ciò che accade nel mondo”
@azarnafisi a #piulibri22 con @KelleddaMurgia ✨
🔴 Live on bit.ly/3Y7Nlx5
@adelphiedizioni
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Looking forward to celebrating #InternationalWomensDay with @DrShirleyGraham & @ElliottSchoolGW students in an event discussing #WomanLifeFreedom and the women-led protests in #Iran. This event is open to the public, please join us! March 8 @ 12pm. Info below:
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The lives of political prisoners and human rights defenders being held in Iran's prisons are at risk due to #COVID19. Add your voice to mine in calling on Iran to #SetThemFree. Together, we will be heard. Learn more @IranRights_org, bit.ly/SetThemFree #آزادشان_کنید
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این همبستگی ورای سیاست میرود, همبستگی انسانی است, با قلب وروح سر وکار دارد. با همدلی و همدردی با خانواده های سوگوار و بزرگ داشت عزیزانشان.
خانم آذر نفیسی
همبستگی با خانوادهای سوگوار که عزیزانشان را در اعتراضات آبان۹۱۳۸ کشتند. گردهمآیی در واشنگتن دیسی. جمعه ۶ دی ماه
#تنهانیستید
@azarnafisi #IranProtests
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The first chapter of my new book #ReadDangerously focuses on #Rushdie's writing and how important free expression is. In the book, I also engage with other dangerous & banned texts from courageous authors like @MargaretAtwood, Toni Morrison, and James Baldwin.
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Celebrating World Book Day, I am reminded of Nabokov’s very timely words: “Readers are born free and ought to remain free!” #WorldBookDay #BookLover #BookWorm
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My conversation with @BBCRadio4 about what Iranians in #Iran are fighting for, the power of literature, and how this is different than 1979.
#MahsaAmini #مهسا_ایمنی
azarnafisi.com/inthemedia
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Happy Norooz to my fellow Iranians. May we stick together and work, hand in hand, in our struggle against the Islamic Republic’s oppression. May we continue our fight for human rights and a democratic Iran. May we never lose sight of the bigger picture piped.video/watch?v=fylSGIEE…
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With Alberto Manguel&my husband Bijan in Buenos Aires for Ideas' Conference.It's Springtime in Argentina&lovely!
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Looking forward to speaking at @cheusecenter about #Iran and how despite the regime's efforts to use bullets on innocent lives, Iranian men & women are using the arts to resist and reclaim their country. Sponsored by @busboysandpoets on 4/4 @ 6:30 pm. eventbrite.com/e/azar-nafisi…
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I am honored. Celebrating Iranian people’s struggle for freedom with you. #MahsaAmini #WomanLifeFreedom
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It is with a heavy heart I wrote this letter to journalist #CeciliaSala, imprisoned by the Iranian regime—not for wrongdoing, but for her courage. Translated into Italian and published in @LaStampa.
"You are dangerous because your weapon is telling the truth, exposing the lies."
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