Alexandra Lindqvist

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Currently True

I dedicate this book to every brave Iranian who has ever had their fundamental human rights violated. I want you to know that you are not alone. We see you. We hear you. We support you. This is my way of amplifying your voices. WOMAN LIFE FREEDOM!

I have never been to Iran, and if things do not change, I will never be able to visit this country. Not after writing a book like this, anyway. I will join all the Iranians in exile as forever expelled. This book challenges the very foundation of the Islamic Republic of Iran. It is written to shed light on the workings of a terrorist regime.

After the revolution in 1979, Iranians woke up to a repressive and totalitarian state that had turned people’s livelihood into a dystopian nightmare. The current uprising is proof of their unrelenting bravery in standing up for human rights and demanding their country back. They fight for their right to express themselves, the right to a fair trial, and the right to take their bike to work. The right to not be hanged in public. The right to let the wind blow in their hair. The right to watch a football game at the stadium. The right to live.

This book contains fictionalized stories based on witness statements, reports from human rights organizations, and news articles from 1979 until today. All the information these stories are based on follows the same pattern. Nothing has changed. History keeps repeating itself. Over and over again. Like a broken record, the Islamic Republic of Iran plays the worst tune ever written. The tune of terror. The only thing that changes is the names of the victims, which only makes it worse. Every day we can read about beatings and public humiliations, victims of rape, and arbitrary arrests. The onslaught is relentless. It might seem far away, but it is closer than you think.

Why should we care? Because we can´t take freedom for granted, we must learn from history. As much as I care for my human rights, I am obligated to care for those without them. Human rights are negotiated worldwide, and I am not willing to give my rights up. Therefore, I am taking a stand. Free Iran. Free its people.