Defend Expression

Fereshteh Molavi is an Iranian-Canadian novelist and essayist who has been living in Toronto since 1998. She has published many books in Persian and several books in English.

What is now happening in Iran is a bloody battle between good and evil — on one side a vicious misogynistic regime with all armed power; and on the other side the oppressed people with all their hope and determination for fundamental change. This battle between truth and lies over there matters over here and everywhere as well.

The deadly protests shaking Iran and shocking the world began in response to rampant inflation and currency collapse on Dec. 28, 2025. They turned into nationwide uprising against a cleric ruling system who has governed for nearly five decades. Since Jan. 8, 2026, the twelfth day of protests, authorities have imposed a near-total shutdown of internet and phone services. So far, thousands of protesters have been massacred during an atrocious crackdown, facilitated by unprecedented internet blackout. Despite bloody repression, people across Iran continue to demonstrate resilience and determination in pursuit of democracy, freedom, and a peaceful future. 

In 1979, Khomeini declared Iran the ‘Islamic Republic’ to establish an anachronistic regime predominantly rooted in lie and deceit. The nation became the ommat (followers); and women, forced to wear hijab and comply with the rules of Sharia, started to live a life like what is described in The Handmaid’s Tale. The malicious dreams of Khomeini and his successor, Khamenei, have proved to be a horrid nightmare for Iran — gender apartheid, severe restriction on civil liberties, suppression of dissidents, corruption, poor economy, environmental destruction, international isolation, just to name a few. 

The legacy of the Islamic Republic has been nothing but ‘A Book of Dark Deeds’ for the history of Iran. This book, written by ‘lie’ as pen and ‘blood’ as ink, has been packed with numerous crimes  — the 1988 massacre of political prisoners, the 1998 ‘chain murders’ of writers and dissidents, the 2009 crackdown on the green movement, the 2019 Bloody November, the 2020 downing of Ukrainian flight 752, and the 2022 suppression of the Mahsa (Woman, Life, Freedom) movement. It is no wonder the people of Iran wish to end such an ominous book on the chapter of the current ruthless crushing. However, they cannot do that without global solidarity.

The people of Iran need to be seen, to be heard, and to connect with the world. 

And we, writers, cannot remain as mere observers.
We do know that our job is both to imagine and to bear witness and reveal the truth.
We denounce the internet shutdown as a grave violation of the rights to freedom of expression and access to information.
We condemn the mass killing of protesters and civilians.
We call on our fellow writers around the world to stand in full solidarity with the people of Iran in their pursuit of truth and human dignity.
We do this because we trust what happens there matters here and everywhere.