Darya Safai: “Iran shows its true face of a totalitarian regime once again”

Civil protests are on the rise in Iran following the death of the young Mahsa Amini. The young woman died in hospital after the Iranian morality police detained her for not wearing her headscarf properly. For MP Darya Safai, who herself once fled Iran after being imprisoned there, there is a chance of a pivotal moment in the country. “Even men are protesting. This is an attack on the foundations of the Islamic regime. Every Iranian mother or father is beginning to realise that it could also happen to their daughter. All because of a strand of hair that was showing. That is the true face of a totalitarian regime.”

It is not the first time the country has seen uprisings. In 1999, Darya also took to the streets to protest. She ended up in jail, but was eventually able to flee to Belgium. “A new generation of young people is now involved who did not experience the repression of the past and who have a different outlook on life. They have nothing left to lose and are demanding their freedom.”

Don’t be naive

“The West can’t just stand by and watch,” Darya says. “We must not be naive. This is also our struggle. A stable secular Iran is an ideal ally in an unstable region.”