Lord of the Rings star Nazanin Boniadi discusses the plight of the brave women fighting for their rights in her homeland of Iran

Iranian-born Nazanin Boniadi has spoken about the plight of the brave women currently fighting for their rights in her homeland Iran, calling for an end to “gender apartheid” in the country and calling out people for becoming ‘numb’ to loss of life in the Middle East.

In this week’s episode of the podcast, Reign with Josh Smith, Lord of the Rings: The Rings Of Power star and ambassador for Amnesty International, Nazanin Boniadi, discusses how we can all be allies to the people of Iran, her homeland, amidst the widespread demonstrations that have been erupting in the wake of the death of Mahsa Amini last month.

At times in tears during the emotional conversation, Nazanin also praised brave young men for “standing shoulder to shoulder with the women” of Iran while also comparing the plight of women in Iran to the movement led by Nelson Mandela in South Africa.

Read on to see what else Nazanin says about women’s rights in Iran, which she recently discussed with Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House.

Nazanin on why she’s ‘outraged and angry” that it has taken so long and resulted in people being “slaughtered on the streets” for the world to pay attention to the plight of the women in Iran:

“I feel it’s really odd because I feel equally exhilarated by what I’m seeing, inspired, hopeful, and empowered by the courage of these women, particularly the young girls who are fighting against oppression and tyranny. But I am outraged and angry and devastated that it’s taken this degree of loss of life for the world to pay attention. I’ve been doing this for 14 years now. I’ve been a democracy activist, freedom activist, and human rights activist for my homeland Iran, and it’s been like pulling teeth and having people pay attention. This is the day we didn’t want to happen. We didn’t want people to get slaughtered on the streets. Young kids, and teenagers, are being killed on the streets, and this is happening now, but if they are brave enough to risk their lives, then we have to stand up with them. We have to rise up and let this be what I think it is, it’s turning into the first female-led revolution of our time.”

Nazanin on the ‘tyrannical’ mind control being imposed on women in Iran and the ‘powerful’ support shown by men to support their sisters, daughter and mothers that is scaring the regime:

“It’s shocking. Kids as young as twelve are being arrested and taken to psychological centres to be reprogrammed so that they’re not anti-social, which basically means that they’re being conditioned or reconditioned to wear a headscarf. This is mind control. It’s awful. It’s tyrannical. It’s Handmaid’s Tale. It shouldn’t be happening in any country, and yet these girls are still doing it, these school girls. I’m in awe of them, I can’t even imagine being that young and university students.