As we write these words, every single one of Iran’s 33 provinces and over 100 of the Islamic Republic’s cities has seen their streets roiling over in protests against their repressively brutal tyranny. Approximately 18,000 Iranian dissidents have been rounded up and imprisoned, and approximately 500 have been randomly shot or otherwise killed in the streets during the protests, including 58 children 16 years of age and below. Two people have already been hung, and the regime is planning to execute several more.

Yet, these courageous protesters are not discouraged. The regime’s venality has not deterred them, one iota, but has had a paradoxical effect and they have somehow summoned up the courage to keep continuing in their valiant struggle for freedom from this suffocating theocracy.

What’s propelling them to continue on in the face of the possibility that they might be shot on the spot, rounded up to be tortured or raped in a notorious Iranian prison, or even face execution by hanging? Will the momentum continue? Does this signal the beginning of the end of the Islamic Republic? Here to answer these questions and more is Navid Mohebbi, who himself was imprisoned and beaten up by the Iranian thugs.

About the Speaker: Navid Mohebbi is NUFDI’s Advocacy Director and a long-time democracy advocate and a former political prisoner in Iran. He has written extensively on Iran’s political and social affairs both in Persian and English and worked with many civil society organizations in Iran on a range of political, human rights, and women’s rights issues.

Navid is responsible for designing and implementing strategies to advance NUFDI’s mission and policy goals and is tasked with building relationships with key policymakers and grassroots organizations. He also leads NUFDI’s strategic growth initiatives while contributing to overall policy.

Navid was born and raised in Iran. He holds a BA in international relations and Middle Eastern studies from George Washington University, and an MA in Security Studies from the University of Massachusetts.

Navid regularly advises the U.S. government on Iran policy and is a regular contributor to Persian and English language media outlets. His articles have appeared in Wall Street Journal, Washington Times, Radio Free Europe, etc. Before joining NUFDI, Navid worked as a media analyst for the U.S. State Department. He also completed a DOD-funded program where he researched the impact of climate change on political stability in Iran for the Federal Division of the Library of Congress.