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Families of political prisoners protest in Sarab Park, Songhor on March 19, 2025, against the death sentences of Vahid Bani-Amerian, Pouya Ghobadi, and other MEK supporters.
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Linda Chavez Calls for Firm Western Policy on Iran in Interview with Simay Azadi
In an exclusive interview with Simay Azadi TV, Linda Chavez, renowned author, political commentator, and former Director of the White House Office of Public Liaison, addressed the Iranian regime’s continued use of hostage diplomacy and urged Western governments to adopt a firm and principled policy toward Tehran.
Chavez voiced strong support for the Ten-Point Plan proposed by Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), which envisions a secular, democratic republic in Iran based on gender equality, freedom of expression, and the separation of religion and state.
In an exclusive with Simay Azadi, @chavezlinda
addresses Iran’s hostage diplomacy, calls for a firm Western policy toward Tehran, and supports Mrs. @Maryam_Rajavi 10-point plan for Iran’s future. #FreeIran2025
In a part of this interview she said:
The fact that the resistance… pic.twitter.com/7reluTNnT5
— SIMAY AZADI TV (@en_simayazadi) March 21, 2025
Speaking about Rajavi’s leadership, Chavez emphasized its symbolic power: “The fact that the resistance to the Iranian regime is led by Madame Maryam Rajavi to me is very symbolic. It flies in the face of what the regime has done.” She highlighted that despite nearly five decades of oppressive rule, resistance has endured—both inside the country and among the Iranian diaspora.
Chavez praised Rajavi’s role in unifying the opposition and noted that her leadership stands as a powerful symbol of what women can accomplish in the fight for freedom and justice.
The interview is part of Simay Azadi’s ongoing international coverage of voices supporting a free and democratic future for Iran.
Iran’s Regime Enters Persian Year 1404 in A Storm of Crises
iran uprising fire cocktail molotov
In her Nowruz (Persian New Year) speech, delivered on March 18, 2025, Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), said: “The year 1404 [2025–2026] heralds a new era in Iranian society, history, and the destiny of Iran and Iranians. It is a time of change. The year 1403 [2024–2025] was marked with blows and defeats for the Velayat-e Faqih regime. May 1404 be a year of progress and victory for the people of Iran. Yes, the time for a great housecleaning in Iran has come. The turbaned tyrant and the entirety of his regime, with 1,142 recorded executions this year, represent the gloom and antiquity of winter. Instead, a blessed era is dawning—the era of the people’s sovereignty, a flourishing garden of freedom and justice, the spring of silenced talents, and a season where a hundred flowers, and a thousand flowers, will bloom in defiance.”
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Protests Against Death Sentences for Political Prisoners in Rasht and Sonqor
On Tuesday, March 18, 2025, on the eve of the Persian New Year, families of political prisoners sentenced to death, along with labor and civil activists, held simultaneous protests in two locations: outside the Lakan Prison in Rasht and in the city of Sonqor, in Kermanshah Province, western Iran. These demonstrations coincided with the 60th week of the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign and aimed to oppose the imminent execution of several political prisoners.
In Rasht, protesters gathered outside Lakan Prison, setting up a Haft-Sin table—a traditional symbol of the Persian New Year—and holding up photos of Sharifeh Mohammadi and Manouchehr Fallah, two political prisoners facing execution.
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Iran’s Regime Refuses to Publish Budget Tables in Unprecedented Move
According to the state-affiliated news outlet Etemad Online, on March 19, legal expert Kambiz Norouzi strongly criticized the Planning and Budget Organization’s refusal to publish the 2025 budget tables, calling it a sign of deliberate secrecy.
In a harsh statement directed at the government, he said: “It is astonishing that the Planning and Budget Organization or the Presidential Office refuses to publish the budget tables. Secrecy is usually not unrelated to wrongdoing. Those who are confident in the correctness of their actions never resort to concealment.”
Norouzi stressed that the budget law, unlike military or security information, is not classified and that there is no justification for hiding it.
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Also, read Iran News in Brief – March 21 , 2025