<
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/feb/04/iranian-woman-australian-student-visa-expiring-fears-execution>
"When bullets fired by Iran’s paramilitary force were sprayed at her home
during a 2022 protest, Atefeh* realised her country was in a “hostage
situation”.
“I couldn’t breathe any more. I was losing my mind and I was traumatised,” the
activist says.
“I thought, ‘OK, you are shooting where my parents are as well, and you are
threatening me in my own home. So that’s enough. I can’t handle it any more’.”
During the 2022 Women, Life, Freedom protests, the now 37-year-old joined
demonstrators on the streets of Tehran. The protests – sparked by the death of
22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody after being detained for allegedly
wearing her hijab improperly – swept through the country.
Within months of the shooting, Atefeh, who was working for an international
food company in Iran, began making plans to move to Australia and complete
postgraduate study.
Now, three years later, Atefeh has weeks left on her student visa and fears she
will be executed if she returns to Iran because she has previously protested
against the authoritarian regime.
“There’s no way for me to go back right now. It’s too dangerous for me,” she
says.
Atefeh says posting criticism of the Islamic Republic on social media and
participating in anti-regime protests in Australia also make her a target.
The regime’s brutal crackdown on protesters in the most recent demonstrations
has begun emerging, with some estimates suggesting the death toll may be more
than 30,000."
Note: "The Department of Home Affairs said the reduction in maximum eligible
age from 50 to 35 repositioned the visa as a “product for early career
professionals”." This is potentially gender discrimination, as women -
especially in some countries - may not be able to even commence their career
path until later in life.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
