How Iranian women could shatter the regime's oppression

In this week’s episode of The Deep Dive, host Jacob Laznik opens with updates from Israel and Gaza, but it's the final segment, a rare and emotional interview with Persian taekwondo champion and activist Marzieh Hamidi, that resonates most. As protests in Iran stretch into a second week, Hamidi’s voice cuts through the noise with a chilling declaration: “This is not a manifestation, this is a revolution.”

Hamidi, who remains in close contact with friends and family inside Iran, describes the situation as dire. “They shoot at people. My friends are in the streets, risking their lives, and now I can’t even reach them because they’ve cut the internet,” she tells studio manager Shifra Jacobs

The Iranian government has responded to the protests with harsh force and an information blackout. Hamidi says that many young protesters, some as young as 16, are facing deadly consequences. Shops are closed, food is scarce, and families are living in fear.

“Even though they are killing people, people are still in the streets,” she says. “They don’t want to live under the Islamic Republic anymore.” There are unconfirmed reports of over 12,000 killed by the regime due to the protests.

The blackout means she has not heard from some of her friends in days. “I message them, ‘Are you okay?’ And I get no answer,” she adds. “This is genocide. And the world is silent.”

When asked why she believes the international response has been muted, Hamidi does not hold back. “They fight when it’s trendy. They fight when it benefits them,” she says. She accuses certain groups in the West, particularly on the political left, of choosing silence to avoid criticizing regimes they have historically defended.

“They say Sharia law is not bad. But we are dying every day because of it,” Hamidi says. “This is not just about women’s freedom. This is about the entire system. There is no freedom of speech, no freedom at all.”

She draws attention to Iran’s support for terrorist groups, its ties with the Taliban, and its repressive domestic policies. In her view, geopolitical interests are overriding basic human rights. “Because the regime benefits them, they stay silent,” she says.

At the heart of Hamidi’s message is a plea not just for visibility, but for honesty.

“The people leading this revolution are young girls: 16, 17, 18. They don’t want to live like this anymore. And they are dying because of it,” she says. “And still, no one speaks.”

The episode closes not with resolution, but with resonance. Hamidi’s words linger, not just as testimony, but as a challenge.