Marina Nemat is an Iranian born in Tehran who experienced first hand the horrors of the Iranian revolution in 1979.
She tells her riveting story in the critically acclaimed book “Prisoner of Tehran” that’s been published in 28 countries. At the age of 16, she was arrested and spent more than two years in the notorious Evin prison where she was nearly tortured to death.
We sat down with Nemat and, because of her unique history, asked about her perspectives on the current revolutions spreading throughout the Middle East. One of questions we asked addressed what she’s hearing from inside Iran.
Here’s her answer:
We also asked her what she thought about similarities between the revolution in Cairo’s Tahrir Square and the one she saw first hand in Tehran in 1979.
While Marina says it’s possible the Egyptian revolution could follow the way Iran went in 1979, who are the ones who can seize a revolution. Her answer is troubling in light of the growing influence of the Muslim Brotherhood.
If you’d like to read Marina’s account of her ordeal as a prisoner of the Iranian regime, you can log onto her website at Marina Nemat. She shines a spotlight on one of the worst – if not the worst – dictatorships in the world today.