'I have to support my people:' Montreal chef turns to activism as brutality continues in Iran

Atena Barforoushi emigrated to Canada from Iran a decade ago.

A chef by trade, she took on the role of activist following the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian woman who died in police custody in September.

Now, living in Montreal, she feels the need to speak out for freedom.

"Either I be scared all my life and I stay silent, or I have to be the true word of humanity and support my people," she told CTV News.

To do just that, Barforoushi attends protests in Montreal against the oppression in Iran and shares the news from back home far and wide. .

She expressed admiration for those protesting on the ground in Iran.

"They have been through such violations for many years. They made it to the streets [so] they can show their frustration, their hate against this brutal government of Iran after so many years."

The hope is to make the international community "hear their voice," Barforoushi said, even if protesting in Iran can be deadly under the current regime.

"They come to the streets in front of the bullets with their bare hands and they are making their voice loud to be heard that, 'we want women's rights."

Hossein Raessi is a human rights lawyer and professor who practiced in Iran before moving to Canada.

He says too many groups in Iran have been oppressed for far too long.

"In the Iranian legal system and Iranian society, we have many visible discrimination[s] and systemtic discrimination against women. And also we have discrimination against non-Muslims, against ethnic minorities and also against the LGBTQ+," Raessi explained.

But the demands of the oppressed are becoming louder, he added.

"Now, at this time, [there is a] strong uprising against the core government to bring changes," he said. "People say, 'enough is enough.'"

But Raessi says the power of the people still needs political backing and sanctions from abroad for change to come in Iran.

He said there should be more pressure to remove the Iran from the United Nations and cut of negotiations with the "brutal regime."

For Barforoushi, one solution is to write your minister of parliament and request more support for the people of her homeland.

Without it, she says, it's hard to be hopeful for change in 2023.