Not Silent Podcast with Arbana Xharra - Ep 17 - Paris Iran Special Part 3 - Maryam Fakhar

In this episode of the Not Silent Podcast with Arbana Xharra, Iranian Human Rights Activist Maryam Fakhar shares a deeply personal story shaped by resistance, loss, and unwavering purpose. Born into a family targeted for their political activism, her father was imprisoned under the Shah, and her mother was executed during the 1988 mass killings in Iran when Maryam was just six years old. Forced into exile, she grew up carrying both trauma and responsibility—transforming her pain into advocacy for women’s rights and freedom. She speaks about the realities of repression in Iran today, including torture, forced confessions, and the silencing of dissent, while highlighting the courage of Iranian women who continue to resist. Her voice is not only a testimony of survival, but a call for global awareness and action.

00:00 - Introduction: Meet Iranian Activist Maryam Fakhar

01:13 - Escape from Iran: Surviving the 1988 Massacres

02:35 - "The Three Stars": A 6-Year-Old’s Silent Grief & Trauma

04:27 - A Mother’s Legacy: From Engineering to Resistance Leader

06:45 - The Lyon 1998 Catalyst: A Political Awakening in France

09:16 - The Nature of the Regime: Torture & Forced Confessions

12:26 - A Secular Vision: The Future of Democracy in Iran

15:06 - A Global Threat: Why the West Must Act on Iranian Terrorism

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