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  <title>Ep. 262: Escaping Iran</title>
  <description>Recent protests in Iran have drawn renewed attention to dissent under the country’s authoritarian government. The demonstrations have been met with mass arrests, internet restrictions, and even accusations of murder.&amp;amp;nbsp; While large-scale demonstrations appear to have subsided for now,  reporting from Iran describes a tense calm, a heightened security presence, and widespread “disappointment and disillusionment” among Iranians. Today we are joined by Pouya Nikmand, an Iranian-born writer who escaped Iran at 18. He writes about how his experiences have shaped his understanding of expression, freedom, and belonging on his Substack, Outliving Iran. Timestamps:&amp;amp;nbsp; 00:00 Intro&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp; 02:17 What’s happening in Iran now? 10:47 What does life look like under an authoritarian regime? 20:33 Growing up in Iran&amp;amp;nbsp; 24:48 The influence of Western media in Iran 32:55 Escaping Iran&amp;amp;nbsp; 37:05 Life after escape 40:55 Being trafficked to Poland 54:45 Escaping captivity and coming to America 01:01:53 An immigrant’s perspective on US immigration 1:07:24 Outro  Read the transcript here. Enjoy listening to the podcast? Donate to FIRE today and get exclusive content like member webinars, special episodes, and more.&amp;amp;nbsp; If you became a FIRE Member through a donation to FIRE at thefire.org and would like access to Substack’s paid subscriber podcast feed, please email sotospeak@thefire.org. &amp;amp;nbsp; </description>
  <author_name>So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast</author_name>
  <author_url>http://www.sotospeakpodcast.com</author_url>
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