Simay Azadi Interview with Linda Chavez ex-Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement
Linda Chavez Former Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement: Well, I think it\’s important that democratic countries support the right of people for self-determination. Clearly, the people in Iran today do not have that. They are subject to a basically totalitarian regime, where it is not just that they don\’t have the right to select their own leaders, but their daily lives are, in fact, controlled by the regime—every aspect of their life. So, I think it is incumbent on those of us who live in free societies to do what we can to make sure that the Iranian people, number one, hear the message of our support, and number two, that our own elected leaders don\’t do anything to encourage the regime. I believe the regime should be treated like an outlaw rather than as a legitimate government.
Clearly, many of the protests that have occurred in recent years have been driven by women, not just with the death of the young woman who was attacked, imprisoned, and died as a result of what the regime considered \”malveiling,\” but also the fight for control over the prices amid out-of-control shortages and inflation in the prices of goods.
These affect women as mothers, as wives, and as people who have to keep a household together. So, I think the important thing is to give them support, and for governments, in particular, not to do anything that undercuts their efforts to speak out and protest against the current government.