A Prince Albert resident originally from Iran says daily life for people back home has become increasingly harsh, marked by economic hardship, fear, and severe restrictions on basic freedoms, as protests and unrest continue across the country.
The woman, identified here by the pseudonym Zeinab Golshani to protect her identity due to safety concerns, came to Prince Albert for education within the past decade and now works in the community.
She agreed to speak anonymously, saying even limited personal details could place people she knows at risk.
Golshani said friends in Iran describe a country where ordinary routines have broken down under soaring prices and strict enforcement of social rules.
“People cannot even buy groceries anymore,” she said. “They cannot even go outside to live a normal life. Everything is expensive; regular life has already stopped.”
She said inflation has made basic necessities unaffordable for many, while public spaces have become places of anxiety rather than relief.
Alongside economic pressure, Golshani said enforcement by morality officers continues to shape everyday life, particularly for women.
“They arrest people just because of hijab,” she said. “If someone does not wear the dress code they want, they have a problem.”
Golshani connected the current wave of unrest to the death of Mahsa Amini, who died in custody in 2022 after being detained by Iran’s morality police. While protests and repression existed before, she said Amini became the symbol that pushed people into the streets.
“Mahsa Amini is the one we took as a symbol,” she said. “People started to protest more openly.”
She referenced the slogan that has echoed through demonstrations since then.
“Zan zendegi azadi,” she said, translating it as “woman, life, freedom.”
Golshani said the risk of speaking openly in Iran remains severe.
“There is no freedom of expression,” she said. “If people speak, they get arrested, tortured, and sometimes killed. Sometimes families are not even told where the body is.”
She emphasized that these fears are why she insisted on anonymity.
Internet shutdowns have also become routine during periods of unrest, she said, cutting off communication between Iranians and the outside world.
“Every time protests happen, they shut down the Internet,” Golshani said. “People outside do not know what is happening, and people inside cannot tell us.”
Watching events unfold from Canada has taken a heavy emotional toll.
“It is really hard,” she said. “You feel helpless. People are going to the streets and they might die, and you are here and you cannot do anything. This interview feels like at least a small thing I can do.”
She said fear for friends in Iran is constant.
“I worry about them being killed, arrested, or tortured,” she said. “And the economy is collapsing. They cannot even do their daily routine.”
Golshani said many outside Iran struggle to fully understand what ordinary people there are experiencing.
“If you never lived with this fear, you cannot really understand,” she said. “You do not know if you will come back home when you leave your house.”
She added that Iranians are often misunderstood internationally.
“I want people to know Iranians are not terrorists,” she said. “They have no problem with Canadians or Americans. They want connection. They want to talk to the world.”
Golshani also stressed that Iran’s government does not represent its people.
“The government of Iran does not represent the people of Iran,” she said. “People want them to leave.”
Reflecting on Iran’s 1979 revolution, which replaced the Shah with a religious government, Golshani said many Iranians now see that period as a painful lesson.
“Religion and government should be separated,” she said. “When they come together, it creates chaos and suppression.”
She said today’s movement is broader and more united than in the past, cutting across age groups and ethnic backgrounds.
“Young people and older people are together now,” she said. “They want their children to live free, even if they could not.”
Despite the risks, Golshani said she remains hopeful that change will come.
“People cannot live under this regime anymore,” she said. “They want a free country where everyone can choose how they live.”
