The Business of Life with Dr King
Dr Ariel Rosita King brings on a variety of International guests from various countries, cultures, organisations, and businesses to talk about turning
problem into possibilities! Let's turn our challenges in opportunities together!
The Business of Life with Dr King
From Solitary To Solidarity: An Iranian Activist’s Journey with Shabnam Madadzedeh (Iran & Switzerland)
The story starts with a young computer science student in Tehran and pivots into a life reshaped by courage. Shabnam Madadzedeh takes us inside Evin Prison—solitary confinement, interrogations, a sham trial—and then beyond the prison gates where a different fight begins. Denied the right to study, work or travel, she chose exile over silence, carrying her life in a backpack and the testimonies of fellow inmates in her memory.
We explore what dedication looks like when the stakes are measured in lives. Shabnam Madadzedeh explains why she refused a conventional path and instead committed 100% to human rights advocacy: documenting abuses, briefing parliamentarians in Luxembourg and Switzerland, and engaging UN human rights mechanisms to press for accountability. She names the crisis directly—mass executions, hunger strikes in Qezel Hesar, and pleas smuggled from inside prisons—and argues that Iran’s religious fascism cannot be reformed, only replaced through organised, principled resistance led by people willing to give everything.
This is not a story about victimhood. It is a portrait of agency forged in hard places, guided by role models in the National Council of Resistance of Iran and anchored in the belief that a life spent lifting others is a larger life. We talk about the psychology of survival, the ethics of total commitment, and the practical tools of advocacy: evidence, coalitions, and relentless attention. If you care about Iran human rights, political prisoners, Evin Prison, Qezel Hesar, and stopping executions, this conversation offers context, clarity and a way forward.
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Music, lyrics, guitar and singing by Dr Ariel Rosita King
Teach me to live one day at a time
with courage love and a sense of pride.
Giving me the ability to love and accept myself
so I can go and give it to someone else.
Teach me to live one day at a time.....
The Business of Life
Dr Ariella (Ariel) Rosita King
Original Song, "Teach Me to Live one Day At A Time"
written, guitar and vocals by Dr. Ariel Rosita King
Dr King Solutions (USA Office)
1629 K St, NW #300,
Washington, DC 20006, USA,
+1-202-827-9762
DrKingSolutons@gmail.com
DrKingSolutions.com
Welcome to another episode of The Business of Life. Today we have a very special guest. Welcome.
SPEAKER_01:Thank you so much. Thank you for having me, Dr. King. I'm Sabnam Madazadr, former Pythagore prisoner from Iran.
SPEAKER_00:Thank you so much for being with us today. We're really looking forward to speaking with you. Would you tell us a little bit about your um, I guess, your earlier life and uh about your story? Thank you.
SPEAKER_01:Uh thank you. And uh yes, um, as I told, I am a former political prisoner from Iran. I spent five years in uh different Iranian regimes, prison uh prisons of Iranian regime. Uh I was 21 years old, a computer science student at Kharazmi University in Tehran when I was arrested. I was transferred to uh solitary confinement and I and uh I endured physical and mental torture about three months and uh and and interrogations. And after that, uh I was uh transferred to another cell with two other women, political prisoners in that ward that it's called 290 uh 2 uh 209, it is the notorious even prison security uh ward related to uh to the um intelligence services, intelligence and ministry of intelligence. And so um I uh I was arrested because of my activities uh in inside university because I was one of the students movement leaders uh for uh activities and then in a uh very sham court uh after a year I was put on the trial uh in a sham court and without uh any right of defend of myself. I sentences uh I was sentenced to five years in prison. Uh after five years, uh, because of the international activities about my case and the uh activities of my friends and repeated my name and uh this regime released me and I got free. Uh but unfortunately during my release that I didn't have I do um I was Easter under uh civilians. I was I was banded with my continuing my studies, uh, and they didn't allow me to have a job. So because of that, uh I decided to left to live Iran, but it was very difficult uh decision, one of the my hard one of the hard decisions of my life, I can say, because I had to uh put uh everything of my life, my my country, my town, in uh in a small backpack and um escape Iran illegally because they didn't allow me to have passports. So uh I um made this this decision because I wanted to continue this struggle. I uh had chance, I have chance in this free country to have my life, to have my job. Uh, but when I think about what uh I put on uh on my back uh ground and uh what I saw and what I witnessed, I decided to be the voice of the voices of Iranian people. I saw um the suffering of prisoners, I uh I listened to their pain, so I promised them to be their voice. So I decided to be the part of the movement, the resistance movement, and I joined them to uh uh to advocacy, the full-time advocacy uh and the football activities uh for Iran, for Iran.
SPEAKER_00:This makes all the sense in the world, and it's quite heavy to actually um have to make a decision to leave your your birth home. And um ask what family members um did you leave behind and do they have any repercussions as a result of you making that decision?
SPEAKER_01:Um, you know, this uh is it was hard for all of us, you know that that uh they saw me and they visited me during five years behind the windows of the prisons. So uh it was um hard decision, but they got happy because they they thought I will be safe, and it gave them this power that yes, and they say, okay, uh we will have chance to speak with you, to see you, to and visit you very freely, but behind the bars it is very hard because uh so yes, it's it was just a hard decision for all of us.
SPEAKER_00:Thank you. I I can't even imagine. Um, once you did leave, was their life okay, or did they suffer any repercussions, or were there any consequences to you leaving uh Iran?
SPEAKER_01:Um about uh myself or my family. Your family. Uh okay. Um you know uh when uh I decided to be the activist, it was just my for life, but I understand this regime uh tortured, put pressure for all of us, our families, to put pressure and torture us because they use our families to uh to uh break us, and now because of my activities, yes, they are under the pressure, they are under torture, and also uh you know, but they accepted this because we see what's going on in Iran, we see uh this regime killing the people of Iran and uh torture and have uh rate of suppression, and but uh what they are doing is the behind the um behind the suppression, you know, it's it's awful. So because of that, it's not normal life for all of us, our families.
SPEAKER_00:Thank you. And can I ask, um, you know, to be contained in any way has to be so difficult. So to be in a prison for any reason is so difficult, and so difficult, I think, for everyone, but especially for, in my opinion, for a woman. How were you able to psychologically help yourself um once you did get out? And then once you not just got out of the physical prison, but then uh left your motherland. How were you able to psychologically help yourself to rebuild who you are and uh to go forward?
SPEAKER_01:Uh, you know, um for our generation, for my generation, exactly, it is uh when I was in solitary confinement, uh uh they cut me from uh any connection to the the free world, to others, to my family, to my society. I didn't have uh any access to calls or visiting them, and it was just me and me. And I say it was just me and my God. But uh at that the hard situation at that time, I thought with myself, I'm not the first uh person in this way, and I will not be, and it will not be the uh last one that uh experienced these kinds of torture or suppression. So I look at my beyond. What's going on uh what was um uh happened for others, you know, in night in our history that this uh government killed most of the lots of the young people in 1988, uh with uh because of under uh Khomenius order fetfaz uh they killed nine uh more than 13,000 political prisoners in such prisons because of that, they wanted freedom, equality, justice. So when I taught them, I said myself, okay, I should continue their ways because they they sacrificed their lives for our generation, and I should be the one of them, and I should uh have a positive response response to the next generation when when when I want to look at their face, their eyes, I told them I did my responsibility. So when I thought it wasn't the first uh um things that happened for me, and so it I got energy, and also I got energy, and the psychological calmness for for me was when I thought the all most of the uh the the freedom fighters who left their uh families, who left their uh um they they love bombs, and now outside Iran fighting for freedom, and they dedicate every moment of their life in this movement, this resistance movement.
SPEAKER_00:Sorry to interrupt, I don't mean to interrupt, I think this is amazing. So, psychologically, do I understand that you prepared yourself by saying people have done it before me? And I want to make sure that I am the bridge between the past and the future, and so I'm going to do it for practical. How did you get your mind to focus? How did you not go into despair? How did you um how did you adapt from five years of almost being in not solid five but five years of just being with yourself on the visit to all of a sudden being in society and then after that changing your home? Because you know, it takes a very strong person, and I just want to have a better understanding of what you went through to have that strength to do that.
SPEAKER_01:And uh, you know, uh yes, exactly. Yes, this is a good question because of the that um I saw I'm witness uh after as I told after seven seven months in the security ward, I transferred to the jail with the other prisoners, ordinary female uh uh female um inmates. So I saw I witnessed their sufferings, I saw and uh got uh what happened for them. So I exactly I can say that I came to face of this regime, I witnessed the brutality of this regime, and I I told I told myself it is my responsibility to do things. I cannot say, okay, I uh watched, just watched, and I just saw and I didn't I didn't do nothing. So um because of that, this not is the uh emotional, it was there's just something happening in front of my eyes. I saw the loss of the hundreds of women in inside prisons and they told their stories to me, what's going on. So I decided that continue. And also another thing is that uh I uh at that time and I had and also I have my role models in the uh resistance movement because uh we have uh uh the true alternative, democratic alternative who fighting more than four decades for free democratic republic Iran. So um when I um I heard their stories and I got uh know them, uh I knew that uh it was um as uh opening a window for me because I uh realized lots of women who are fighting more than uh who have been fighting more than four decades, uh that the national council resistance of Iran's members. And this is the the alternative that uh funded um in 1981 when Khomeini came in office and they uh started to uh this dictate their dictatorship. So the true fighters for freedom after the revolution, they stood against Khomeini too. So uh I we decided I decided okay, I have role model and uh I can see them, I can watch them and uh go behind them to be uh be one of them to sacrifice my life to dedicate uh every moment of my life to the free to the values of humanities, to the freedom.
SPEAKER_00:That's amazing that gives me chills, you know, when you say that. And I can see that you really mean that to dedicate your life for humanity and for freedom. May I ask, um, at this point in your life, have you gone back to school? If so, what are you studying? And do you have a new family? Do you have children? Do you have a partner? Do you have a husband? Do you have you have family now where you are?
SPEAKER_01:Uh as I told, I was a computer science student uh in Iran when I was arrested. But after that, uh as I told before, when I it came out, uh it was very easy for me to continue my studies. It was very very easy for me to use these facilities to have my own family, my own job, my own uh uh life. But as I told, I decided to uh dedicate all of them for freedom because as the uh the such as other members of and this alternative and uh uh and also organizations, majority of organizations. I'm gonna interrupt you again.
SPEAKER_00:My apology, are you telling me that because you have a commitment to this that you won't study and you won't have a family, and the only thing that you will do may I ask about isn't one way to answer to any question about life is to continue life and to make sure that what happened in prison, which is for you not to continue your life, would be continued. Of course, of activism and activism, the fact that you you talk about it, the fact that you exist, the fact that you're fabulous. This is so much part of humanity's activism because you exist and you are so with all of that, do you really need to give up quote unquote everything in order to um exactly and then if so, why? That sounds a bit extreme. I have to be honest. To give up everything sounds a bit like.
SPEAKER_01:I wanted to say that yes, uh, for Iran, we don't need activists, we need fighters who wanted to every moment to this life, you know, every moment of our people in Iran are under pressure, under torture, and uh in this crisis, especially in this time, um you know, yes, because we wanted to uh put uh 100% of our energy to this way. It is a choice, you know, it is uh it is hard, you know, and maybe it is not understandable, but um most of the people, lots of the people in our movement decided to do this, decided to dedicate every moment to do uh every single moment for Iran, for free Iran, because we face the brutal, brutal regime. It is not just a single uh dictatorship or just some activities they can we can overthrow. No, uh, we know that this fascism, religious fascism, need more than 100% of our energy to put in this phase.
SPEAKER_00:So, do I understand that there's a group of people like yourself that decide to give up everything in their lives?
SPEAKER_01:Yes, you do this. This organization is a Modraid Nakhal, PMI, and uh related, and they are part of the National Council of Resistance of Iran. This National Council of Resistance of Iran, it is uh uh council that uh gathered all kinds of the uh uh opposition groups of Iran, like uh Marxists, Islam. Okay, this makes sense.
SPEAKER_00:So then let me ask you this. Um, are there are there people that well, I guess even yourself that are fighting and it's part of your humanity? And I think it's wonderful that you've decided to say, you know, I've heard the voices, I've been there, I've seen the suffering, and I'm going to bring their voice out. So, for example, have you written a book telling their stories? Because that's a way you can do it. And also, isn't life the answer to those who've you you've seen or those that you know of that have that have died? Isn't life another way to answer to these questions of of torture and no life, darkness?
SPEAKER_01:Um you know, it is not the no-life, it is our life, it is uh, you know, it is beyond the life. You know, when you chose the this kind of dedication, you exactly uh you are beyond all of the uh these decisions because you decided to be uh uh top of the lives and dedicate this life to dedicate all of your energy, and this is the life because you gave the life to the others, you gave your your chance to the others, you wanted to save, you know, you wanted to overthrow this regime every single moment sooner. So uh yes, uh as I told I have chance, I had a chance to be an activist or to dedicate my life. I uh I realized for my activists, yes, just activity, one or two hours. But when I one decided to be uh fight with this regime, we are not the just activists, we want we have a great goal, we wanted to overthrow this regime, we wanted to, and this regime is not uh uh you know it is not reform we can reform or something like this. This is a uh dictatorship that we wanted we we want to overthrow totally. Uh so it is life, it is uh resistance, and it is uh some new uh of uh that's that shows uh that uh human and every person have this power, can choice and can dedicate this life. We saw in our all of the the world history that they do they they did this kind and they uh and you see when you are in the the the middle of the war, you you can see in the Ukrainian people they dedicate their life, the fighters go to the uh the fight and to the ground and fight. All of the women they went to the ground of and fight against and to to save their land. So the Iranian regime is also this, they kill every moment, and you cannot believe that that uh what we see in prisons that I mentioned uh starter of a podcast that said during one month they execute, they executed 1200 prisoners. Sorry, in nine months, beginning of the 2025, they executed uh 1200 prisoners, and that last month they executed 200 prisoners every uh three hours, they kill one person per prisoners.
SPEAKER_00:So I understand, I shouldn't say I understand, but I've uh I've experienced some war, believe it or not, so I have some understanding, and I've also seen people tortured, and I understand the the feeling of wanting to do something and to try to make things better. I'm so interested in you as a person. I know you're telling me about the group that you're with, I know you're telling me about the regime and the the government, and I can read about that, but I can't read about you. You you you are the most interesting person to me, and you are the most important person to me, and that's why this podcast is important to talk with you as a person. So um do I understand now that you're living in Europe or where are you living now? And then how what is your life like now? Um I understand that you're a fighter and so on and so forth, and your freedom of yeah, I don't say that in a light way, but what is your life like now that you are in Europe?
SPEAKER_01:Uh I uh I live in Switzerland as a uh human rights activist. I work with the different uh human rights organizations, and uh I worked with the United Nations and also other groups to as uh to to um send the reports of the what's going on in Iran and also I worked with the parliamentarians from the different parliaments, especially in Luxembourg uh and the um Switzerland also for uh briefing them what's going on and they can to get their uh support for Iranian uh people and also I got with the Yos and um Iranians and uh I have uh um in connection uh with the families of Iranian prisoners, and also these days we are um I I'm busy and all of us with the prisoners inside Iran because of the executions, and uh we wanted to, yes, it is just a lot of work.
SPEAKER_00:I like so do I understand that you're doing helping with giving information to the European Parliament? Is that correct? Uh sorry you said Luxembourg, you're you're helping to give information to the European Parliament. Is that correct?
SPEAKER_01:I said I give them information to get the Luxembourg, yeah. Luxembourg, Switzerland, yes, and then when you say you work with the United Nations, may I ask?
SPEAKER_00:Is your organization uh EagleSock economic and social status? Or how do you how exactly do you work with the organ uh the United Nations?
SPEAKER_01:Are you a special rapporteur or yeah the yes Iran Iran has the special reporter of the human rights situation? So I um and also I was with uh I put different times in the um United Nations Council of Human Rights in General as a witness of the what was going on in Iran, and I met uh uh I'm meeting with the um this um uh people who works on Iran uh on Iran, so two cases. That's great.
SPEAKER_00:I do work at the United Nations too with our EcoSoc status, so that's wonderful to hear that. So, but you're you don't you're you're you're helping to inform, which is wonderful, but you don't have any kind of um, I would say, legal status with the United Nations. Is that correct? Uh yes, exactly. No, yes, I know I've gone to these meetings myself. I think it's wonderful that you're giving all kinds of information and that you're there for the people that need it. Would you like to say any last words? We have literally one more minute to our audience, and I want to thank you for the interview and outstanding.
SPEAKER_01:Yes, thank you for this opportunity. That one I was this opportunity to say that because um was uh I wanted to say that um as I uh speak to you right now, around uh 1500 prisoners on death through in Kazel-Hazar prison are on hunger strike, uh protesting against mass killings of inmates, protesting against uh executions um that uh happening uh every three hours in prisons and to and to and so um it's a deeply powerful uh act of diviness by those who uh facing or facing this every moment. So through videos um smuggled from inside prisons, the prisoners have called on the United Nations and the international community to uh to act to stop execution. So I wanted to use this opportunity to amplify their call and also um what's uh happening in inside prisons or behind the cries. Uh it is a massacre since first beginning of 2025. Uh more than 1200 prisoners have been executed, uh including 41 women. As a former political prisoner uh who spent five years um living among uh female, ordinary female uh inmates, I testify that prisoners in Iran are victims of this regime, are victims of injustice. So um because of that, I say now it is time for international community to show that they uh truly stand by uh the fundamental values of human rights. This is the real um real test of uh them to uh uh uh to uh their beliefs of human rights principles. Humanity. Thank you.
SPEAKER_00:I mean, I think you said that so well and it made so much sense. If people want to get in touch with you, how can they find you? Um, what kind of social media can they find you on?
SPEAKER_01:Uh we we met together in LinkedIn.
SPEAKER_00:So people can find you on LinkedIn anywhere else? Do you have a website? you have uh yeah in any other place yeah linkedin and twitter it's my my name is it they if they search my name they maybe show lots of the information but in linkedin when they set my name shapna matter so that they can find me and also in twitter great thank you and thank you for being with us today and to our audience thank you for being with us and remember if I'm not for myself who will be for me if I am only for myself what am I if not now then when that's by the philosopher Hillel and I've added to that if not me then who? Thank you so much for joining us