Elnaaz Norouzi on crisis in Iran: Haven’t been able to talk to my family for days

Actor Elnaaz Norouzi is spending anxious days and fretful nights as she remains out of contact with her family in Iran amid the ongoing turmoil, and wants to use her voice to bring people’s attention on “how women continue to get oppressed”.

“It is very important for us to talk about what is happening in the country because it is human rights violations.. They have cut off the internet, so that people cannot communicate with the people outside,” says Norouzi, who hails from Iran, the country which is seeing a series of violent protests following the death of Mahsa Amini in custody.

The 30-year-old continues, “I am not able to reach my family. Every way of communication is blocked. It is kind of retarded, what’s going on over there. Unless we be the voice and make sure that it comes to everyone’s notice, nothing is going to change”.

It was recently when she got a message from one of her cousins why she managed to get access to the internet briefly. And the message didn’t paint a happy picture.

“She got access to the internet for five minutes, and messaged me saying they are well but I had not spoken to her for over three days. Not being in contact with them leads to so much anxiety. My cousin was telling me that there is tear gas everywhere. I am so worried,” adds the actor, who has featured in projects such as Sacred Games, Abhay and Tehran.

She confesses, “I wake up every morning, see all the new videos, and cry all day. I’m spending all my time on the internet, seeing what all is happening. The videos make me cry every time. I pray and hope for better days. I keep posting through my social media so that I can create awareness”.

In one video posted on her Instagram, the actor revealed that she was also taken to a detention centre because her ankles were visible in her pants.

“I remember my family was freaking out at that time. I was lucky that I had two phones on me. So when they took my phone, they didn’t know I had another one. And with that one, I could actually stay in touch with my family and tell them what’s going on and where I am… If I was in Iran, I would have gone on the road and would have protested as well. I would have not just sat at home for sure,” she says.

She might be away from her home country, but she is standing up for the people of her country in these troubled times. “I’m posting every day so that more people will see it and they get to know about it, and change can happen,” she ends with a hope.