Nextory and Baran Publishing release audiobook in Persian: 14 female voices testify to life in Iranian prisons
Every year, thousands of people in Iran are imprisoned for their opinions and beliefs, and the stories of their horrible situation in prison need to reach more people. Therefore, Nextory and Baran Publishing are releasing the, in some countries banned, book 'White Torture' as an audiobook in Persian. The book is written by human rights activist Narges Mohammadi and provides direct insight into the darkest corners of Iranian prisons through 14 female testimonies. The audiobook is shared through a website, where Persian speakers worldwide can listen to it. The Swedish e-book is also available in the Nextory app
"White Torture" was written in 2021 by the Iranian human rights activist Narges Mohammadi. The book is based on 13 interviews with fellow prisoners that Mohammadi met. During her time in the Iranian prison, she smuggled out their stories on small slips of paper. Narges Mohammadi also writes about her own experience and thereby she becomes the 14th voice of the book.
– I grew up in a dictatorship and have seen how a totalitarian state tries to silence voices that are considered harmful or incorrect. Nextory was founded with the mission to give as many people as possible unlimited access to stories with different opinions, perspectives, and thoughts. When we came across Baran Publishing and the book 'White Torture', we immediately felt that we wanted to help make Narges and her fellow prisoners' stories more available. At Nextory, we value the freedom of expression, and it feels fantastic that we can contribute to 'White Torture' reaching more people than it has before, says Shadi Bitar, CEO and founder at Nextory.
Mohammadi’s fight
For several decades, Narges Mohammadi has been a front figure for Iranian women's rights and freedom of expression. Earlier this year, she was awarded the Olof Palme Prize for her fight and for paving the way for the feminist uprising in Iran. Since November 2021, Narges Mohammadi is being held captive in the notorious Evin prison in Tehran convicted of "distributing propaganda with the intention of harming the regime".
– “White Torture” contains testimonies from women with different political, religious and ideological backgrounds whose only common denominator is that they were arrested because of their commitment and dissent. They have been accused of something called crimes of thought; more specifically violations of what one is allowed to think, feel and say. Basically the most fundamental things in what it means to be a human, says Massood Mafan, publisher at Baran Publisher.
Read more about the initiative here: storiesofiran.nextory.com
The audiobook is narrated by the Iranian journalist Sepideh Zarrinpanah and the foreword is narrated by the lawyer and judge Shirin Ebadi, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003 for her work on women's and children's human rights. The questions that Narges asks her female fellow prisoners in the audiobook are narrated by Mehrangiz Kar, who is a renowned human rights lawyer, activist, and author.
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Nextory is one of Europe's largest streaming services for audiobooks and e-books. The app was founded in 2015 by the serial entrepreneurs Shadi Bitar and Ninos Malki. Since then, the company has developed into a fast-growing platform that enables unlimited distribution of stories and knowledge in various digital formats. Together with the subscribers, Nextory shares a great passion for literature of all kinds and strives to be an independent and natural place where everyone can easily find their next stories. This goes hand in hand with the vision to increase reading around the world to enrich people's lives and thereby contribute to increased well-being, personal development and strengthened democracy. Today, Nextory's catalog contains over 1 million titles and the app is available in ten markets around Europe, with headquarters in Stockholm. Read more at nextory.com.
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