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They attacked my house
and they confiscated it,

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I was going to turn my house
into a museum of peace,

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displaying the medallions,
the awards that I have received.

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Unfortunately that didn't happen,
as they took it and sold it off.

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I had an office, an NGO,
that I had bought with the award,

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a financial award that I received
by Nobel Prize, part of it.

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That was again taken away from me.

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It is as if they were going to wipe
my winning of the award

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from the memory
of the history of Iran,

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but I know they have not been able
to do that,

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I am in contact with many people
in Iran,

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I know that people have not
forgotten about the prize.

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They still collaborate with me
and cooperate with me.

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In the path that I took, which was
democracy and human rights,

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I faced many challenges.

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I have been imprisoned, all of my
property has been confiscated

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and auctioned off. My husband and
my sister were taken into prison

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because of my activities.

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My NGO and my law office
were closed down,

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I had to leave the country
and live in exile,

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without wanting to do so.

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This is very difficult, this is not
an easy path that I have taken,

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but I know that dictators
will leave one day

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and that democracy will take over
and human rights will be observed

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for the people of the country.

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I believe in the path
that I have taken

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and I accept all the challenges,
which are not easy.

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When the dictators leave,
if the civil society is not strong

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and is not formed,
then there will be a gap,

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in that gap always we see conflicts
and we may even see civil wars.

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I have to say that I do not agree
with the phrase 'the Arab Spring',

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I prefer to call it
an uprising of the people.

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The uprising of the people
is due to their awareness.

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Fear is an instinct,
it's like hunger,

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when you become hungry,
then you are hungry.

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If you are faced with
a dangerous issue,

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whether you want it or not,
it's not a matter of will,

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but you will get scared.

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The meaning of democracy is not for
citizens to just vote and go home,

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sleep and wait
for the second election to come up.

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Democracy needs the continuous
supervision of the people.

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People who voted should monitor
their government continuously,

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so that governments
do not take wrong steps.

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It's like a flower that you buy
and bring to your house or flat,

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that you have to water and put
in the light that it deserves,

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so that it can continue to survive.

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If you leave that flower there
or water it on one day

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and forget about it,

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and leave it there for a month,
it is going to die, certainly.

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With democracy it's the same thing,
you can't ignore it.