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" Jason Rezaian, held for 544 days in Iran, was not a spy but rather a 'Washington Post' journalist whose work aimed to increase cultural understanding between Iran and the world. "

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" Artists often become vocal advocates of freedom of expression because we depend on it so heavily in our work. But it is an inalienable right that belongs to everyone on an equal basis. "

Nazanin Boniadi

Right

Expression

Depend

" I was very successful, and I graduated with honors. And then I called my dad, who still lives in London, and I said, 'Dad, thanks for college, but I'm going to go act now.' It didn't go over very well. "

" A celebrated and hugely popular actress in her native Iran, Ahangarani first landed on the radar of the Iranian authorities for her open support of opposition figure Mir-Hossein Mousavi, which led to her arrest in July 2009 in the aftermath of a disputed presidential election in Iran. "

" The entertainment industry isn't a line of work encouraged in the Persian culture. When I called my dad to say I wanted to quit medicine, there was about three minutes of silence. I'm not sure he knew what to do with himself! "

" The idea that an actress - mostly lauded for her performances in more than a dozen films - somehow represents a threat to Iran's national security is laughable at best. But in Ahangarani's case, far from anything humorous, the allegations have actually resulted in the sober prospect of real prison time. "

" I was always fascinated with science, and being Persian, it's instilled in us at a young age to follow something very academic in our career. "

Nazanin Boniadi

Science

Young

" Although each human rights victory energizes us to continue our work, there remains a deep sorrow for those prisoners still wrongfully languishing in jail. "

" My human rights activism has been widely met with encouragement and support. Ahangarani should earn plaudits, not only for her cinematic achievements, but also for her humanitarian deeds and her commitment to increased rights and freedoms for all. "

" Belgian chocolate is my weakness. I like over 72 percent cacao, which shows you how much of a dark chocolate snob I am. "

" Dance connects us to the musicality of life and to one another. No one should be denied such basic pleasures. "

Nazanin Boniadi

Life

Basic

" Violence against women and girls touches every corner of the globe and is one of the world's most pervasive human rights violations. "

" The people of Iran have had to endure repressive laws that have stifled their freedom of speech and religion for too long. "

" History's lesson, of course, is that attempts to suppress free expression have merely confirmed the caricaturists' original critique of heavy-handed and objectionable actions of overreaching governments. "

" We all know in our hearts that forgiveness is the right thing; it's just a matter of being inspired to reach that place. "

" I decided to start acting in my mid-twenties. I studied pre-med, and I have a bachelor's degree in Biology, so when I decided to pursue a different career, I got a lot of, 'What on earth are you doing?' But, I gave myself a year and thought, 'You know what, I'm going to just beat the odds.' "

" The thing that I love about 'Scandal' is every character, it's not clear if they're good or bad. Everyone is both good and bad. "

" It's nice to see different dimensions of a character. A love interest and family life are always, I think, important in creating layers and textures. "

" I retweet Amnesty International tweets a lot. It isn't just, 'This person is incarcerated unjustly.' It's also, 'This person was just released.' Those are the victories we work toward, so if we don't inform people of the victories, it does become doom and gloom. "

" Our rights are interconnected and inseparable. When freedom of expression is threatened, the rights to freedom of association and assembly, of thought, conscience and religion, are also compromised. "

" As an actress, I value and rely on peaceful self-expression, not only in my daily life, but also in my professional work. This is particularly true, as my commitment to the promotion of human rights is an integral part of my calling as an artist. "

" It's bizarre to be given an award for being empathetic and kind, which is what we all should be. "

" Although it is hard to see why any sensible authority would feel threatened by the peaceful expression of one's point of view, there is a long history of trying to repress subversive depictions of political figures - back in the 19th century, for example, France's King Louis Philippe was depicted as a piece of fruit. "

" I think a culture can really be elevated through the arts, and it's always a dream come true when I come across roles that enable me to fuse my love of storytelling with my passion for activism and raising social awareness. "

" Women and girls, men and boys all share the right to live free of violence, which is, unfortunately, experienced by both men and women. Women and girls, however, disproportionately experience violence due to a deeply rooted global culture of gender discrimination. "

" When you're devoted to a greater freedom in the world, you're willing to compromise something you love. "

" First of all, I'm Middle Eastern; I'm Iranian, so to be playing a leading role in a big Hollywood movie, I think, is possibly one of the first times. "

" In real life, too, women love to be that girl who tames the bad boy. "

" To have art suppressed is very dangerous to society. "

" As an Iranian woman and activist, Sotoudeh's plight resonated with me on a deeply personal level. "

Nazanin Boniadi

Deeply

Woman

" My parents realized the dangers of raising a daughter in a social, political, and legal climate that was growing increasingly oppressive toward women and girls. Although they fled to London when I was just three weeks old, the challenges facing women's rights in Iran became ingrained in my social consciousness. "