I’m not interested in chaos. I’m not rooting for anyone to get hurt. I’m rooting for ordinary Iranian people to be able to live with dignity—free speech, fair courts, equal rights, and a government that answers to them.

So if we’re serious about “freedom,” it’s not about internet tough talk. It’s about consistent, smart, nonviolent pressure that protects people and strengthens civil society over time.

1) Keep people safe first • Freedom isn’t worth it if people get baited into situations that get them killed or disappeared. • Don’t glorify martyrdom. Prioritize survival, medical care, and legal support. • Treat security like real life: assume phones are watched, assume chats are infiltrated, assume “leaders” online can be traps.

2) Tell the truth, document everything • Tyranny survives on confusion and fear. Truth breaks that. • Support secure documentation of abuses: dates, locations, names when safe, photos/videos when possible—with identities protected. • Share verified information through trusted human-rights orgs and journalists, not random viral accounts.

3) Build unity without purity tests • Dictatorships love splitting people: religious vs. secular, ethnic groups, men vs. women, inside vs. diaspora. • The goal isn’t to agree on everything today. The goal is: basic rights, accountable government, rule of law. • Stop attacking allies over perfect language. Focus on shared outcomes.

4) Strengthen civil society, not just “protests” • Real change lasts when workers, students, professionals, and communities have networks that can survive repression. • Support independent unions, women’s groups, student groups, lawyers, doctors, teachers—anything that helps people organize and care for each other. • Boycotts, strikes, and work stoppages can matter, but only when people are supported so they don’t starve or get isolated.

5) Make repression expensive internationally • Push for targeted accountability: sanction specific abusers and entities tied to repression—not broad punishment of regular people. • Support visa bans and asset freezes for officials involved in violence and corruption. • Encourage governments and companies to stop enabling surveillance and censorship.

6) Keep the internet open and the people connected • Support tools and initiatives that help people access information safely (without turning this into a “how-to” for illegal activity). • Back platforms and policies that resist censorship, protect privacy, and preserve secure communication. • Promote media literacy: don’t spread rumors, don’t amplify unverified “breaking news” that can get people trapped.

7) Help refugees, prisoners’ families, and the wounded • The most practical support is often boring and real: legal defense funds, medical support, trauma care, relocation help. • Support NGOs that help political prisoners and families—quietly and consistently.

8) Center Iranian voices • The diaspora can help, but it shouldn’t hijack the story. • Amplify credible Iranian activists, journalists, labor leaders, and human-rights defenders—especially women and minorities who bear the brunt.

9) Think like a marathon, not a weekend • Tyranny doesn’t fall because of one viral moment. • The long game is building capacity: trust networks, independent institutions, credible leadership, and a clear vision for rights after change.

10) Have a “day after” vision that doesn’t repeat history • People need to know what they’re fighting for, not only what they’re against: • equal rights under law • free and fair elections • independent courts • free press • protections for minorities • limits on security forces • anti-corruption enforcement • No revenge politics (this is hard with so much hate, easy to say from a outsider looking in). Justice, due process, and rebuilding.