Project Good Podcast

Annmarie Hylton introduces Project Good’s March focus on human rights and women in Iran, highlighting protests fueled by repression, gender inequality, and the death of Mahsa Amini. She interviews Iranian human rights activist Zolal Habibi of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, whose activism is shaped by her father’s death in the 1988 massacre. Habibi argues Iranians have fought dictatorship for over a century and reject both war and appeasement, emphasizing an organized resistance and “resistance units” inside Iran. She outlines the NCRI’s 10-point plan and a transition roadmap including a six-month interim government, elections, and a new constitution, stressing gender equality, abolition of the death penalty, and separation of religion and state. Habibi describes women’s long-building leadership role, predicts major change in 2026, and suggests ways outsiders can help through awareness, accountability, and support resources.

00:00 Welcome to Project Good
00:27 Iran Protests Context
01:55 Meet Zolal Habibi
03:38 Finding Strength in Activism
11:01 Why Iranians Keep Fighting
16:35 History of Foreign Interference
20:47 Resistance Units on the Ground
22:37 Roadmap After Regime Change
28:57 War and No Appeasement
36:33 Youth and Rejecting Monarchy
44:51 Why Women Lead the Movement
57:00 Crystal Ball for 2026
01:01:27 How the World Can Help
01:05:11 Closing and Resources

Guest Bio

Zolal Habibi serves on the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), where she advocates globally for a free, secular, and democratic Iran. With over two decades of dedicated activism, she has become a fierce advocate on behalf of the voiceless inside Iran, regularly appearing in international forums, human rights conferences, and live broadcasts across major media platforms.

Zolal's activism began in her teens, profoundly shaped by the loss of her father—a respected Iranian writer and political dissident—who was killed by the regime during the 1988 massacre. This personal tragedy ignited a lifelong commitment to ensuring that no other family suffers such loss, and that the voices of Iran's political prisoners, dissidents, and freedom-seekers are heard on the world stage.

Her work has directly contributed to securing international recognition of the 1988 massacre as a crime against humanity and the safe relocation of 3,000 at-risk dissidents from Iraq, demonstrating her ability to translate advocacy into tangible, life-saving outcomes.