Democracy Now! Audio - Democracy Now! 2025-12-15 Monday

Episode Date: December 15, 2025

Democracy Now! Monday, December 15, 2025

From New York, this is Democracy Now. This was an attack deliberately targeted at the Jewish community on the first day of Hanukkah, which of course should be a joyous celebration. and the Jewish community are hurting today. Today, all Australians wrap our arms around them and say, we stand with you. Australia's in a state of mourning, after two gunmen, a father and a son, fatally shot 15 people at a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney.

At least 42 people were injured in Australia's worst mass shooting in nearly three decades. We'll speak to journalists and journalists, Lohenstein, who serves on the advisory committee of the Jewish Council of Australia. Then we go to Brown University, where a manhunt continues three days after a mass gunman opened fire in a lecture hall, killing two students, injuring nine others. A person of interest was detained, but then released last night. We'll speak to a brown sophomore who survived that shooting. She also survived a school shooting in 2019 at a high school in Santa Clarita, California.

She was shot in the stomach. Afterwards, Mia Tretta dedicated her life to preventing gun violence. Those words never again that we say after ever shooting should have met something. Unfortunately, it didn't. to so many people. And it kept happening and kept happening. It feels like America's the only country that takes gun violence and shootings as a fact of life. And it doesn't have to be. Plus, Iranian authorities have re-arrested Nobel Peace Prize laureate Nargis Mohamedi, one of Iran's most prominent human rights activists. She was arrested after speaking at a

memorial for a human rights lawyer. All that in more. More coming up. Welcome to Democracy Now, Democracy Now.org, the War and Peace Report. I'm Amy Goodman. In Sydney, Australia, a father and son killed at least 15 people in a mass shooting at a Hanukkah celebration on Bandai Beach Sunday. Forty two people were injured. At least 27 remain in the hospital. Victims included a 10-year-old girl, two rabbis, and a Holocaust survivor who died while shielding his wife from bullets. Police say the massacre was carried out by a 50-year-old father and his 24-year-old son. The father, Sajid Akram, was shot dead by police. The son, Navid Akram,

was arrested after being tackled by a fruit vendor named Ahmed al-Ahmet. Footage circulated, widely showed Ahmed grabbing Akram as he fired on a crowd before taking the gun from him and pointing it at him. The mass shooting was the deadliest attack in Australia since the 1996 Port Ather massacre. This is Levi Wolfe, the rabbi from the central synagogue at Bondai. As a Jewish people, we will not be silenced. As a Jewish people, our light will not be dimmed. And the holiday of Hanukkah will remind us and the world that a little bit of light dispels a lot of darkness. And what we need to do is add in our light. We'll go to Sydney, Australia, to speak with journalist Anthony Lowenstein, who serves on the advisory committee of the Jewish Council of Australia.

That story after headlines. In Rhode Island, the search for a gunman who killed two students and kids. injured nine others at Brown University Saturday has entered its third day after authorities released a person of interest detained early Sunday. Seven of the students remained hospitalized in critical condition. A shelter and place order around the Brown campus was lifted early Sunday morning when the person of interest was arrested. Meanwhile, the university has canceled all classes and tests for the rest of the semester. According to the Gun Violence Archive, Saturday's attack was the 389th mass shooting in the United

States this year. Three have since been, there have since been three other mass shootings. We'll hear from one of the survivors, Mia Tretta, who survived another massacre, another shooting when she was in high school. filmmaker Rob Reiner and his wife, Michelle Singer-Riner, were found dead with staff, with stab wounds Sunday afternoon in their home in Los Angeles. The deaths are being investigated as homicides, according to law enforcement. Reiner was a longtime actor and director was known for his films The Princess Bride when Harry met Sally and a few good men. He rose to fame as one of the stars of Norman Lear's All in the Family.

Reiner was also a prominent donor and supporter of Democratic candidates. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said, quote, An acclaimed actor, director, producer, writer, and engaged political activist, Rob always used his gifts in service of others. He and Michelle fought for early childhood development and marriage equality, working to overturn Proposition 8. They were true champions for LGBTQ plus rights, the mayor said. President Trump Saturday vowed to retaliate against ISIS after three Americans, two U.S. soldiers and their interpreter were killed in an attack in Palmyra in central Syria.

They're the first U.S. casualties in Syria since Syrian rebels toppled the regime of Bashar al-Assad a year ago. According to the Pentagon, the attack comes as the U.S. is reducing its troops in Syria from 2000 at the beginning of the year to around 1,000 today. Hamas has confirmed the death of senior commander Ra' Ed Saad, who was killed an Israeli strike on Gaza City Saturday that also killed another three Palestinians while injuring 25 others. In response, Hamas's chief negotiator warned the assassination, threatens the viability of the Gaza ceasefire, and called on President Trump to ensure Israel complies with terms of the October 10th truce. Gaza's government media office reports Israel's broken terms of the U.S. brokerate ceasefire at least 738 times since it took effect October 10th, killing at least 386 Palestinians while severely restricting shipments of food, shelter, medicine, fuel, and other basic goods into Gaza. Meanwhile, Israel's security cabinet has approved plans to formally recognize 19 settlement outposts in the occupied West. bank that are illegal, even under Israeli law. Israeli media reports the plan was promoted by far-right cabinet member Bezal Smotrach

and coordinate in advance with the Trump administration. The Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission condemned the move as, quote, a dangerous escalation that exposes the true intentions of the occupation government to entrench a system of annexation of apartheid and full Judaization of Pavlovak. Palestinian land, unquote. In Morocco, at least 37 people have been killed and flash floods triggered by torrential rains in the coastal province of Safi. According to authorities, at least 70 homes and businesses in the historic old city were flooded after just one hour of heavy rain. Morocco is currently experiencing heavy rain and snowfall on the Atlas Mountains

after seven years of drought emptied some of its main reservoirs. A newly unsealed warrant shows the U.S. Coast Guard seized the oil tanker skipper near Venezuela just before the warrant was set to expire last Wednesday. The warrant was signed by a U.S. magistrate judge in November was obtained under federal law that authorizes the U.S. government to seize all assets that are, quote, engaged in planning or perpetrating any federal crime of terrorism, unquote. This comes as in New York Times reports, the oil tanker seized by the U.S. was part of the Venezuelan government's effort to support Cuba. The skipper was reportedly carrying nearly two million barrels of Venezuelan oil and was headed to the Cuban port of Matanzas. This is Cuban president, Miguel Diaz Cane.

Cuba denounces and condemns this return to gunboat diplomacy, this threatening diplomacy, the scandalous theft, one more in the already long list of looting of Venezuelan state assets. It is unacceptable interference in the international affairs of a nation that set the course for the independence of America. Meanwhile, the U.S. military commander who oversaw the Pentagon's attacks on boats in the Pacific and the Caribbean, Admiral Alvin Halsey, said he'll retire at the end of the year. The U.S. has provided no evidence backing claims the boats were used for drug trafficking. In Chile, far-right candidate Jose Antonio Caste was elected president Sunday. Kast has vowed to crack down on crime and immigration, and it's called for a mass deportation

campaign. He's also praised the U.S.-backed military dictatorship of Augusta Pinnishtz, saying, quote, if he were alive, he would vote for me, unquote. Iranian security forces have re-arrested the human rights activist and Nobel Peace laureate, Nargis Mohamedi after a violent crackdown on a memorial service for a human rights lawyer who died under suspicious circumstances. Mohamedi was reportedly hospitalized twice after she and other activists were beaten by Iranian forces that used tear gas to disperse a crowd that gathered Friday in the eastern city of

Mashad to remember Khosro al-Igordi. The human rights lawyer found dead in his office earlier this month. Mohamedi and other protesters viewed his death as suspicious and potentially state-linked killing. In 2023, Mahamadhi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize while incarcerated in Tehran's notorious Evan prison before her temporary release on medical grounds a year ago. She had had several heart attacks in prison. She's already spent over a decade behind bars for her human rights work, including opposition to capital punishment and, Iran's obligatory hijab laws. We'll have more on this story later in the broadcast. A court in Hong Kong has convicted media tycoon and pro-democracy campaigner Jimmy Lai

on charges he colluded with foreign governments in violation of a sweeping national security law imposed by Beijing. He faces life imprisonment at a sentencing scheduled early next year. Ahead of his conviction, Lai's family expressed alarm over his detain. deteriorating health, including dramatic weight loss while he was jailed in solitary confinement. Meanwhile, Hong Kong's last major opposition party has officially disbanded under pressure from Chinese authorities. Leaders of the Hong Kong Democratic Party said they were told to liquidate the organization or face severe consequences, including possible arrest. This is the party's former chairwoman, Emily Lahl.

The current political environment is getting worse and worse. Many journalists have been arrested and many citizens are very afraid. Many people have already left Hong Kong while many others still fear being arrested. This is the situation now. Under such circumstances, the Democratic Party is on the verge of disappearing. Belarus released 123 political prisoners Saturday, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Alas Bialyatsky, and leading opposition figure, Maria Korni,

Kalasnikava. As the Trump administration announced, it would lift sanctions on Belarusian potash. President Trump's envoy, John Cole, told Reuters about 1,000 political prisoners left in Belarus could be released in the coming months. This is Viktor Babrika, a former Belarusian presidential candidate who was freed over the weekend. Those who came out or those who speak publicly should not talk about how they were or what they felt. Because in reality, there are still many people inside the system who, dependent on what we say, will usually face negative consequences. Minnesota Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar says federal immigration agents pulled over her son

on Saturday and asked him to provide proof of his U.S. citizenship. Omar told TV station WCCO, the incident came just one day. after she warned her son to be careful in parts of Minneapolis that are home to large populations of Somali Americans whom President Trump recently described in a racist tirade as garbage. I had to remind him just how worried I am because all of these areas that they're talking about are areas where he could possibly find himself in.

And they are racially profiling. They are looking for young men who look Somali that they think are undocumented. Meanwhile, a man and woman in a Minneapolis suburb are facing charges of assaulting a federal officer after they drove away with a Homeland Security Investigations agent in the passenger seat of their car following an immigration stop. The agent reportedly pointed a gun at the car's driver, while her companion dialed 911 from the back seat to report they were taking the agent to a police station.

The driver was arrested outside the station while federal agents chased the man into a grocery store and tased him. Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have released dozens of photographs showing the late serial sex offender Jeffrey Epstein with high-profile celebrities and politicians, including Presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump. The photos were selected from a cash of more than 95,000 turned over to the committee. by Epstein's estate. Three of the photos show Trump. In one, he appears next to Epstein at a 1997 Victoria's Secret event. Another image shows a cartoon likeness of Trump on packages with the caption, I'm Huge, next to a sign reading Trump condom $4.50. The pictures also show Epstein with Woody Allen, former Prince Andrew, Richard Branson, and Steve Bannon, among others. The National Trust for Historic Preservation is suing to block President Trump from constructing a 90,000 square foot ballroom at the White House.

The lawsuit states, quote, no president is legally allowed to construct a ballroom on public property without giving the public the opportunity to weigh in, unquote. Trump's $300 million ballroom is being funded by wealthy individuals and corporations that include Amazon, Lockheed Martin, and Parenthood. talentier technologies. And a jet blue airways pilot says he narrowly avoided a mid-air collision with the U.S. military aircraft that entered his flight path while taking off from Carousel on Friday. The pilot said the U.S. military aircraft was headed towards Venezuelan airspace. And those are some of the headlines. This is Democracy Now. Democracy Now.org, the War and Peace Report. I'm Amy Goodman. Australia's vowing to enact stricter gun laws after a father and son fatally shot 15 people at a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney's Fame, Bondi Beach.

At least 42 others were injured in Australia's worst mass shooting in nearly three decades since the 1996 Port Arthur Massacre. Victims included a 10-year-old girl, two rabbis, and a Holocaust survivor who died while shielding his wife from bullets. This is the Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanesey. What we saw yesterday was an act of pure evil, an act of anti-Semitism, an act of terrorism on our shores in an iconic Australian location, Bondi Beach, that is associated with, with joy, associated with families, gathering, associated with celebrations, and it is forever tarnished by what has occurred last evening. This was an attack deliberately targeted at the Jewish community on the first day of Hanukkah, which of course should be a joyous celebration, and the Jewish community are hurting today. Today, all Australians wrap our arms around them.

and say, we stand with you. We will do whatever is necessary to stamp out anti-Semitism. It is a scourge, and we will eradicate it together. Police say the massacre was carried out by a 50-year-old father and his 24-year-old son. The father, Sajid Akram, was shot dead by police. The son, Naveed Akram, was arrested after being tackled by a fruit vendor named Ahmed al-Ahmad. video shows Ahmed tackling the gunman, then grabbing his gun and pointing it at the gunman. Ahmed was hospitalized after suffering bullet wounds to his arm and hand.

Ahmed is an Australian citizen who immigrated from Syria in 2006. His father spoke via translator to ABC, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, earlier today. He noticed one of the armed men at a distance from him hiding behind a tree. My son is a hero. He served with the police and in the central security forces. And he has the impulse to protect people. When he saw people laying on the ground and the blood everywhere, immediately his conscience and his soul compelled him to pounce on one of the terrorists

and to rid him of his weapon. At the same moment, the armed man's other friend was on the bridge or whoever he is. I feel pride and honor because my son is a hero of Australia. Ahmed al-Ahmad is being widely hailed as a hero who saved many lives. Residents of Sydney praised his actions. You'd like to hope that you would react the same way if you had the chance. I don't know if I'm as strong as he is. He was incredibly strong and very brave and managed to take the gun off the guy, which is incredible.

Yeah, I think he's a national hero for sure. probably a international hero. A lot of people around the world wouldn't have done that. A lot of people who would have ran away from the gunfire. He ran towards it. So, fair play out of him, probably saved a lot of lives. We go now to Sydney, Australia, where we're joined by Anthony Lowenstein, an Australian German independent journalist based in Sydney,

a member of the advisory committee of the Jewish Council of Australia, an author of the best-selling book, The Palestine Laboratory, how Israel exports the technology of occupation around the world. Anthony is the subject of the 2024 documentary film Not in My Name, which was broadcast on Australia's ABC TV and Al Jazeera English. The documentary focuses on Jewish descent and Anthony's critical journalism on Israel-Palestine. Anthony, first of all, condolences on what has taken place on Bandai Beach in Sydney. Can you take us through what happened?

Thank you for having me, Amy, and thank you for those condolences. Look, I was not in Bondi myself. I was about half an hour away last night. I was celebrating Hanukkah at my home with my family. I'm not religious, but it's become, I guess, almost a cultural annual celebration with my family. There were two gunmen. I found out very quickly what was going on. It wasn't obviously entirely clear initially the extent of the carnage. We now know some more details. There's so much we still don't know about this. horrific attack. It was clearly directed at the Jewish community. There was a public Hanukkah event on Bondi. For those who don't know a lot of people know Bondi, it's an internationally famous beach. It's a very open place, lots of tourists, lots of Australians, it's obviously summer here, so it's obviously warm and we have it was light so it gets dark here quite late being summer and it was a celebration. Now this horrific attack was not just terror but it was directed at a Jewish community that has been frankly split for the last years around Israel Palestine, which I know we'll get to in a minute.

Now, there's no indication yet why this attack happened. The motives, there's some evidence and indication that these two killers were associated with ISIS or certainly radical Islamists. They traveled to the Philippines recently to potentially associate with some kind of Islamist groups. it's not 100% confirmed yet. But in short, I'm feeling sad and anger, actually, a lot of anger, because it's already being weaponized by the worst people imaginable to support incredibly draconian policies. I wanted to turn to the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.

He was speaking in Demona on Sunday, accusing the Australian government of promoting anti-Semitism. On August 17th, about four months ago, I sent Prime Minister Albanese of Australia a letter in which I gave him warning that the Australian government's policy was promoting and encouraging anti-Semitism in Australia. I wrote, your call for a Palestinian state fuels fuel on the anti-Semitic fight. It rewards Hamas terrorism. It emboldens those who menace Australian Jews and encourages the Jew hatred now stalking your streets. So that's the Israeli Prime Minister weighing in.

Anthony Lowenstein, if you can respond and talk about the position of the Australian government. Albanese certainly came out quickly. I mean, what a disgraceful human being. I'm talking about Netanyahu there. You know, within a few hours of this, attack last night, Amy. A number of Israeli government ministers Netanyahu, the foreign minister there, the ministered for diaspora affairs, and many others essentially wrote posts on social media suggesting that the Australian government recognized Palestine a few months ago, which is

true, that somehow that was causing the terrorist attack, the fact that Australia has allowed, so the argument goes, pro-Palestine protests. This kind of connection is absolutely disgraceful. The idea that the Israeli government, a government that has overseen a genocide and mass slaughter for over two years in Gaza, is the moral arbiter of anything, is farcical. And what's so worrying is that so much of the Australian media, many in the, I'd say more pro-Israel Jewish community, somehow looks to Israel, Netanyahu, as a moral guide. The Australian government is, generally speaking, pretty pro-Israel. We have still been, I've been doing a lot of reporting on this. lot of weapons path to the F-35 fighter jet that Israel's been using over Gaza, this idea

somehow that the Australian government's anti-Israel is absurd. And we live in a very flawed democracy, but a democracy where people are allowed to peacefully protest. And there's been huge amounts of protests by Jews and Christians and Muslims and others, like in most Western countries in the last two plus years. So to have the Israeli government, an utterly morally moribund government talk about accountability is really the height of Hootspur and that's being polite. Anthony Lowenstein, talk about the Jewish Council of Australia that you are a member of. The Jewish Council founded after October 7 and it's basically made up of progressive Jews,

young and old, who did not feel represented by the so-called mainstream Jewish organizations here. It's sort of similar in a way to what you've seen in the U.S. US over the last years, really before October 7, which has been almost a civil war of sorts within the Jewish community between a very, I would say, hardline, pro-occupation, pro-Israeli government, certainly pro-Gaza war, and many other young Jews, increasingly young Jews who feel so disillusioned and disgusted by that blind support. So the Jewish Council was founded, and it's really become a vital alternative voice to represent

Jews and others, but principally Jews, who don't share those politics that regard the blind support that many in the pro-Israel community advocate towards the Israeli government is not just unhealthy, but endangering all of us. Now, we don't know, obviously, enough details about last night's horrific attack, but it's clear that, and I've thought this and said this for years, Amy, that what the Israeli government is doing in Palestine, Gaza, the West Bank and beyond, endangers everybody. Jews particularly, but others as well, that nothing justifies anti-Semitic attacks or violence, nothing does, including last night. But the idea somehow that a Jewish state created under the guise of protecting Jews actually now creates

massive danger for Jews around the world is to me undeniable. It's more unsafe. It's a more unsafe to be a Jew in Israel than arguably anywhere else in the world. Now I'm not denying at all anti-Semitism. It's real, as in real anti-Semitism attacks against Jews or synagogues or last night's attack in Bondi and it's increasing and worsening in vast parts of the world. And it worries me deeply as a human and a Jew. But we cannot disregard the fact that Israeli government actions play a part in that. And too often, sadly, those voices are ignored. in the community here, so therefore the Jewish council was vital. Anthony, can you talk about the bystander?

I think he was a fruit vendor, Ahmed al-Ahmed, and how he stopped what could have been a four-deadlier attack. I mean, his bravery was just astounding. Amazing. A lot of people may have seen this footage on social media, and I'd encourage him to see it if they don't, if they haven't, is that he essentially went towards one of the gunmen to try to disarm him, I guess. He apparently is an Australian citizen.

He comes from Syria, was born in Syria. He essentially fought the gunman relatively quickly, got the gun off in, then pointed the gun at the gunman, did not shoot, and then put the gun down, almost putting its hands up, to suggest that he was not a threat himself. There's no doubt he saved huge amounts of lives. And what's been so, you know, heartening, when there has been so much growing,

and this again was happening long before last night's attack, Amy, shamefully, like it is in many Western countries, growing anti-Islam sentiment, growing anti-immigration sentiment, anti-Muslim sentiment, to have a Muslim man stand up and be brave. Now, I know that that's what a lot of humans would do, but to see a Muslim do that and to be recognized for that, I think is important to realize that Muslims are a major part of Australian society where 27 million population here. It's a relatively small country. The same science, as the US geographically, but a very small population. There's about 800,000 Muslims and about 120,000 Jews.

And there's been a number of Palestinians from Gaza who have been brought to Australia since October 7, around 3,000. And there's been growing calls by the Murdoch Press and others to not allow these people in. Some of these people are my friends from Gaza. They're remarkable people. They're no threat to anybody. So to have a Muslim man,

This incredible gentleman who basically fought against this horrific terrorist really is inspiring, and I think shows the world that any community is made up of a diversity, and that includes Muslim, Jews, atheists, whoever it may be. I wanted to end by talking about this deadliest attack since Australia's 1996 Port Arthur Massacre, When a gunman opened fire in the Tasmanian tourist village of Port Arthur killing 35 men, women and children, injuring 23 more. After the shooting, Australia moved to overhaul its gun laws. I mean, it was some of the most liberal gun laws in the world, a country of crocodile Dundees.

But then within a number of days outlawing automatic and semi-automatic rifles, about a decade ago, spoke to Rebecca Peters, who led the movement to change the gun laws. So the principal change was that the ban on semi-automatic weapons, rifles and shotguns, assault weapons, and that was accompanied by a huge buyback. And in the initial buyback of those weapons, almost 700,000 guns were collected and destroyed. There were several further iterations over the years, and now almost a million, over a million guns have been collected and destroyed in Australia. And the, but also, the thing is that sometimes countries will make a little tweak in their laws, but if you don't, you have to take a comprehensive approach. It doesn't, if you just ban one type of weapon or if you just ban one category of person, if you don't do something about the overall supply, then basically it's very unlikely that your gun laws will succeed.

So this was a comprehensive reform related to the importation, the sale, the possession, the conditions in which people could. have guns, storage, all that kind of thing, the situations in which guns could be withdrawn. If you can respond to Rebecca Peters and talk about what happened in Australia, how it changed, and what does this mean for Australia now, Anthony? There's no doubt after that Port Arthur massacre, that horrific attack, as you said, Amy, just in 1996, there was radical change on gun laws, pushed by then Conservative Prime Minister John Howard. And that was enacted relatively quickly. There was some pushback, but in general, the vast majority of Australians supported it.

Now, before this Bondi attack last night, there's been some reporting in the last few years that some of the restrictions that were put in place are being loosened, that they're being not improperly enforced. There's been a proliferation of guns. Now, whether they had any connection to last night's attack, we don't know yet. But it's worth saying that today, less than one day after the attack, Anthony Albanese, the Prime Minister, spoke to all the states and has already proposed some pretty strong and necessary gun reforms. Now there are voices as there always are against that, but it's nothing like what you see in the

US. So if you can push through any serious or decent gun reform laws seem close to impossible in the US, even under a democratic president often. So I think there's a very, very good chance that you'll see some shifts here in Australia in the coming months, backed by the vast majority of Australians. Now, Australians, understandably, as I am, are shocked by this case of mass violence. Australia has a long history of colonial violence and violence against minorities and continues to have violence against indigenous populations. But the sign of mass violence, this kind of attack last night, is almost unheard of in Australia, as you said, for decades.

And I think that will push huge an ounce of Australians to support necessary gun laws. Now, the idea, I think, of Australia becoming, sadly, alongside other nations that have seen this kind of mass killing violence is shameful. It's shameful for me as an Australian, and it's shameful that this sort of thing could happen in the first place, such as why you need effective gun laws now. There's no other option. Anthony Lowenstein, I want to thank you for being with us, Australian, German, independent journalist based in Sydney, a member of the Advisory Committee of the Jewish Council of Australia. author of the best-selling book, The Palestine Laboratory, how Israel exports the technology of occupation around the world, speaking to us from Sydney, Australia, where the mass shooting took place on Bandai Beach. Later in the show, we'll look at Saturday's mass shooting at Brown University in Providence. We'll speak to Brown sophomore, Mia Tretta.

This shooting, though, was not her first. In 2019, she was a freshman in a Santa Clarita, California high school when a gunman came in and shot her in the stomach. He killed her best friend. Mia's dedicated her life to preventing gun violence. But first, we talk about the re-imprisoning of the Nobel Peace Laureate, Nargis Mahamadie. Stay with us. I remember when we chose To let fade

Sleepers are off our feet If you'd know how much we'd lose Would you hide? Taken the leap. You say nothing less under all those stars. I've never been good a goodbye. This is Democracy Now,

Democracy Now.org, the War and Peace Report. I'm Amy Goodman. In a moment, we're going to Providence, Rhode Island, to talk about the mass shooting at Brown University. But first, international pressure is mounting to urge Iran to release Nobel Peace laureate, Nargis Mohammedi, one of Iran's most prominent human rights activists. She was re-arrested Friday when Iranian authorities violently raided a memorial ceremony she attended at a mosque in Iran's northeastern city of Mashad. Nargis Mohamedi was reportedly hospitalized twice after Iranian forces beat and tear gassed the crowd of memorial attendees.

The memorial was for the Iranian human rights lawyer and activist Khasra al-Hordi, whose suspicious death earlier this month prompted calls for an independent investigation. Muhammad's husband, Tagi Romani, who lives in exile in Paris with their children, told the New York Times, Nargis's whereabouts are still unknown. We're extremely worried, he said. The Norwegian Nobel Committee condemned her arrest, demanding Iranian authorities to, quote, immediately clarify Muhammad's whereabouts, ensure her safety and integrity and to release her without conditions, unquote. Nargis Muhammad has spent much of the past more than 10 years of her life in prison, most recently after she was arrested in 2021. She was accused, among other charges, of threatening Iran's national security and spreading propaganda against the state for her decades-long work,

fighting for human rights, women's rights, and democracy in Iran. She was furloughed from Tehran's notorious Evan Prison last December after suffering several heart attacks. While Mahamadi was still in prison in 2023, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. This is Nargis Mohamedi, in her own words, speaking in a video released by Amnesty. International in 2021. Hello to my colleagues and friends in amnesty. Today, I can send this video message to you and without your protection, it wouldn't have been possible.

I hope one day to be able to tell you that execution have stopped in Iran and that women in my country have got their rights and that we have a better human rights situation in Iran. My goal is to achieve peace and human rights. I am determined to try more than before. I'm sure without our force perseverance in Iran and with your human rights colleagues' protections, we will win all together for peace and human rights.

Since Nargis Mohamedi's re-arrest a video clip of her without the mandatory hijab. standing on top of a car chanting long-live Iran to a crowd has gone viral on social media. Earlier this month, Nargis published an opinion piece on time, headlined Iran is still at war with its people. For more, we're joined in our studio by Poroshista Kakpur, Iranian-American author and essay. As her most recent book is Tarangulas, a novel. Welcome to Democracy Now. Tell us who Nargis is and why she has been arrested and re-arrested over and over again and her condition when she came out and what she just did and speaking at a memorial for another human rights activist who died in his office. Yeah, Nagas Mohamedi is Iran's most courageous and most consistent human rights activist.

She's been around for decades. She started this when she was in. college. So we've all kind of grown up with her in our consciousness. And of course, in 2023, she was awarded the Nobel Prize. She's a huge source of pride and joy for all Iranians. And one of the things that's amazing about her is when there was a global awakening around Iran and during the woman life freedom protest, she was actually still in prison. And she orchestrated a lot of her activism from there. So she's been seen as a huge threat to the Islamic Republic's regime. They find her moral authority extremely intimidating.

And so it's really no surprise that at the memorial of another great human rights activist and lawyer, that this would happen. It's just the nature of this particular arrest, it's been reported was particularly brutal. There were some eyewitnesses that said it was extremely violent, which is why her condition has been more concerning than ever for people. Is that the video that we see that has gone viral? Was that her speaking at the memorial? There is that video, but there seems to be even more eyewitness accounts that we're not seeing the videos of. And there's people reporting batons and blood and on hair pulling. I mean, things that are pretty extreme.

And this is, you have to realize this is in Mashhad, which is a holy city. This is where the Imam Rza Shrine is. This is Iran's most second populous city. It's a pretty major place. This is where his office was, but it's also symbolic in a lot of ways. So there were lots of other people that were also arrested, other activists, but her arrest seems particularly calculated. I wanted to go back to 2023 when Nargis won the Nobel Peace Prize, but of course, she was jailed at the time. So her children accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of their mother at a ceremony in Oslo, Norway, was undisputed.

10th, just two years ago. Her 17-year-old twins, Kiana and Ali Romani, who live in France, read their mother's speech, which was smuggled out of Tehran's evan prison at the time. This is Ali. The reality is that the regime of the Islamic Republic is at its lowest level of legitimacy and popular support, situated in a position of unstable equilibrium and the emergence of any element as a catalyst for change will mark the final form of opposition policies and the transition from religious tyranny. So if you can talk more about Nargis, and in this last time she was in prison before now, she suffered several heart attacks. How old is she? She's about seven years old than me. She's in her early 50s, so she's quite young. In addition to her heart

attacks, there's also been reports of cancer. She's had some major surgeries. A lot of these injuries seem to come from her time in prison. So that's, you know, it's sort of extra devastating that this was during her one-year medical leave from prison. We don't, and the fact that she's, we know that she's been brutally beaten in some way, too. So that just makes it extra concerning. And can you talk about the man who she was essentially risking her life for? Now, he's dead, right? Casro Alicordi, a well-known Iranian. human rights lawyer and activist, why she was in Mashad remembering him. Yeah, prior to this episode, our communities were all fixated on the death of Hosra Ali Hordi because his death was

extremely suspicious. They claimed that this was a cardiac event of some sort. But people, again, witnesses saw something different. They saw blood. They saw other forms of trauma that indicate something else happened. So while everybody was memorializing him and he, He was an incredible human rights activist. I mean, he's 46 years old, brilliant guy, a very promising future, and had worked closely with Nagas and lots of other human rights activists. We were all, our attention was there. And so then this event at the memorial, and it's not unusual for the Islamic Republic to surveil grief.

So for this to happen at this memorial, unfortunately, isn't, you know, an unprecedented event, But it just speaks to how really disturbing and disgusting the regime is and how they go about their business. Well, I want to thank you for being with us, Poroshista Khakpur, Iranian-American author and essayist. Her most recent book is Tarangulas, a novel. Again, Nargis Mohamedi, one of Iran's most prominent human rights activist, Nobel Peace Laureate, has been re-arrested. We'll continue to follow that case. Coming up, we go to Brown. Brown University, where a gunman shot dead two students and injured nine others. You'll meet a Brown sophomore, Mia Tretta. She survived this shooting, but in high school, she was shot in the stomach in Santa Clarita, California. From that point on, she became a gun control activist until she came to Brown and has experienced what happened this weekend. Stay with us.

ever since It's been a long A long time coming But I know A change is going to come Oh yes it will It's been a

Too hard to live But I'm afraid to die G. Shambi's rendition of Change is going to come, performed in our Democracy Now studio. This is Democracy Now, Democracy Now.org. I'm Amy Goodman, a man hunts continuing in Rhode Island. After a deadly mass shooting at Brown University left two students dead, nine others injured. A person of interest had been detained but was released last night. In a statement on Sunday night, Brown officials said, quote, local police have advised they do not believe there's any immediate.

threat to Brown or the local community, unquote. The shooting occurred on Saturday shortly after 4 p.m. When a mass gunman opened fire inside a lecture hall filled with about 60 students, the campus was placed on lockdown as a manhunt began. Twelve hours later, a suspect was detained near the Providence Airport in a hotel. According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been 391 mass shootings this year, including at least 75 school shootings. This is Edward Wu, Jr. at Brown.

I think absolutely this is a huge wake-up call for everybody that, you know, has been affected and just everybody in the country in general. I think gun violence is a huge issue, and this is, you know, truly so tragic that we're seeing these events happen over and over again. And so I think something definitely needs to be done. You know, what that may be, I think, you know, is something to be figured out. It's obviously a very difficult situation. And, you know, I hope, I truly hope that, you know, we can figure something out. At least two students at Brown had survived school shootings when they were younger. This is 20-year-old Zoe Weissman.

In 2018, she was in the middle school next to Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School, where a former student opened fire killing 17 students in Parkland, Florida. You know, I have friends who survived the shooting in Oxford, Oxford High School in Michigan. and then went on to Michigan State University and then survived the shooting there. So I already knew that this was something that could happen. But again, you always have this naive belief that, like, oh, well, it won't happen to me. And obviously it has. And now there's more kids like myself who've been through two school shootings.

And I think that's kind of just representative of the situation that the inaction of Congress has put us in. We're joined now by 21-year-old Brown University Jr. Mia Tretta. In 2019, she was shot in the stomach during a school shooting in Saugas High School in Santa Clarita, California. Her best friend, Dominic Blackwell, was one of the two students who died in that attack. Mia has been an advocate to reduce gun violence ever since. She worked with every town for gun safety, later joined the Advisory Board of Students Demand Action. she's joining us now from Providence. Mia, our deepest condolences on what has happened to your community, the two dead students

and the nine, most of whom are critically injured in the hospital. Can you talk about what took place at Brown? Yeah, I mean, I thankfully was in my dorm at the time of the shooting. I was studying with a friend. But we got one text from another friend who wasn't there, basically saying there's an active shooter alarm going off in Bairson-Hawley, the engineering building. And pretty much as soon as we got that text,

hundreds started rolling in. And they kind of didn't stop for the coming hours. I was there in my dorm from the time of the shooting all throughout lockdown. The lockdown was lifted around 9 a.m. the next morning. and I mean I was thankfully in my dorm where I had food and water and I had my own things but I had friends who were in basements alone I had friends all across campus in library hallways that they couldn't leave were stairwells so it was just kind of a terrifying and confusing experience for

everyone especially when there was just kind of this this lack of information and when there's a lack of information rumors start and you know we we felt a lot more security in our campus as soon as we found out that the shooter had been detained but obviously that's not the case anymore so now it's just kind of back to this state of confusion and uncertainty not sure if we're fully safe yeah there's there's just so much going on and especially with the lockdown lasting so many hours Mia, I just want to thank you for coming on this broadcast. I can't imagine what you are going through and how this has triggered what you have gone through in the past. And I hate to do this, but I wanted to ask you to, since you've been so eloquent and brave over these last few years, since you survived yet another mass shooting, this was when you were a freshman at Saugas High School. in 2019. If you can talk about how you're doing right now through this, I assume you are just operating on adrenaline at this point. I mean, you're still in Providence. Even though school

right has been canceled now, call classes, all tests, kids are just going home. Yeah, I came to Brown as someone who was shot in the stomach at 15 years old. and when something as horrific and terrifying as a school shooting happens to you you want to find as much sense of safety as possible because at least for me it was you know my entire innocence my childhood was taken for me by someone I didn't even know

and a big reason I chose Brown was because of the safety I felt on campus the community I felt the fact that Rhode Island is a blue state that you know values gun laws. All of these things are reasons I chose Brown. And there's this naive thought that it'll never be me,

it'll never be me, and something that I of course thought before my first shooting and now kind of had to reassure myself that it will never happen again. But now a shooting being right here two blocks away at my school within my community, this place that I've kind of come to

to feel safe, it's kind of mind-boggling. And unfortunately, we know that every single act of gun violence is 100% preventable. And this happened, and my shooting at Saga's High School happened, because of decades and years of government in action. And it's so unfortunate that so many people have to die for people to still not really care. There's obviously been action taken, and there's been so many powerful advocates across the country. doing so much great work around gun violence prevention. But if we don't have legislators in office and administration

that cares about children's safety over guns in the gun lobby, we're never going to be safe and we're never going to be able to walk down the street and feel secure that we're not going to get shot and not make it home. You know, anyone who experienced what you did as a freshman in high school could have just run away from all of this. you ran right towards it and took on this issue of gun violence. I was just reading a piece in the Brown Herald, a portrait of you, where you held, you set up a lemonade stand.

In two days, you raised $8,000. And then you went onto the national stage. I want to go back to 2022. What were you? 19 years old, when you spoke at the White House. 18. When you spoke at the White House along President Biden. Ghost guns are untraceable. Build it yourself firearms that look like a gun, shoot like a gun, and kill like a gun.

But have not been regulated like a gun. I've also learned that as a student, I don't just have to worry about Spanish tests, but about my life. School shootings with ghost guns are on the rise. And the most lasting thing I've learned, other than the loss of friends or the shattering of my youth, is that nothing has

relieved the pain in my heart like working to prevent more senseless shootings. So, Mia, that's you when you were 18, at the White House talking about ghost guns. You keep saying every mass shooting is preventable. Explain because so often the political leaders who are pro-gun say, do not politicize a mass shooting like Brown. It's just a tragedy we offer our thoughts and prayers.

I mean, Brown is a tragedy. Every school shooting is a tragedy, and they should offer thoughts and prayers. But thoughts and prayers aren't enough, and thoughts and prayers don't bring back lives lost. They don't prevent more lives from being taken. We know that with more gun laws, gun crime and gun death goes down. Here in North Island, we have some of the lowest gun crime in the entire United States, and that's evident of the great gun laws that exist. And unfortunately, we also know that when we have Republicans in office, gun crime goes up. We need people to see, you know, a America is the only country that takes gun violence as this fact of life.

And it makes no sense. It does not have to be. There's no world where walking down the street and being scared or sitting in a classroom and getting shot and killed is normal. This doesn't have to happen. Our politicians, we voted them into office, and their whole responsibility is to make sure that their people are safe and happy and healthy. none of those three things can exist when gun violence is constantly on the rise gun violence and gun death is the leading cause of death

for children that that just does not make at all sense to me and I feel like to most people I've never heard someone say I wish there was more gun violence so why don't we do something about it Mia you're sitting there

in your brown sweatshirt again you have survived a shooting in your stomach. How are you physically doing right now? And what are your plans in this last minute we have? Schools out now. They've canceled it. They're looking for the gunmen. What are you going to do? Yeah. Physically and emotionally, a school shooting takes your whole life and flips it upside down. I am still healing from my physical injuries. It will be a process that probably takes my entire life. Every single doctor's appointment, it is something else that has to come up,

or even just if I'm getting something checked out that's completely irrelevant to what happened to me, they have to know I was shot in a school shooting. And with these, you know, coming days, I'm going to Massachusetts, and then I'm flying home on Wednesday, which will be great to see my family. And then after winter break, I'm not entirely sure what campus will look like, what things will look like. You know, our student body needs support and community more than anyone, more than anything else right now. And I just hope that we can all come together as much as possible. Mia Tretta, I want to thank you so much for being with us, a junior at Brown University, long-time gun safety advocate.

She herself survived a shooting from Saugas High School in Santa Clarita, at California. all the best to you. I'm Amy Goodman. Thanks for joining us.