'Seven Winters in Tehran' is a poignant documentary about the situation of women in Iran. Its protagonist, the young interior designer Reyhaneh Jabbari, was sentenced to death after fatally wounding a man who tried to rape her. Jabbari's sentence was carried out in 2014. The documentary also tells the story of the woman's mother - Shole.

The film was awarded the Amnesty International Poland prize at the Millenium Docs Against Gravity documentary film festival. It can be viewed as part of the online edition of the event, which runs from 23 May to 4 June.

We asked the director of 'Seven Winters in Tehran', Steffi Niederzoll, how we can be engaged in the situation in Iran. In her response, the filmmaker said that, the Iranian government has escalated the execution of people who took part in the high-profile protests of 2022, taking advantage of the fact that international media attention around Iran has quietened down.

As recently as 17 May, Amnesty International was calling for intervention in the case of the three convicted men mentioned by Niederzoll. She makes a heartfelt plea to demonstrate solidarity with the victims of the Iranian regime. She points out four ways in which we can do this, even in a place as far away as Poland.

1. Raising awareness - by discussing the issue with family, friends and colleagues, we can raise public awareness of the drama unfolding in Iran and increase support for putting pressure on the country's authorities. Spreading information and personal testimonies on social media has the same effect. Niederzoll also encourages people to take part in demonstrations against the death penalty.
2. Petitions and letter writing - highlighting how many people in Iran are still waiting for our support, Niederzoll asks people to sign petitions in their favour. She gives the example of Amnesty International's petition, which can be signed here. She encourages people to write letters to those imprisoned by the regime and to its authorities through international organisations.
3. Putting pressure on the government - through letters or interactions on social media, we can inform our diplomats that it is important for us to emphasise the importance of respecting human rights and international dissent from the death penalty when dealing with the Iranian authorities.
4. Staying informed - when the media hype around the protests in Iran has died down, social media and newsletters can be a source of information for us on the current situation in the country.