Mandana Karimi has confirmed to NDTV that due to worries around her security as well as an increased sense of dislocation after taking a strong position on Iranian concerns, she intends to leave India and remain outside of it.
When NDTV inquired directly about whether she plans to move from India, she confirmed that she is definitely planning to do so in large measure due to security issues and that she would not be able to provide any further specifics until after she departed from India.
An outspoken advocate of her political views, she has served as a vocal critic of Iranian leader Ali Khamenei and has, through her social media and other outlets, consistently raised awareness of the situation of Iranians, held their leaders accountable for their actions and expressed solidarity with her countrymen/women.
In discussing what impacted her decision to leave India, she stated that her ongoing involvement in activism has taken a tremendous emotional and personal toll on her. In doing this, by publicly expressing her opinions about the Iranian government, confronting authorities, and challenging the present state, has had a direct impact on her feelings toward herself. She stated that her fight has gone on for many years and it is now time for her to find a different way to live.
Mandana made a powerful statement when she was asked whether she had received threats of death while she was in India; she answered very briefly but with great conviction that there have always been death threats against her.
Mandana noted that during her tenure as well, she did not receive any significant assistance from anyone — neither friends, nor institutions nor the media to support her. She felt thus disconnected and isolated throughout the length of her struggles. Nevertheless, she asserted that she had always done whatever she could to help Iranians and wouldn’t change any of the choices she made in the past.
Even though Mandana plans to leave India at present, she said she would continue her support for the cause of Iran. She expressed confidence in current and future leadership — specifically naming Reza Pahlavi — and emphasized that the opposition is now well organized and prepared. She indicated that her departure from India does not represent the end of her efforts on behalf of Iranians.