On March 3, I will once again participate in the 4x4x48 Goggins Challenge. This will have me running 4 miles every 4 hours for 48 hours, for a total of 48 miles (77.25 km). This time, I'm raising money for my beloved Iran, and for the people who are sacrificing their lives for freedom. I would love for you to help. Any donation to the challenge goes directly to the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran.

The situation in Iran is dire and the people are fighting tooth and nail against the regime for their basic human rights, as has been the case for more than four decades. The current protests have been ongoing for almost half a year, and show no signs of stopping. As a member of the Iranian diaspora who feels powerless in his ability to have impact on the ground, this is my attempt at a meaningful contribution.

Last year this challenge gave me an overuse injury that lasted for almost two months, and although I'm better prepared this year, I'm happy to go through the same to see some of you contribute -- big or small -- toward a cause that means the world to me and so many Iranians. Besides, it's a joke compared to the deaths and torture that Iranians on the ground face. Nonetheless, every little bit counts and adds up.

I will be logging everything on my Instagram (@bardib.ai) and holding myself accountable. I encourage those of you in London who want to run one (or many) of the legs with me to reach out -- would love to have anyone tag along. Let's make it all happen. #WomanLifeFreedom #SetThemFree #4x4x48GogginsChallenge

(Artwork by Yael Hofri)

About the Charity:

The Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran is an independent organization with no political affiliation. It is named in memory of Dr. Abdorrahman Boroumand, an Iranian lawyer and pro-democracy activist who was assassinated allegedly by the agents of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Paris on April 18, 1991. The Center believes that promoting human rights awareness through education and the dissemination of information is a necessary prerequisite for the establishment of a stable democracy in Iran.

To this end, they:

- Document methodically and as objectively as we can every single execution and assassination and publish stories in Farsi and English with a focus on the right to life and the right to due process of law.

- Engage victims of human rights violations to tell their story as a first step to healing, echo their voices, and draw attention to impunity.

- Help Iranians remember their history and strengthen their will to confront the past.

- Promote human rights based values through translations of theoretical and practical tools, reports and advocacy.

Some of their key achievements in the last ten years:

- Established themselves as a credible and reliable human rights group and gained broad-based support among diverse groups of Iranians and non-Iranian victims

- Documented thousands of names and hundreds of stories in two languages in their database Omid

- Interviewed victims, and transcribed and translated scores of testimonies.

- Researched and published groundbreaking reports and expert opinion on human rights issues not covered by the mainstream press, such as 2 reports (one and two) on COVID-19 and prison conditions; The Massacre of Political Prisoners in Iran, 1988, Report of an Inquiry and Neither Free Nor Fair, Elections in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

- Mobilized campaigns to bring visibility to the most at-risk, such as "Set Them Free", an effort calling for the release of political prisoners during a global pandemic.

- Created and maintain the most comprehensive Farsi-English electronic archives of books, articles, memoirs, letters, documents, and information that shed light on the violation of human rights and furthers the knowledge, understanding, dissemination, and implementation of human rights and democracy in Iran.

- Maintain a unique and extensive database of thousands floggings sentences issued in Iran.