Bita will never forget the incident. She was a high school student in Iran when the notorious morality police arrested her and her boyfriend for going to the cinema.
WARNING: Readers are advised that this article contains details some people may find distressing.
She was just 16 when they were detained for hours.
The words hurled at her by police and the sound of her boyfriend being beaten in front of her are etched in her memory.
"We were in custody for 10 hours without any food or water … it was summer and it was so hot," Bita said.
"I thought I was dying, I was so thirsty.
"They were hitting my boyfriend in front of me; it was very, very, very awful."
Bita said the police forced her to end the relationship and she was left feeling ashamed and fearful.
"They made me sign papers to say I would never see him again. I cried for weeks," she said.
"That incident made me sick. For a while I was depressed. I thought I had dishonoured my parents and done an awful thing.
"Whenever I saw police from then on, I started shaking because they're so scary."
'They haven't shown any mercy'
For Bita and her young family, now safe in regional Victoria after fleeing the "brutal" and "cruel" regime, they fear for their loved ones who still live in Iran.
Speaking with the media is dangerous for them, so the ABC has changed their names for protection.
Wednesday marked 40 days since the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody last month.
They are urging Australians to help spread the word about the Iranian government's violent crackdown on protests across the country.
They watch on with a mixture of pride and horror at the bravery of protesters in Iran who are risking their lives to challenge the government.
"Iranians are not just only fighting compulsory hijab or morality police," Bita said.
"They are protesting the disastrous economy, the high rate of unemployment, poverty, child marriage, government corruption, torture, forced confession, and no free expression."
She said the Islamic Republic was doing whatever it could to retain power "through their brutal crackdown, including a revolutionary guard".
"This has resulted in many deaths and injuries in Iran — they haven't even shown any mercy to kids," Bita said.
"They're killing our young people in the street."
This was not always the case in Iran but things changed after the Islamic Revolution in 1979, explained Bita's husband Ali.
"The man and woman had equal rights in Iran," he said.
"After the revolution, the Supreme Leader cancelled lots of these rules."
'This time is really different'
Mahsa Amini's death has sparked unrest not seen before in Iran.
Bita said people were standing up for a free Iran.
"This time is really different, this time all Iranians in Iran and around the world are standing up together to finish this regime, but they need help from the leaders of the world," she said.
"On behalf of many Iranians in Australia, I expect the Prime Minister to stand with us, to be our voice."
Most people carry a smartphone these days, and Ali said this was one of the strongest tools to aid the fight in Iran, especially as social media was heavily policed in Iran.
"Be our voice," she said.
"Share what is happening in Iran so other people can see the crimes the Islamic regime is doing — right now — against humanity."
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has voiced support for the rights of the Iranian people to protest peacefully.
“I strongly condemn the ongoing heavy-handed repression of protests by Iranian authorities," Mr Albanese said.
"Australia has also raised our concerns about the violent crackdowns on protests and Ms Amini’s death directly with the Embassy of Iran in Canberra.”
Protests embolden next generation
Bita and Ali's 10-year-old daughter Rosa has been telling her Australian classmates about the plight in Iran.
She said it was hard to imagine what her life would have been like if her family had not moved to Australia.
"We were visiting Iran when I was nine and I was freaking out about wearing a hijab, thinking: 'How is it going to feel? What is it going to be like? Will I be able to hear anything?'" Rosa said.
She wanted everyone to know what was happening in Iran.
"Many were killed in the protests; they didn't deserve to die," Rosa said.
"They were fighting for what was right. They were fighting for freedom; they wanted freedom for Iran.
"I feel like more countries should be standing with us."
