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A Message to Political Prisoners in Evin from the Campaign to Defend Sharifeh Mohammadi
On July 11, 85 prisoners in Evin went on hunger strike to demand a stop to the execution and the release of activist Sharifeh Mohammadi, and 17 women political prisoners in Evin posted a letter of support. In response, the Campaign to Defend Sharifeh Mohammadi posted an inspiring and heartfelt message. Below is the translation to English by IEC volunteers.
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To the dear ones who are in chains but free in spirit in Evin Prison, the freedom-loving and equality-seeking men and women behind Evin’s bars, the men and women who are the awakened conscience of our time.
We, the members of the Campaign to Defend Sharifeh Mohammadi, composed of Sharifeh’s family members, have received your courageous and encouraging messages, your voices of protest, and your decision to go on a hunger strike. Our entire beings are filled with pride and honor, and you have made us a thousand times more resolute in the path we have chosen. You, who are imprisoned by the system of oppression and exploitation, stand bravely and exemplarily beside Sharifeh and those like her, sacrificing your safety and freedom. You are the models of struggle, freedom, and courage.
We have heard your message acknowledging the voice of the Campaign to Defend Sharifeh Mohammadi and responding positively to it. Thus, we extend our gratitude to all of you, noble, brave, aware, and tireless individuals. We commit to you that, inspired by your actions and character, we will strive to the utmost of our ability for the freedom of dear Sharifeh and all of you prisoners free in spirit. We kiss your hands and faces and declare that hearing your support for Sharifeh and the Campaign has filled us with pride and renewed energy. Today and the future belong to us because we are united and unbreakable.
In struggle to put an end to executions,
In struggle for the freedom of all political prisoners,
#WomanLifeFreedom
Standing with you for the freedom of dear Sharifeh,
#FreeSharifeh
#FreeSharifehMohammadi
#SharifehMohammadi
Evin Hunger Strike for Sharifeh Mohammadi; 16 Women Say "A death sentence for Sharifeh = death sentence for all of us"
Breaking: As on July 11 morning, the number of Evin prisoners on hunger strike for Sharifeh Mohammadi is 85.
On July 9, 16 women political prisoners in Evin published a letter denouncing the death sentence of labor rights activist Sharifa Mohammadi which was announced one day before the runoff presidential election, punctuating the farcical nature of the "reformist" vs "extremist" race. See the slides for images of these women, who are daring to give leadership under dire conditions in both analysis and action. We need these prisoners to be free, out on the streets among our struggles and taking part in the debate over how to overcome this oppression and get to a better world.
Later on July 9, 55 Evin prisoners announced that they would go on hunger strike for Sharifa Mohammadi on July 11. Read on for our translation of the full text of these statements.
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Letter from 16 Female Political Prisoners in Evin Prison July 9
Sharifeh Mohammadi, a labor activist, has been sentenced to death on unjust and baseless charges, after enduring seven months of torture and interrogation in various cities’ detention centers.
This is not only a death sentence for Sharifeh but a death sentence for all “us” labor, political, civil, human rights, and women’s rights activists.
We see this sentence as a potential danger and a precursor to issuing more severe sentences in the future.
What is most apparent in this death sentence is a policy of repression intended to silence the voices of protest and the demands that had reached a significant level with the revolutionary uprising of 2022, and to intimidate and force back women who have stepped forward with a louder voice than before to demand their “rights.”
We stand with Sharifeh and all those threatened with execution and demand an end to the death penalty.
Signed,
Sarvenaz Ahmadi, Anisha Assadollahi, Hasti Amiri, Reyhaneh Ansari-Nejad, Golrokh Iraee, Sakineh Parvaneh, Nahid Taghavi, Nahid Khodajo, Nasrin Kohdari- Jovadi, Vida Rabani, Mahboubeh Rezaei, Mahnaz Tarrah, Sepideh Gholian, Narges Mohammadi, Varisha Moradi, Maryam Yahyavi"
Translated by IEC volunteers from original Farsi post by Golrokh Iraee and Narges Mohammadi.
Evin Prisoners Announce Hunger Strike Against Death Sentence of Sharifeh Mohammadi
Hear the audio of women prisoners singing in support in this video calling for the hunger strike for Sharifeh Mohammadi, posted by Narges Mohammadi:
Her translation reads: "55 political prisoners from Evin Prison will go on a hunger strike on Thursday, July 11th, in protest against the 'unjust death sentence issued for Sharifeh Mohammadi’ and in support of the campaign for Sharifeh Mohammadi. 30 prisoners are from the women's ward of Evin and another 25 from men's ward 4 of Evin."
۵۵ تن از زندانیان سیاسی زندان اوین روز پنجشنبه ۲۱ تیرماه در اعتراض به «صدور حکم ناعادلانه اعدام #شریفه_محمدی و در پیوستن به کمپین حمایت از شریفه محمدی» اعتصاب غذا خواهند کرد. ۳۰ زندانی از زنان بند زنان اوین هستند و ۲۵ تن دیگر از مردان زندانی بند ۴ اوین.#آزادی_شریفه#FreeSharifeh
On 24th Week of "Tuesday No To Execution" Hunger Strike, Prisoners Call to Support Sharifeh Mohammadi and Escalate Struggle
The 24th week of the Prisoners' Food Strike #Tuesdays_No_To_Execution in opposition to the death sentences, especially the shameless and disgraceful death sentence for #Sharifeh_Mohammadi.
Part of their statement reads (translation by IEC volunteers):
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Examining the behavior of the regime's repressive apparatuses in the past years has shown that, whenever a magnificent display of the opposition by the majority of the Iranian people against the despotic minority ruling the country emerges, the government's repression machine becomes more active and aims to instill fear and intimidation in the people to prevent uprisings and political and social protests against tyranny, and for this, the tool of execution has benefited them the most.
We, the prisoners of the "Tuesdays no to execution" strike in Evin prison (women's prison, 4, 6, 8), Ghezel Hasar (units 3 and 4), Khorramabad, Central Karaj, Tabriz, Khavi, Naqdeh, Saqqez and Mashhad, tomorrow, Tuesday, July 9, for the twenty fourth week in opposition to death sentences, especially the shameless and disgraceful death sentence for #Sharifeh_Mohammadi. We will go on a food strike. One of the allegations against Sharifeh Mohammadi is the distribution of leaflets declaring "no to execution"; trying to stop the execution machine is not only not a crime but should become a public demand … We too strongly condemn this cruel sentence and demand nationwide support to stop the execution machine.
We call on all human rights activists and activists who defend and oppose execution (parties, groups and political & gender movements and media owners) to pay more attention to and oppose the issue of execution in the coming weeks and months. This is a serious warning about disregarding this issue and its consequences.
We believe that the difficult path to fight execution will reach its goal with "collective and inclusive solidarity", and in this path, the most effective action can be taken by the prisoners themselves, because no one can express the depth of suffering and pain like us, or to understand the execution of the death sentence and the extent of the injustice against them and their families. Therefore, we invite all prisoners, especially political prisoners in prisons throughout the country, to join this campaign against execution.
*Prisoners’ “Tuesday No to Executions” Strike
"Liberation cannot be achieved through ballot boxes": 9 leftist women prisoners
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Statement from 9 imprisoned leftist women from Evin Prison, posted in Farsi by @golrokh.iraee & @free.nahid on July 2, 2024.
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We, the left-wing women imprisoned in Evin Prison, of course did not participate in the presidential elections and will not do so.
Because:
- Such elections are a desperate attempt to save a failed regime that has long since lost its legitimacy.
- The candidates in this election, as in every other period, are symbols of the disintegration of this fascist regime.
- These elections, like any other election in capitalist systems, mean that people are only granted the "right to vote" when they are allowed to "choose" one of the oppressors to continue the established reactionary system for a few more years.
- We believe that liberation cannot be achieved through ballot boxes, but only through our own hands and through the conscious struggle against every form of oppression.
Anisha Asadollahi
Reyhaneh Ansari-Nejad
Hasti Amiri
Golrokh Iraee
Nahid Taghavi
Nahid Khodajo
Nasrin Javadi
Farah Nassaji
Maryam Yahavi
10 Political Prisoners Express Solidarity with the Baha'i Community in Iran Facing Intense Pressure
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reposted from @Narges_Mohammadi_51
In a letter from Evin Prison, 10 political prisoners stated:
Our differences in political views and beliefs have never, do not, and will never obstruct our support for human rights. Silence in the face of oppression only emboldens the regime, making its actions less costly and leading to repeated and intensified abuses.
Our Baha’i compatriots have been deprived of all social rights for decades under tyranny. In the 1980s, with the catastrophic elimination of political opponents and dissidents, nearly three hundred of our Baha’i compatriots were disappeared, went missing, or were executed by the government, and thousands more were deprived of the most basic social rights and driven from their homes.
One of the most shocking stories we have heard from the Baha’i community relates to the execution of 10 women in the 1980s who were taken to the execution site together and executed one by one in front of each other’s eyes. The last of them was an underage teenager (who is considered a child according to international treaties) who, before her arrest, was studying and teaching young children. Her only conflict with the system was a belief that had no manifestation in her social life.
After years of imprisonment alongside Baha’i women, witnessing the relentless pressures and injustices they endure for their beliefs, and hearing their stories across generations, we unequivocally recognize that “our story is identical.”
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We who have always been excluded from various social and political arenas in different ways due to differing political or ideological views, and some of us have been deprived of the right to life. Deprivation of the right to life and denial of social, civil rights, and consequently the confiscation or destruction of Baha’i properties has long occurred and has become a norm for the repressive system. Hearing the story of a mother in a village in northern Iran, with a worn-out face and a bent back, who was attacked by destroyers while working on her farm, trying to prevent officials from destroying her garden and home, was a great sorrow. A mother who had lost her child in the Iran-Iraq war and now, because of her belief, had her land, home, and the source of her livelihood, the result of a lifetime of work, destroyed, deprived, or withheld from her.
We have had years of experience living with Mahvash Sabet, Fariba Kamalabadi, and other Baha’i citizens, and we have learned a lot from them. Besides what has been imposed on them and their families due to years of imprisonment, depriving society of their presence and teachings is a great loss. Our silence in the face of this oppression against a group of society whose mere existence as Baha’i citizens has been criminalized has made these crimes less costly for the regime and paved the way for their repetition and intensification.
Differences in our political views and beliefs have never, do not, and will never hinder our support for human rights. Just as we have united against repression despite our political and ideological differences, turning the streets of Iran into a battleground for justice, we stand together now.
WE STAND BY OUR BAHA’I COMPATRIOTS UNTIL THE END OF SUFFERING IMPOSED ON THEM.
Mahboubeh Rezayi,
Hasti Amiri,
Samaneh Asghari,
Sakineh Parvaneh,
Maryam Yahyaei,
Nahid Taghavi,
Narges Mohammadi,
Anisha Assadollahi,
Sepideh Gholian,
Golrokh Iraee
June 17, 2024
Women’s Ward,
Evin Prison Iran
Mohammad Rasoulof, sentenced to prison and flogging, flees Iran
May 13, 2024 Breaking news: Mohammad Rasoulof has fled Iran on foot through its mountainous border region. From an as-yet undisclosed location in Europe, he issued a statement on the eve of the start of Cannes 2024 festival, excerpted below.
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I had to choose between prison and leaving Iran. With a heavy heart, I chose exile. The Islamic Republic confiscated my passport in September 2017. Therefore, I had to leave Iran secretly…
Right now as I'm writing this, the young rapper, Toomaj Salehi is held in prison and has been sentenced to death. The scope and intensity of repression has reached a point of brutality where people expect news of another heinous government crime every day...
Many of the actors and agents of the film are still in Iran and the intelligence system is pressuring them. They have been put through lengthy interrogations. The families of some of them were summoned and threatened. Due to their appearance in this movie, court cases were filed against them, and they were banned from leaving the country. They raided the office of the cinematographer, and all his work equipment was taken away. They also prevented the film's sound engineer from traveling to Canada. During the interrogations of the film crew, the intelligence forces asked them to pressure me to withdraw the film from the Cannes Festival...
Many people helped to make this film. My thoughts are with all of them, and I fear for their safety and well-being.
Full statement on Variety.
***
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May 11, 2024: Just before the opening of Mohammad Rasoulof's latest film at the Cannes Film Festival, an appeals court in Iran confirmed his prior sentence to 8 years in prison, flogging, and the confiscation of his property. This was he refused to give in to heavy pressure from Iranian authorities to withdraw the film, Seed of the Sacred Fig, set to compete for the Palme d'Or, a family drama set in the Woman, Life, Freedom uprising in 2022.
Rasoulof's lawyer, Babak Paknia, announced on X, “The main reason for issuing this sentence is for signing statements and making films and documentaries. In the court’s opinion, these actions were examples of collusion with the intention of committing a crime against the country’s security.”
Deadline.com published a statement from Tribeca Festival co-founders Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal:
“Mohammad Rasoulof’s courageous works have consistently sought to shine a light on societal issues, offering invaluable insights through a cinematic lens and underscores his unwavering commitment to the pursuit of truth and the promotion of human rights through artistic expression... Art is not a crime; it’s dialogue with humanity. Today, we stand in solidarity with Mohammad Rasoulof, echoing his courage and commitment to these truths.”
The Iranian Independent Filmmakers Association wrote in Instagram:
"Sentencing Mohammad Rasoulof to imprisonment, whipping and the confiscation of his property reveals the Islamic judicial system in Iran as a tool for seeking revenge on political dissidents. These unjust actions only serve as a reminder that authoritarianism often masks itself as a power but is ultimately driven by fear.
"The Islamic regime in Iran, facing failures both domestically and internationally, has attempted to assert its strength through brutal tactics such as the murder and sexual assault of protesting youth, detention of women who defy the mandatory Hijab law, and imposing economic hardships on the Iranians.
"Evidently, a regime that is structured based on the suffering of the people is destined to crumble soon.
IIFMA, along with freedom lovers worldwide, denounces the absurd sentencing of Mohammad Rasoulof and stand in solidarity with him and all artists who resist censorship, bravely challenging the regime’s legitimacy.”
14 Political Prisoners Condemn the Death Sentence of Toomaj Salehi
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Female and male political prisoners in Evin prison overcame the segregation of their units and braved great risks to themselves by publishing the following letter against the execution sentence of beloved rebel rapper Toomaj Salehi. The English translation was posted by Narges.Foundation on April 27, 2024.
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Our silence today dictates the fate of each of us tomorrow.
The shameless issuance of a death sentence for Toomaj Salehi, a committed artist and human rights activist, using a notorious process in the courts of the regime, has once again exposed the anti-human nature and the depth of corruption of this government.
These days, the Islamic republic, intoxicated by the illusion of external authority, is desperate for internal power and spares no effort. On one hand, by deploying troops, it has turned the streets into a battleground against the women of Iran who seek freedom, and on the other hand, in its struggle to exact revenge on protesters and opponents, it lies in wait to crush the hopes of society.
In response to the most civil forms of struggle and even protests expressed through art, it reacts with utmost cruelty, demonstrating its power through inhuman sentences, long imprisonments, and exile, and “nooses ready for the neck,” against a defenseless people, warning the society that any protest, even non-violent and civil, awaits the claw of tyranny.
It seems intent on a vendetta against a society that has neutralized “victory through terror,” committed to eliminating all critics and opponents of the current situation, aiming to keep every concerned citizen in fear of government-organized repression and murder.
The message of the rulers regarding Toomaj’s verdict has reached us clearly! Beware, for the consequence of our silence today will be the decree of our future, where every voice will be stifled. Unaware that the end of this absolute corruption will be with the infinite power of the people’s resistance in these very occupied streets.
Golrokh Iraee, Hasti Amiri, Rasoul Badaghi, Mostafa Tajzadeh, Amirsalar Davoudi, Vida Rabbani, Hossein Razzaq, Reza Shahabi, Narges Mohammadi, Abdollah Momeni, Mohammad Najafi, Sedigheh Vasmaghi, Faezeh Hashemi, Maryam Yahyavi
Evin Prison
April 26, 2024