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Sentenced to death and denied appeal, Varisheh Moradi continues to bring inspiration and yes, joy and laughter, to Evin Prison women’s ward, as detailed in a letter from political prisoner Golrokh Iraee,^[1] posted by her supporters on her social media. In a series of three rapidly succeeding messages posted in April, Golrokh spoke poignantly on the needed direction to advance the struggle against Iran’s oppressive regime, especially against its repressive execution surge in recent years.

She writes with great insight and camaraderie about the heroic example of Varisheh Moradi, who is a Kurdish activist, of the oppressed Kurdish nation that is spread out over western Iran, Iraq, Turkey and Syria. Varisheh is sentenced to death for having gone to Syria to fight ISIS^[2] and provide care for women and children in Kurdish refugee camps.

For years, she closed the doors behind her and went off to live the watchwords she always has on her lips: “For the high-flying eagle of the skies, what is important is how to live, not how long to live.” She lived out those words in the mountains of Kurdistan on a difficult path full of ups and downs, in an unequal battle with ISIS forces who had come to revive slavery and showed no mercy even to children….With a strange calmness in the face of the death sentence, she sometimes jokes about it to lift our mood. With a laugh that deepens the dimples on her cheeks, she says: "This sentence will be executed."  And we who are angry and laugh think that what she says is not a mockery of life, but the greatness of defeating death, in the voice of a woman who brings death to its knees, by living resistance… Varisheh starts each day with the sentence that she has written on her bed in beautiful handwriting. "O life, we will either adorn you with freedom or we will not live." How beautifully she lives these poems and slogans while honoring the struggle, and never hiding behind expediency. -- Golrokh Iraee, April 2025, Evin Prison

The valor and constancy of Varisheh is sharply contrasted with those who “hide behind expediency” in another post, an urgent polemic by Golrokh shortly before the execution of political prisoner Hamid Hosseinnejad Heydaranlu.

The IRI Murder of Kurdish Kolbar Hamid Hosseinnejad

Hamid was a Kurdish kolbar, or porter, who fed his family by carrying huge burdens on his back over the precipitous mountain paths between Iranian Kurdistan and Turkey. In April 2023, Hamid was arrested on suspicion of smuggling. But suddenly the charges morphed into “Baghi”, armed rebellion and collaboration with a Kurdish party, with absolutely no proof other than a forced confession in Persian, which he does not speak, and he is illiterate. ^[3] Over and over, he insisted, “I am innocent.”

The Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) is especially targeting members of oppressed nationalities in Iran for repression, including executions, particularly Kurds in western Iran, Baluchs in southeastern Iran, and immigrants (many undocumented) from Afghanistan, attempting to terrorize them into silence. At the same time, all this serves the regime’s ability to divide and conquer by drawing in ethnic Persians into toxic supremacist nationalism.

Golrokh Iraee fiercely denounced those who consider themselves “progressive” yet turn their faces away from people like Hamid.

We have become numb to execution orders. We look on. A sigh, a regret. Sometimes eyes fill with tears - but we easily make excuses to calm our conscience… we check to see whether he is a partisan or a member of some group or if he is affiliated with a particular trend, school of thought, or ideology. Or we find a photograph whose content we did not like… and heave a sigh not of sadness but of relief.

She condemned society’s indifference to recent executions, and challenged people not to be satisfied with posting on social media, but to stand up and build mass resistance in the public square, including against the horrific execution of 21 Baluch citizens in a single week.

We are oblivious to the fact that in order to abolish the death penalty, to end the cycle of systematic killing, which is one of the pillars of the Islamic Republic, we must line up outside the prison doors and shout #NoToExecution face to face with the dictator.

A third Golrokh letter dated April 19 made clear that the necessary struggle is not for a US-backed monarchist “regime change” that merely changes the faces at the top. She notes that Evin prisoners again held a ceremony in memory of political prisoners murdered 50 years ago by SAVAK, the brutal political police of the US-backed Shah.^[4]

Every year in the spring and April, the memory of these martyrs of the revolution who fell victim to SAVAK is evoked in the mind and linked to the memory of thousands of political prisoners massacred by the clerical regime in the eighties and summer of 1988. The presence of “we” together in a chain and the preservation of their names in our memory is the continuation of the path full of ups and downs that they walked and rebelled against oppression. Their path undoubtedly continues. #Neitherforgivenorforget -- A group of women in Evin

A significant section of political prisoners in Iran, among whom the women of Evin stand out, have fought to highlight this “chain” of struggle which connects the revolution that overthrew the Shah in 1979 to today’s struggle against the Islamic fundamentalist regime which highjacked that revolution and instituted a fascist theocracy. This positive trend among prisoners, which is not necessarily a clearly defined or unified ideology and which includes people of differing perspectives, rejects the road of relying on sections of the reactionary regime who may break ranks to save their own necks by joining with U.S.-backed, equally reactionary forces. This is the meaning of the #Neitherforgivenorforget slogan, as well as #NeitherSheikhNorShah (where Sheikh refers to the theocratic “Supreme Leader” and Shah refers to the monarchists).

For this, many of these political prisoners have been viciously slandered and threatened, both in the official press and on the social media of pro-regime “reformists," fanatical followers of the pro-U.S. Shah’s son “Prince” Reza Pahlavi, and various rival fundamentalists.

Unite with Political Prisoners to Bring Forward a Liberating Way Out

In opposition to the righteous stance of those political prisoners described above who are struggling mightily for another way out that does not trade oppressors, there are those  in the social movements and academia, who promote the erroneous logic that because the U.S. opposes it, the IRI must be anti-imperialist, without any analysis of its actual role as a dark ages Islamic fundamentalist regime that is fully integrated into the imperialist global system, currently allied with the U.S.’s rivals, China and Russia. This leads them to gloss over the crimes of the IRI such as its executions and torture and the horrific oppression of minorities, women and LGBT people.

Some of these forces, in the face of the real need to oppose U.S. intervention and war threats against Iran, even promote “Victory to Iran.” This “Victory to Iran” can mean nothing but fortifying the torture chambers and gallows, betraying the women, the LGBT people, the artists, the striking workers, who have put their lives on the line over and over with breathtaking valor. It patronizingly dismisses as U.S. dupes all of Iran’s political dissidents, such as the millions in the Women, Life, Freedom uprising against the hated forced hijab (head-covering) that cost the life of Mahsa Jina Amini in 2022.

Supporting the Islamic Republic theocracy in a narrow, pragmatic view of “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” is not only wrong but dangerous and ironically not only strengthens the oppressive regime in Iran but the U.S. imperialists as well. It empowers them each to point to the other as oppressors—and they are both right! But the U.S. is clearly the bigger problem in the world and in history, and especially now under a fascist Trump regime.

The prisoners themselves have set an example to follow, struggling under difficult conditions to send statements and letters like Golrokh Iraee’s, calling on the people of Iran and the world, not outmoded governments and institutions, to go to the streets, to amplify the calls to End Executions, to stand with the Women, Life, Freedom rebels.

This Campaign to Free Iran’s Political Prisoners Now has been clear on the real need to mobilize people in the US and globally to oppose US war threats and moves against Iran. As the IEC 2021 Emergency Appeal made clear:

All those who stand for justice and yearn for a better world must rally to the cause of freeing Iran’s political prisoners NOW…. The governments of the U.S. and Iran act from their national interests. And, in this instance, we the people of the U.S. and Iran, along with the people of the world, have OUR shared interests, as part of getting to a better world: to unite to defend the political prisoners of Iran. In the U.S., we have a special responsibility to unite very broadly against this vile repression by the IRI, and to actively oppose any war moves by the U.S. government that would bring even more unbearable suffering to the people of Iran.

Prisoners’ Hunger Strike Spreads

The program of “Victory to Iran” is all the more grotesque in the face of the prisoners-led struggle in Iran involving hundreds in 40 prisons. When the daily pre-dawn call to prayers rings out in the fascist theocracy that rules Iran, thousands of prisoners on death row and on political wards anxiously wonder: Whose neck will be broken on the gallows this morning at call to prayer? Whose widow, whose orphans will be left wailing outside these walls? Who will put themselves on the line for our lives and our dignity?

As the IRI continues to haggle with the US under severe threats of US/Israeli military attack, within its borders the regime steps up its vicious executions and prison sentences, killing 316 so far in 2025.

In contrast to that, the “No to Execution Tuesday” weekly hunger strike has expanded now to 40 prisons with the joining of a group of female prisoners in Zahedan Prison in Baluchistan and Azbaram Prison in Lahijan, continuing firm in an unbroken series of 65 weeks. About a dozen protests weekly continue to support them and shine a light on specific political prisoners and executions, protests which ranging from small vigils to consistent actions, mostly in European cities with large Iranian populations.

Key Orientation and Context

The IEC is singularly focused on freeing Iran’s political prisoners by exposing and condemning the fascist theocracy in Iran, yet our campaign has firmly and broadly united by proceeding from the interest of humanity. What we call on people of the world, and especially in the US, to understand and act on, is concentrated in the last part of our founding Emergency Appeal, 2021. And as made clear in our that Emergency Appeal, signed by more than 5000 voices of conscience worldwide in 50 countries:

… we the people of the U.S. and Iran, along with the people of the world, have OUR shared interests, as part of getting to a better world: to unite to defend the political prisoners of Iran. In the U.S., we have a special responsibility to unite very broadly against this vile repression by the IRI, and to actively oppose any war moves by the U.S. government that would bring even more unbearable suffering to the people of Iran.

Given our unified focus but divergent political perspectives, the IEC is not in a position to address the complex and dangerous swirl of events in the Middle East with its accelerating contention between the superpowers of the US, Russia and China. We encourage you to seek out independent work by many of IEC’s diverse signatories and supporters on the dynamics between the US/Israel and Iran (e.g., at revcom.us or Counterpunch).

Yet it is important for us to note that Iran’s political prisoners are in fact caught between the double-edged sword of US talks with, and vicious threats against, Iran on one side—and on the other, continuing executions and repressions inside Iran. The people in Iran, including its heroic political prisoners, more than ever need support that is clear-eyed about what is at stake and who are their friends and their enemies. Indeed, former and current political prisoners have been very much in the swirl of debate and controversy over the way forward.

Courageous Dissident Rapper Toomaj Salehi: “Silence Gives Consent”

Artist Toomaj Salehi^[1] sent a 2025 Nowruz (Persian New Year) audio message that said, in part:

One who doesn’t know their own history is doomed to failure. We shouldn’t trust prejudice/fanatical individuals and the media. We should study. We need to study from reliable sources… Others are part of us. We should reach society-wide awareness. In the coming year, let’s focus on making ourselves more aware of what is going on. Let’s study and investigate what it takes to make change... And let’s remember that not everyone is fighting for the same side — we are getting attacked from many directions. These are difficult and dangerous times. We don’t always realize how tenuous the situation actually is.  As always, silence gives consent. It shows approval. It means complicity.  Never forget that if we remain silent in the face of attacks by online thugs, we will lose…Happy Nowruz, my dear brothers and sisters! I love you very much. – Toomaj

Toomaj was viciously attacked on social media for calling for people to study and his reading of books on video^[2].  A pair of “influencers” posted a video in which they howl that intellectuals were to blame for the Islamic fundamentalists taking power after the 1979 revolution because of the ideas they got from reading books. OSYAN/REVOLT (group of Iranian and Afghan women) pointed out that this foul video was shared approvingly by none other than Yazmine Pahlavi, wife of “Prince” Reza Pahlavi, son of the deposed Shah and one key player in a possible US-initiated regime change. He was also hit with coordinated cyberattacks and trolling; in response, thousands of Toomaj’s followers came to his defense. OSYAN goes on to sharply defend Toomaj from this reactionary monarchist assault:

Anyone who is serious about the revolution of overthrowing the Islamic Republic and building a fundamentally different society should consider their first duty at this stage to be raising political awareness about the nature of this regime, the roots of existing oppression, and its connection to the global system. Otherwise, every effort and sacrifice will be seized by such opportunistic movements that are supported by global powers, and the cycle of oppression and exploitation will continue.

Read IEC's English translation of the full post.

On February 18, Toomaj Salehi was called to court for charges related to his song, “Typhus”.^[3]   The result of this hearing is not yet clear. “Typhus” condemns fellow rappers for mindless nationalism, anti-knowledge of Iranian history, and serving the reactionary regime:

Which way the wind blows, which way the money lies,
That is the way your flag flies…
They call me an “enemy of the system”,
I'm a rebel rapper, a warrior, and my base is the people
…I don’t give a fuck about your might.
(Translation of lyrics)

Before the court appearance, Toomaj posted:

This court can be an excuse for me to say again: No one should be arrested, threatened, and subjected to psychological pressure for their beliefs and the expression of their beliefs. The existence of political prisoners in any country is a sign of the weakness of that country's government.

“Maximum Pressure” and “Maximum Support” by US: A Two-Edged Sword

One of the first of fascist Trump’s executive orders instituted a US campaign of “maximum pressure” against Iran. He has continued to make threats to bomb Iran, working with Israel.  Recently he blustered that if Iran does not stop its nuclear energy program, “Iran will be in great danger”. Last week, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed new sanctions on Iran, and the largest GOP caucus introduced a 10-bill “Maximum Pressure on Iran” package which includes expanding sanctions and targeting “Iran-backed militias”.^[4]

An especially insidious part of that package is a bipartisan “Maximum Support Bill” which claims to support the Iranian dissident movement but in reality is a cynical handout to reactionary forces inside and outside the IRI, including those who long to bring back the bloody torture regime of the CIA-installed Shah (1953-1979) and his SAVAK torture police^[5].  It is an appeal to current Iran military and other regime-rats who deserve to be tried by the people for their crimes, who may be hoping for protection by jumping ship to a pro-Western imperialist regime. For example, the bill calls for offering safe channels for defection by Iranian officials and utilizing information shared by defectors. The bill also would use seized Iranian assets to “fund civil society actors inside Iran”, which, in the context, can only mean funding those who would keep the repressive agencies essentially intact and switch their allegiance to the US-led forces, those who likely include the violent lunatic supporters of “Prince” Reza Pahlavi.^[6]

This took place in the context of the IRI having been weakened politically, economically and militarily over the past year-and-a-half of Israel’s rampage across the Middle East. The theocratic regime is resorting to ever more repression, along with whipping up a toxic brew of nationalism and extreme religious patriarchy among its social base which is directed against political dissidents, “indecent” women, non-Persian nationalities, and Afghan immigrants.

Truly Brave Resistance Up Against Gruesome Execution Republic

Video shows some of the hundreds of stickers against executions posted on streets in Iran. Text of post: “For the release of #PakhshanAzizi, #VarishehMoradi, #SharifehMohammadi and other prisoners from the clutches of the Republic of Executions, even seconds matter...”.

IRI executions continue at a monstrous pace.  According to HRANA, 58 people were executed in March, 2025, many of them youth of oppressed nationalities or ethnic minorities.  Courts have rejected retrials for political prisoners sentenced to execution, including the Kurdish women Varisheh Moradi and Pakhshan Azizi, as well as Sharifeh Mohammadi, on a vague, catch-all charge of “Baghi” (armed rebellion).

IRI media has promoted media campaign attacks on the revolutionary political prisoners. Political prisoner Golrokh Iraee posted an extensive letter from Evin Prison that starts:

My former cellmate, Bahareh Hedayat, sits in an online studio in Tehran provided by the Islamic Republic and declares solidarity with the monarchists. By stirring up the nationalist sentiment of a people whose nationalist tendencies were humiliated due to living under the shadow of a theocratic government, she is trying to destroy revolutionary forces and, by ignoring the regime's opponents, reduces the opposition to a monarchist movement.
Read IEC translation of whole letter.

There are many, though clearly not all, of Iran’s political prisoners who oppose the Islamic mullahs as well as the pro-US monarchists. It is a dangerous development that Iran’s regime has stepped up executions of all its prisoners, as well as more and more political prisoners. Among 26 prisoners executed from 4/3 to 4/8, five were political prisoners, three of them of the Baluch oppressed nationality, charged with “Baghi” in sham trials. They were executed without any notice nor final visit with their families. There are at least 50 more political prisoners, including the three prominent women activists named above, who are awaiting this unjust, cruel and inhumane state murder.^[7]

The IEC continues to highlight the bravery of Iran’s prison resistance and their 63rd consecutive “No to Execution Tuesday” prisoner-led weekly hunger strikes, which have spread to 38 prisons across Iran. As they continue to struggle against injustice – not just their own but for each other – we honor their humanity and call for solidarity to free them – against all threats to their lives and dignity. They are our sisters and brothers in the fight for a better world.