Six political prisoners recently sentenced to death by Iran’s regime have released a statement, in which they expose the regime’s crimes and their determination to stand by their principles to protect the Iranian people’s right to freedom and democracy:
We, five political prisoners sentenced to death and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), are issuing this statement today as part of the 45th campaign of “No to Executions Tuesdays.” Alongside many other prisoners nationwide, we are currently on a hunger strike. This occurs while our sixth companion, our brother Mohammad Taghavi—a witness and survivor of the 1988 massacre—was returned to solitary confinement in Ward 209 four months ago. We have since lost contact with him solely because he declared the court illegitimate and refused to participate in its proceedings.
The nature of the mullahs’ regime is so evident that we find no need to elaborate on the torture, abuse, and numerous violations of our basic human rights from the moment of our arrest until today, nor on the baseless accusations levied against us.
Nothing less is expected from the murderers of Reza Rasai and Mohammad Ghobadlou and thousands of this nation’s youth, as well as from the usurpers of the Iranian people’s right to sovereignty. Besides, what legitimacy can a fundamentally illegitimate and inhumane regime’s judiciary, courts, and investigators possess?
Thus, we and all political prisoners sentenced to death find no recourse for justice other than the oppressed people of Iran, the brave Rebellious Youth, and awakened consciences. And that is enough for us; it is a source of pride.
Our pursuit of justice is not merely about saving our own lives or limited to this moment when the gallows loom before us. It is a call to oppose the death penalty—in principle and entirely—for all political and non-political prisoners.
We can and must transform the despair and fear caused by collective death sentences into courage, rebellion, and the revolutionary fire needed to uproot this regime.
Indeed! The democratic revolution of the Iranian people will succeed in this way.
December 2, 2024
Signatures:
Seyyed Abolhassan Montazer
Political prisoner Babak Alipour, Ward 4, Evin Prison
Shahrokh (Akbar) Daneshvarkar, Political Prisoner, Ward 4, Evin Prison
Vahid Bani Amerian, Ward 4, Evin Prison
Political prisoner Pouya Ghobadi, Ward 4, Evin Prison
Background
The Iranian regime’s judiciary recently sentenced six political prisoners to death on charges tied to their alleged support for the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK). The verdict, delivered by Judge Iman Afshari of Tehran’s so-called Revolutionary Court Branch 26, underscores the regime’s increasingly harsh measures against its critics.
The condemned individuals—Abolhassan Montazer, Pouya Ghobadi, Vahid Bani-Amerian, Babak Alipour, Ali Akbar Daneshvarkar, and Mohammad Taghavi—face accusations of “membership in the PMOI/MEK,” “armed rebellion against the government,” and “collusion against national security.” Two others, Mojtaba and Ali Taghavi, were sentenced to imprisonment and exile, allegedly for their familial ties to one of the condemned. The sentences follow months of brutal interrogation and torture in Evin Prison, infamous for its treatment of political detainees.