On September 16, 2025, the third anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s state-sponsored murder, the clerical regime attempted to cloak Iran in a blanket of silence. It deployed its entire repressive apparatus, transforming cities like Saqqez into military garrisons and sealing off Mahsa’s gravesite. But this wall of fear was shattered by the Iranian people’s courageous defiance. From the powerful emptiness of general strikes in Kurdistan to defiant chants of “Death to the dictator” echoing from Tehran’s rooftops, the nation proved that the flame of the 2022 uprising is not a memory, but a living force.
This popular defiance has become the backdrop for the organized and forward-looking activities of the PMOI Resistance Units, who are channeling this national anger toward a clear political goal: a free Iran.
You can neither kill nor silence the people’s uprising pic.twitter.com/ignM6Nr7QW
— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) September 20, 2025
The regime’s brutality has failed; the will for uprising is stronger than ever
The regime’s overwhelming militarization on the anniversary was not a sign of strength but a clear admission of its profound fear. Three years after security forces killed over 750 demonstrators, the people’s spirit of resistance endures. The PMOI Resistance Units, in activities across cities like Zahedan, echoed this unwavering national sentiment. Their banners declared, “You can neither kill nor silence the people’s uprising” and served as a tribute to the martyrs: “Heroes rose. There will be no surrender.” These activities confirm what the regime fears most: that society is “overflowing with anger and ready for an uprising.” The Resistance Units’ message is clear: the regime has “never been as weak and helpless against the Iranian people’s will for freedom as it is today.”
The regime has never been as weak and helpless against the Iranian people's will for freedom as it is today pic.twitter.com/hnEz206u2D
— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) September 20, 2025
Students and universities: the vanguard of the revolution
Recognizing the pivotal role of Iran’s youth, the Resistance Units specifically marked the start of the new academic year by celebrating students who have been at the forefront of the struggle. Their campaign is a strategic call to action, urging students to turn every educational institution into a center of rebellion with slogans like, “Every school and every university must be turned into a bastion of resistance.” This initiative not only inspires the next generation by declaring that “the first lesson is the lesson of resistance and freedom,” but also honors the immense sacrifice of the “brave Iranian students who are resisting against the regime in prisons.” At the same time, it highlights the regime’s systemic failures, pointing out that “thousands upon thousands of Baluch children are deprived of school and education due to poverty and destitution.”
"Rebellious students in universities and across Iran chanted: Death to the oppressor, be it the Shah or the Leader." pic.twitter.com/2KRIZwFgh9
— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) September 20, 2025
A clear vision for the future: rejecting all dictatorships
Crucially, the Resistance Units are not just calling for the end of the current regime; they are articulating the people’s demand for a true democratic alternative. Their slogans actively counter the propaganda of both the ruling theocracy and the remnants of the deposed monarchy. By spreading the popular chant, “Down with the oppressor, be it the shah or the mullahs,” they reaffirm the core principle of the Iranian people’s struggle. This is a movement that rejects a return to a past dictatorship as firmly as it rejects the current one. The message promoted by the Resistance Units is an unambiguous vision for Iran’s future, one built on freedom and popular sovereignty: “No to monarchy, no to the supreme leader, yes to democracy and equality.”
The events surrounding the anniversary of the 2022 uprising prove that the movement for freedom has not faded but evolved, becoming more organized and resilient. While spontaneous protests demonstrate the people’s unbreakable will, the PMOI Resistance Units are providing the organized leadership and clear political vision to guide this national will toward its ultimate goal. The struggle continues, and the message from inside Iran is undeniable: the Iranian people are determined to overthrow the clerical regime and establish a democratic republic.