As the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) marks its 60th anniversary, we commemorates not just a historical milestone, but six decades of an uninterrupted and relentless struggle for liberty. For fourteen years under the Shah’s monarchic dictatorship and forty-six years under the brutal religious tyranny of the mullahs, the PMOI has waged its campaign for a free Iran without a single day of pause. This extraordinary endurance is rooted in an unwavering loyalty to the Iranian people and a clear, democratic vision for the nation’s future—a cause for which generations of its members have paid the ultimate price, forging an undying legacy that now illuminates the path to liberation.
An unbreakable vow for freedom
Mohammad Hanifnejad, Saeed Mohsen, and Asghar Badizadegan, the founder of PMOI, rejected the reactionary interpretation of Islam portrayed by the mullahs. Instead of pitting Muslims against non-Muslims, they stressed that the fundamental divide lay between the oppressor and the oppressed, and with that they laid out a blueprint for a free society rooted in justice and equality.
From its very inception, the PMOI’s defining characteristic has been its uncompromising stance on freedom and the sovereignty of the Iranian people. This principle was tested early when the Shah’s secret police, the SAVAK, gave the founders a choice: abandon their ideals or face execution. They chose execution, establishing a precedent of sacrifice over surrender that has defined the movement for sixty years. This devotion to freedom is a truth to which both friends and foes attest. Years later, regime founder Ruhollah Khomeini would admit, “If, out of a thousand possibilities, I thought there was a one percent chance that you would abandon what you want to do, I would have been willing to reconcile with you.” The PMOI never did.
The price of freedom
The PMOI’s sixty-year history is written in the blood of its martyrs and the resilience of its prisoners who have consistently chosen honor over collaboration with tyrants. From its first martyr, Ahmad Rezaei, to the recently executed PMOI members Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani, tens of thousands have given their lives for the cause of a free Iran.
This legacy of sacrifice was forever seared into the conscience of the nation during the 1988 massacre, when Khomeini issued a fatwa to annihilate all PMOI prisoners. Faced with his “Death Committees,” thousands of political prisoners stood firm in their ideals, insisting on their commitment to overthrowing the regime. They chose the gallows over recanting their beliefs, turning the regime’s attempt at annihilation into a symbol of eternal defiance.
Today, that same struggle continues and taking a stand and resisting at any cost has become synonymous with the PMOI. The current supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, has mobilized his courts to issue death sentences against PMOI members in sham trials to terrify the youth who are joining the Iranian Resistance in increasing numbers every day. But for the members and supporters of the PMOI, the regime’s allegations are a badge of honor.
The vision for a democratic republic
Despite facing six decades of brutal suppression and baseless demonization, the PMOI has not only endured but has also presented a clear, democratic, and viable alternative for Iran’s future. Every drop of blood shed and every sacrifice made is for one goal: to transfer sovereignty back to the people. Within the framework of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), in which the PMOI is the principal member, a Ten-Point Plan has been put forward for a transitional government, aimed at realizing this vision through free and fair elections for a constituent assembly.
The plan is a detailed blueprint for a democratic republic, guaranteeing fundamental freedoms that the Iranian people have been denied for decades. Its commitments include the dissolution of all repressive organs like the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), the restoration of rights to all who have been unjustly purged, and full adherence to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Critically, it guarantees complete gender equality and autonomy for Iranian Kurdistan within the territorial integrity of Iran. The PMOI’s commitment to gender equality is not merely a promise for the future; it is a lived reality, demonstrated by the pioneering women who have held the organization’s highest leadership positions for over three decades, creating a new role model for a free and progressive society.
For sixty years, the PMOI has proven that it wants nothing for itself. After six decades of immense sacrifice and principled struggle, the flame of resistance burns brighter than ever. And the growing numbers and activities of the PMOI Resistance Units make it clear that a free, democratic, and secular republic—the goal for which generations have fought and died—is finally within reach.