On April 4, 2026, the Iranian regime executed Vahid Bani Amerian, a 33-year-old political prisoner with a master’s degree in management, alongside his cellmate Abolhassan Montazer.
Their deaths followed the brutal hangings of four other political prisoners affiliated with the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) over a span of just 48 hours. While the clerical regime intended these executions to crush dissent and instill fear into the hearts of Iran’s restive youth, Vahid’s smuggled handwritten letters from inside Evin and Ghezel Hesar prisons reveal a completely different reality.
They reveal a man who was entirely unafraid of death, whose deep commitment to a free Iran made him impenetrable to the regime’s torture and terror.
Finding meaning in a bleak era
Vahid’s unwavering dedication to the resistance began long before the recent uprisings. In his writings, he reflected on how he first connected with the PMOI during the summer of 2014, a time when the socio-political atmosphere in Iran was suffocating. “No one talked about revolution and uprising except the Mojahedin,” Vahid recalled. He noted how PMOI members, despite being under brutal missile attacks and a severe siege in Camp Liberty, Iraq, miraculously continued to give the “promise of victory.”
Reflecting on his decision to join them, he wrote: “I only knew that I couldn’t cope with the prevalent world of reaction and colonialism. I knew the only thing that gave meaning to my life was being with the Mojahedin and breathing their human values.” He described being spiritually “revived” during the holy nights of Ramadan by the words of a fellow PMOI member who taught him the true depth of their historic struggle.
Embracing the ultimate sacrifice: The legacy of fallen comrades
In a letter dated January 27, 2025, written from Ward 4 of Evin Prison, Vahid recounted the chilling moment he heard that his comrade, Behrouz Ehsani, was being forcibly taken by guards for execution. Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani, two other PMOI members, were executed by the regime in 2025.
Photo of PMOI member Vahid Bani Amerian, in Evin Prison, January 2025, shortly after being sentenced to death by Iran's regime.
The placard reads, "We will stand till the end."
Vahid was executed this morning at the age of 33. He stood tall till the end. pic.twitter.com/zuDIvzut6J
— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) April 4, 2026
Hearing the sounds of clashes and chants as Behrouz was surrounded by criminal guards, Vahid wrote of his comrade: “He does not bargain over his life and is ready, light and unburdened, to sacrifice his life for the liberation of his people.”
Vahid absolutely rejected the regime’s demands for forced televised confessions or disavowing the PMOI. He wrote directly to his interrogators: “If the price of staying alive is to wash my hands of the name ‘Mojahed-e Khalq’ [People’s Mojahed], then shame on this life! Let it be yours!”
He concluded this letter with a chillingly brave vow about his own impending death: “If my death sentence is confirmed and they want to abduct me or bring me to the gallows, I will challenge the executioners with ‘Come on, come on,’ and my final act of loyalty to my pledge with God, the people, and my leaders will be these chants: ‘Death to Khamenei – Hail to Rajavi’.”
Defiance under the shadow of war
Vahid wrote his final letter on March 9, 2026, from Ghezel Hesar prison. At this time, the country was engulfed in conflict, which he vividly captured: “Fighter jets are circling above the prison right now! It’s a strange world.”
All PMOI members, all heroes, all executed in the past week.
Farewell brothers. May you rest in power. We will neither forgive nor forget. pic.twitter.com/NR2rjqnypn— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) April 4, 2026
He noted that opportunistic “vultures” had arrived to steal the fruits of the people’s resistance, referring to the fake alternatives that claim to be the opposition to the regime and fight for the freedom of Iran. He predicted an imminent wave of slaughter: “What is on my mind is the end of the war and the rapid beginning of an all-out suppression to block the inevitable uprising.”
Knowing his fate, he wrote: “This might be my last letter… But what concerns me, and what I must commit to, is to remain faithful… under any circumstances or trial.” He promised to fight “shoulder to shoulder with my comrades” to the very end.
Humility and historic responsibility
Despite his immense courage, Vahid remained profoundly humble about his historic responsibility. In a short letter written on October 31, 2025, from Ghezel Hesar prison to Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), he responded to hearing his name mentioned at a youth conference.
Instead of feeling ego or pride at being internationally recognized, Vahid was moved to tears by a profound sense of duty. “Whenever my name is mentioned, I reject self-satisfaction and make a new commitment,” he wrote, emphasizing that he “must pay a higher price.” He pledged to always push forward “by remembering the selfless PMOI members” who had sacrificed everything before him.
A flame that cannot be extinguished
Vahid’s letters prove that the Iranian regime’s reliance on the death penalty is ultimately futile against a generation that has already accepted the ultimate cost of liberation. While the mullahs may have physically eliminated Vahid Bani Amerian, his words remain a powerful testament to the Iranian Resistance.
His courageous stance—vowing that even with bound hands he would “spit in the filthy faces of the executioners”—will serve as an eternal roadmap for the thousands of rebellious youth in Iran who are determined to finish the job and overthrow the regime.