In the midst of the Iranian regime’s intensifying crackdown and a surge in executions, a voice of defiance has emerged from the notorious Evin Prison. Shahin Zoghi Tabar, a political prisoner, released an audio message in December 2025, declaring his unwavering commitment to the overthrow of the religious dictatorship and his support for the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK).
In his emotional message, Zoghi Tabar described how becoming involved with the PMOI helped him find purpose and weight through the resistance. He swore an oath to stand by the PMOI “proudly until the last drop of blood” and until the “overthrow of the bloodthirsty mullahs’ regime” and the transfer of sovereignty to the people of Iran. He ended his message with the chant “Hazer, Hazer, Hazer” (Ready, Ready, Ready), signaling his readiness for the struggle despite the “most fearful type of suffocation and repression.”
#Iran News Alert – Simay Azadi's Exclusive
A voice message from Shahin Zoghitabar, a supporter of @Mojahedineng and political prisoner in Evin Prison. In his message, Shahin pledges to continue his resistance and praises the Iranian Resistance's leadership. pic.twitter.com/LiDecJtsZv— SIMAY AZADI TV (@en_simayazadi) December 18, 2025
Punished for peaceful activism
Zoghi Tabar’s bravery comes at a high personal cost. Following a sham trial on August 17, 2025, presided over by the notorious Judge Iman Afshari at Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison. The charges, including “assembly and collusion” and “membership in the PMOI,” were fabricated based on peaceful activities such as meeting with families of PMOI members, writing slogans, and distributing flyers.
Since his violent arrest on August 2, 2025, Zoghi Tabar has suffered severe health deterioration. Initially held in Fashafuyeh Prison, the inhumane conditions caused him to develop a severe kidney ailment and swelling in his legs, for which he is still denied adequate medical treatment in Evin. This is not his first time behind bars; he previously served four years starting in 2013 for refusing to stay silent against the regime’s abuses.
A backdrop of terror and execution
Zoghi Tabar’s defiant message is particularly significant given the regime’s current acceleration of its execution machine. The judiciary is actively pushing to execute PMOI supporters to instill fear in society. Currently, the life of boxing champion and political prisoner Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani hangs in the balance. On December 6, 2025, he was transferred to solitary confinement in Mashhad’s Vakilabad Prison, and his death sentence has been forwarded for implementation.
This is part of a coordinated campaign. In early December 2025, the regime notified political prisoner Karim Khojasteh of his death sentence and reconfirmed the death sentences of six others. There are currently at least 18 political prisoners on death row for supporting the PMOI.
The failure of intimidation
The regime has executed more than 2,500 prisoners since Masoud Pezeshkian took office in July 2024, proving that the establishment is united in its suppression of dissent. Officials are openly hinting at repeating the massacres of 1988 to survive the growing unrest.
However, messages like Zoghi Tabar’s prove that while the regime can imprison bodies, it cannot imprison the spirit of the resistance or its ideas. The international community and human rights defenders must take urgent, concrete action to save the lives of those on death row and hold the regime accountable for its crimes.