In an act of defiance from within the clerical regime’s dungeons, 419 political prisoners across 63 different prisons, joined by 323 recently released activists, have issued a joint statement to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK).
The message, smuggled out from the heart of the regime’s oppressive apparatus, serves as a powerful testament to the enduring spirit of resistance and the deep-rooted support for the PMOI as the principal opposition to the ruling theocracy.
In their statement, the prisoners extended their congratulations on this historic anniversary to “the heroic people of Iran, to the Resistance Units, and to the defiant and combatant youth throughout the homeland.” Their message underscores that despite decades of brutal suppression, the organized resistance remains the central force for democratic change in Iran.
An unbroken spirit of resistance
The signatories of this powerful statement include prisoners who have endured over two decades behind bars, those who have been arrested in recent uprisings, and even inmates on death row. Their unified voice is a direct challenge to the regime’s authority, demonstrating that the strategy of breaking the will of the people through torture and execution has failed. They pledge to continue their struggle, regardless of the personal cost.
“We pledge to God, the people, and the PMOI to remain steadfast and militant,” the prisoners declared. “We will not take a single step back in the path of liberating our captive homeland until our last breath and last drop of blood.”
A nationwide network of defiance
The statement’s origins—from 63 prisons spanning the entire country—shatter the regime’s propaganda that its opposition is a small, isolated group. The signatories are incarcerated in facilities from Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison and Karaj’s Ghezel Hesar Prison to facilities in Tabriz, Isfahan, Shiraz, Ahvaz, and dozens of other cities.
The prisoners state that the regime’s greatest existential threat comes from this organized movement. “The fear that shakes the foundations of the anti-human clerical regime today…is embodied in one name: The People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran.”
A democratic alternative to all forms of dictatorship
The statement firmly rejects both the current religious dictatorship and the deposed monarchy, framing them as two sides of the same tyrannical coin. The prisoners refer to the “unholy alliance of the Shah and mullahs,” which they argue continues to this day. They cite a report from the state-run newspaper Vatan-e Emrooz on February 2, 2025, in which a Khamenei-affiliated faction described monarchist activities as “an opportunity” for the regime because they “served the Islamic Republic by creating division among the opposition in a way no other group could.”
In stark contrast, the prisoners reaffirm their commitment to the PMOI’s platform for a future Iran, which is not about seizing power but ensuring a democratic transition. They quoted the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, stating, “The goal… is not to seize power but to transfer it to the people.”
The prisoners conclude with a powerful metaphor: the sapling planted by the PMOI’s founders sixty years ago has, through immense sacrifice and perseverance, grown into a “mighty tree” that is poised to “uproot the establishment of dictatorship for good.” This message from the depths of Iran’s prisons is the most authentic indicator that the movement for a free, democratic, and secular republic is not only alive but stronger than ever.