On April 7, PMOI Resistance Units across Iran launched a widespread and coordinated campaign to commemorate the martyrs murdered by the Iranian regime’s proxies in Iraq during the brutal attack on Camp Ashraf on April 8, 2011. On that dark day, the regime’s mercenaries within the Iraqi government assaulted the defenseless, empty-handed residents of Camp Ashraf, ultimately murdering 36 PMOI members.
Despite being completely unarmed, the PMOI members defended Ashraf, which stood as an unyielding bastion and a towering symbol of freedom for Iran. Their courageous sacrifice with bare hands set an enduring example of resistance that will live on throughout history.
The unequal battle of April 8, 2011
The April 8 massacre was a starkly unequal battle between the unarmed PMOI members and heavily armed, armored forces directed by the Iranian regime and then-Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. At the behest of the Iranian regime, Iraqi forces carried out a brutal morning assault, using firearms and armored vehicles to ruthlessly gun down and crush the defenseless residents.
#OnThisDay
On April 8, 2011, Iraqi forces under Nouri al-Maliki attacked Camp Ashraf, home to over 3,000 PMOI members, acting at the behest of Iran’s regime.
36 residents were killed and hundreds wounded.
A massacre that must not be forgotten. pic.twitter.com/OPSOjqKLD1— SIMAY AZADI TV (@en_simayazadi) April 8, 2026
The primary goal of this brutal attack was to put an end to the PMOI once and for all—a futile objective that the regime has repeatedly tried and failed to achieve since the early 1980s. Regime supreme leader Ali Khamenei had explicitly ordered Qasem Soleimani, the then-commander of the terrorist IRGC Quds Force, to finish the job.
Soleimani subsequently briefed Maliki and his criminal Quds Force mercenaries to close the PMOI’s dossier using a massive armored assault and barrages of machine-gun fire. The bloodthirsty regime sought to eliminate the very concept of an organized, uncompromising resistance, aiming to sow seeds of despair and hopelessness in the hearts of the youth and rebels inside Iran.
Resistance Units in action honoring the martyrs across Iran
Instead of despair, the steadfastness of the Ashraf residents continues to inspire a new generation of activists. Across Iran, Resistance Units marked the anniversary by risking their safety to install placards, flower bouquets, and posters featuring images of the PMOI martyrs and messages of defiance in various public locations.
In Tehran, activists displayed banners reading, “Commemorating the epic of April, 2011 in Ashraf,” and proudly declared, “The epic of April 8, 2011, shines in the history of all national battles of Iran.” Similar messages of remembrance declaring the date “a great and unforgettable epic” were installed in Tabriz and Kermanshah, while Rasht, Sanandaj, and Khorramabad echoed the commemoration.
April 7—Iran
Resistance Units across Iran commemorate PMOI martyrs murdered by the Iranian regime's proxies in Iraq on the April 8, 2011, attack against Camp Ashraf. On that day, the regime's mercenaries in the Iraqi government attacked the empty-handed residents of Camp Ashraf… pic.twitter.com/QSQu1dKiy9— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) April 9, 2026
In Zahedan, Resistance Units held up images of the martyrs with the message: “On the anniversary of the epic of April 8, 2011, we salute the 36 PMOI members who lost their lives in this unequal battle.” Activists in Borujerd highlighted the profound historical impact of the event, writing, “The martyrs of April 8, 2011, opened the way for uprising and rebellion.”
Photos of the fallen heroes were widely distributed in Isfahan, Sabzevar, and Mashhad. In Mashhad, as well as Tehran and Sabzevar, activists notably displayed a photo of PMOI martyr Saba Haftbaradaran alongside her powerful, unforgettable final message: “We will stand till the end.”
Mashhad
Photo of PMOI martyr Saba Haftbaradaran with her final message: "We will stand till the end" pic.twitter.com/SdejigaxLG— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) April 9, 2026
The enduring promise of standing till the end
The passage of time and the PMOI’s steadfast, uncompromising resistance have proven the Iranian regime entirely wrong. The glorious steadfastness demonstrated on April 8, 2011, proved that the final say belongs not to the tyrannical regime, but to those who bravely hold the flag of Iran’s freedom and refuse to surrender in the face of trials and tribulations. Ashraf stood firm, compelling the world to witness its resilience.
By braving the odds against the regime’s tyranny and barbarity with bare hands, PMOI members taught a profound lesson in steadfastness for victory. It became a model that successfully sowed the seeds of rebellion and uprising throughout Iran. Today, those seeds have fully sprouted among the Iranian youth, vividly demonstrated during multiple nationwide uprisings, including December 2017–January 2018, November 2019, September 2022, and most recently, the massive protests of December 2025–January 2026. The spirit of the Ashraf martyrs remains a guiding light, proving that the flame of resistance cannot be extinguished.