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Middle East Eye
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Iran: Jailed women activists issue letter condemning Israeli attacks
Four jailed women activists in Iran have issued a letter from prison condemning Israel's attacks on the country and warning against relying on "foreign powers" for regime change. Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraee, Verisheh Moradi, Sakineh Parvaneh and Reyhaneh Ansarinejad issued the letter, published by the pro-Kurdish Firat News Agency, from Evin prison in Tehran. They accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza and said its goal was to create a "weak and submissive" Middle East. "Our the dictatorship ruling the country is possible through the struggle of the masses and by resorting to social forces - not by clinging to foreign powers or placing hopes in them," they wrote. "The powers that have always brought destruction to the countries of the region through exploitation and colonisation, by inciting wars and killing in pursuit of greater benefits, will have no way out for us except for new destruction and exploitation." New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters The authors of the letter are currently serving jail sentences over their involvement in a range of causes including pro-Kurdish campaigning and union organising. Moradi, a campaigner with the Community of Free Women of Eastern Kurdistan (KJAR) who fought against the Islamic State group in Syria, is facing a death sentence for "armed rebellion" over her support of the Woman, Life, Freedom demonstrations that broke out in 2022 over the death of Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini. 'Future generations will remember with shame those who stand on the corpses of defenceless people and trample them' - letter from Iranian women prisoners The other three are currently serving sentences of between four and six years in prison. Much of the Iranian opposition has been split over Israel's attack on Iran, which began earlier this week and has seen hundreds killed. Some such as Reza Pahlavi, son of the former ruler of the country prior to 1979, have actively supported the air strikes and branded them the "best opportunity" to be rid of the Islamic Republic. Others, such as former political prisoner Narges Mohammadi and filmmaker Jafar Panahi have condemned the air strikes on Iran while also advocating an end to Iran's nuclear ambitions and the "resignation of the current leaders" of the country. In their letter, the four activists made apparent reference to those supporting Israel's attacks on the country, branding them "traitors" to Iran. "Traitors to Iran and traitors to the peoples of the Middle East and traitors to the people's years of freedom-seeking struggles against oppression will know that their betrayal and disdain will be recorded in the memory of the Iranian people and in history," they wrote. "Future generations will remember with shame those who stand on the corpses of defenceless people and trample them."
Shafaq News
17-03-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Kurdish Iranian prisoner faces imminent execution, activists warn
Shafaq News/ On Monday, human rights activists and political figures raised alarm over the potential execution of Kurdish Iranian political prisoner Verisheh Moradi, detained for over a year and a half. A statement signed by 247 political and civil activists warned that her death sentence could soon be upheld by Iran's Supreme Court and carried out at any moment. Moradi was arrested on August 1, 2023, by Iran's Ministry of Intelligence in Sanandaj and later transferred to Tehran's Evin Prison. In November 2024, Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran sentenced her to death on charges of "armed rebellion against the state" (baghi) due to alleged links with Kurdish opposition groups. According to activists, she spent five months in solitary confinement, enduring "severe psychological and physical pressure" before her sentencing by Judge Abolqasem Salavati. They denounced the trial process, highlighting that "neither she nor her lawyer was allowed to present a defense." Moradi's contributions to women's empowerment in Iraqi Kurdistan and Syria were also emphasized, with advocates arguing that her case is a "crackdown on Iranian women's rights, not just an isolated incident." Iran has witnessed a rise in executions, particularly against ethnic minorities and political dissidents. In 2024, at least 31 women were executed, marking the highest number recorded by Iran Human Rights (IHR). Calls for an immediate halt to executions have intensified, with human rights organizations urging Iranian authorities to overturn death sentences against political prisoners and ensure fair trials. The growing crackdown has drawn global scrutiny, as more than 50 Kurdish political detainees and thousands convicted on drug-related charges remain at risk of execution.
