Let Us Vigilantly Fight against Conspiracies and Repression in Prisons!

Let Us Vigilantly Fight against Conspiracies and Repression in Prisons!

The Conditions of Political Prisons are Inhumane!

Pressure and repression have intensified in the prisons of the Islamic Republic (IR). During the past month, apart from executions aimed at intimidating the people and preventing resurgence of the mass movement, political prisoners have been subjected to gradual death in various forms. Due to the lack of medical care, Nader Mokhtari, a 35-year-old fellow-Iranian who fell into coma after being beaten by baton during the November 2019 protests, died in prison on September 19, 2020. On Tuesday, the death sentence of Haidar Ghorbani was upheld by the Supreme Court. He is another compatriot Kurdish political prisoner who was arrested in the city of Sanandaj in 2016 in connection with a case filed by the Ministry of Intelligence and sentenced to death on charge of "armed insurrection" against the IR. Four Arab compatriots: Ali Motahiri, Hossein Silavi, Ali Khosraji and Ali Najdam, who were arrested in 2018, have also been sentenced to death and their sentences have been upheld by the Supreme Court. Nasrin Sotoudeh, the brave and militant lawyer of our country, has been on a hunger strike for forty-four days because of the most basic human demand. She is currently under psychological pressure in the worst living conditions in intensive care unit (ICU). Mohammad Nourizad, who has long courageously exposed Khamenei, is being tortured and there is evidence of a plot to assassinate him.

Prison conditions in all countries are indicators of how the regime treats its people. In the IR, the situation of political prisoners and the way they are treated are mirrors in which the ugly face of the regime of the IR can be seen. In this regime, where everyone with a bloodier record reaches a higher position, it is natural for prisoners to be treated in this way. The current situation in the regime's prisons is a continuation of the same policy that has brought Ibrahim Raisi, one of the executioners of the 1988 massacre, to the power. Political prisoners in Iran have always been held hostage by the regime. For more than forty years, the ruling dictators have used prisoners as means of pressure on society and tools to intimidate the people the way they wanted and as much as they could. Now that the regime is in the throes of another uprising and is facing a more powerful resurrection, it is furiously trying to push back the outbreak of the protest movement by violently repressing people inside and outside of the prison.

But the IR is “milking the ram” in vain. The people's movement may be suppressed by repression for a short period of time, but the hungry stomachs of workers and laborers will not be fed by repression and the demand for freedom for the Iranian people, especially for the educated forces, will not be extinguished by gunfire. The demands of millions of our country's laborers, voice for true values and the desire for freedom cannot be answered by cutting out tongues and sewing mouths. The regimes’ repression inside and outside of the prisons of every city is a reflection of its horror of mass uprising. The people's movement will undoubtedly ignite. But the regime and its executive apparatus must never forget that the more severe the repression becomes, the more radical the confrontation with repression, and the more painful the fate of the rulers would be.

The Left Party of Iran (People’s Fadaian) warns the ruling dictators about their continued brutality and escalation of pressure, especially in prisons. Continuation of these policies will only bring more destruction and increase the anger of the people against the ruling dictatorial forces. To counter the continuation of these repressions of the regime, we must unite as much as possible. We call once again on all forces and organizations, political parties and democratic institutions to intensify their united struggle against these atrocities, in any form and to any extent possible. Prisoners and people are mobilized to stand, resist and fight from our united and common movements. Let us strengthen their struggle against a regime which is founded based on oppression, discrimination and tyranny.

On the other hand, the continuation of the hunger strike in prison is a sign of the spirit of resistance against tyranny. This spirit is praiseworthy and valuable. We salute Nasrin Sotoudeh and other political prisoners for their resistance. The loved ones who are on hunger strike should know that if their lives are worthless for the tyrannical executioners, but they are precious assets for the people of Iran and must be protected. We suggest that they should not endanger their lives any further. Undoubtedly, the IR is not only responsible for the lives of loved ones who lost their lives, but also responsible for endangering the lives of prisoners who are currently being held in prisons under harsh conditions.

Political-Executive Board of the Left Party of Iran (People’s Fadaian)

September 23, 2020