We are Delighted with the Release of Narges Mohammadi!

We are Delighted with the Release of Narges Mohammadi!

Let's Fight for the Release of Political Prisoners and end to the Detention of Civil Activists!

After eight and a half years in prison, Narges Mohammadi was released in the early hours of the morning of October 8, 2020. The Chief Justice of Zanjan Province announced that "Narges Mohammadi's sentence was reduced using the recent law to reduce the prison sentence" and added with complete impudence that Narges Mohammadi was released "with Islamic Kindness". But he himself knows that the arrest and imprisonment of Narges Mohammadi is a shameful act that disgraces the regime beforehand. Narges Mohammadi was sentenced to prison only for her civil activities and defense of human rights, struggle for the abolition of the death penalty and membership in the Human Rights Defenders Association in the courts of the Islamic Republic (IR). She was arrested and sentenced only to detain her from these activities. Her arrest was a price that she paid for her civic courage for which she has won several international awards.

The release of Narges Mohammadi, who in prison, despite all the pressures, stood up to all kinds of threats and pressures from the regime and insisted on her human ideals and goals is the result of the regime’s retreat to the pressure of the national and international public opinion and its surrender to her will. We hope that the wave of pressure and struggle of the people will be so strong that it will conduce to the release of Ms. Nasrin Sotoudeh and other political prisoners including the teachers and workers union activists.

Simultaneously with the release of Narges Mohammadi, the IR has continued to crack down on a number of labor activists, students, and journalists. On October 1, Arman Ismaili, a labor activist in Lahijan was arrested. On October 6, Shabnam Ashouri, the editor-in-chief of Gahnameh, Arash Johari and Andisheh Sadri, two student activists, Neda Pirkhezrian and Alvar Qalivand, left political activists, and Valeh Zamani, Shahrokh Zamani's cousin and secretary of the Alborz Painters' Syndicate were arrested. Just one day after these arrests, Loghman Pirkhezrian, Neda Pirkhezrian's father, was also arrested. In continuation of the suppressive policy of the regime's security institutions over the past two weeks, political activists, especially left activists, have been summoned by telephone in various cities and have been threatened to avoid organization or arrangement of rallies.

The IR, with the aim of intimidating the society in continuing its violent and suppressive policies, by resorting to medieval behaviors, humiliates and insults the accused criminal prisoners by exposing them to public ridicule on the streets and squares by its masked agents. These barbaric and anti-human behaviors have no results other than sowing the seeds of hatred for the ruling tyrants in the hearts of the people.

The Left Party of Iran (People’s Fadaian) expresses its joy at the release of Narges Mohammadi, calling it the result of her courageous stand and the all-out struggle of freedom-loving forces around the world, who unanimously condemned prison sentences against civil activists and human rights defenders and those who fought for the release of political prisoners and ending detention, torture and imprisonment of civil activists, journalists and dissidents in Iran.

We consider the recent attacks on workers, students, political activists, etc. as a sign of fear of the emergence of a people's movement, and call on all political organizations and human rights organizations to intensify their unity in defense of political prisoners and continue the struggle until the release of all political prisoners.

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

October 8, 2020