The Iranian regime’s judiciary has handed down severe sentences to three prominent supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), deepening concerns about human rights violations in the country. Forough Taghipour and Marzieh Farsi, both incarcerated in Evin Prison, received 15-year sentences each, while Zahra Safaei was sentenced to five years behind bars.

Forough Taghipour, a 29-year-old accounting graduate, faced her second arrest on August 21, 2023, in Tehran. Her familial ties to PMOI, with her father and sister active members in Ashraf 3 in Albania, have made her a target of the regime’s crackdown.
Marzieh Farsi, aged 58 and battling cancer, endured her latest arrest on the same day, furthering the trauma of her family, which has already suffered the loss of her brother to the 1988 massacre of political prisoners.

Zahra Safaei, 60 years old and a repeat prisoner, faced her third arrest despite her history of activism dating back to the 1980s, when she spent eight years imprisoned for her PMOI support.

The relentless pursuit of dissidents, particularly women and youth, reflects the regime’s desperation to quell the rising tide of resistance and dissent among the populace. Despite the regime’s efforts to suppress dissent through arrests, torture, and executions, the resilience of the Iranian people, particularly its youth, remains unyielding.

The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) urgently calls upon international human rights bodies to intervene on behalf of these political prisoners, particularly women, and demands an immediate investigation into the deplorable conditions within Iran’s prisons. The flame of resistance against the oppressive regime continues to burn bright, fueled by the unwavering spirit of the Iranian people.