The Six PMOI Political Prisoners: Their Stories
- Abolhassan Montazer (65): A political prisoner since the 1980s, Montazer has endured numerous arrests and is believed to be affiliated with the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI). Despite critical health issues, including heart and kidney conditions, he remains detained without adequate medical care.
- Pouya Ghobadi (32): An electrical engineer, Ghobadi was arrested in March 2024, reportedly linked to the PMOI.
- Vahid Bani-Amrian (32): A management graduate, Bani-Amrian has been repeatedly arrested since 2017, with authorities citing his connection to the PMOI.
- Babak Alipour (33): A law graduate, Alipour was previously detained in 2018 and re-arrested in January 2024, accused of supporting the PMOI.
- Ali Akbar Daneshvarkar (57): A civil engineer arrested in January 2024, Daneshvarkar is also linked to the PMOI.
- Mohammad Taghavi (58): A political activist since the 1980s, Taghavi is a long-time supporter of the PMOI.
Calls for Action
Organizations worldwide have united in demanding immediate intervention to save these prisoners:
The British Committee for Iran Freedom (BCFIF): Highlights the regime’s use of executions to suppress dissent and urges global leaders to apply pressure to halt these atrocities.
Hands Off Cain: A group committed to abolishing capital punishment, it has called on the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to intervene and prevent these executions.
Nouveaux Droits de l’Homme (NDH): Condemns the sentences as inhumane and urges the UN, the European Union, and member states to act decisively.
The Implications
The fate of these six prisoners symbolizes the broader struggle for justice and human rights in Iran. Their sentences are not only acts of repression but serve as warnings to the Iranian people against challenging authoritarian rule. However, the resilience shown by Iran’s youth and international activists highlights a growing demand for freedom and justice. The global community must respond with equal determination.
How to Act
The international community bears a moral responsibility to prevent these executions and to hold the Iranian regime accountable for systemic abuses. To achieve this, governments, human rights organizations, and concerned citizens must:
- Pressure UN bodies to issue strong resolutions against these executions.
- Advocate at the national level for governments to impose targeted sanctions on Iranian officials responsible for human rights violations.
- Amplify the voices of the oppressed, ensuring sustained global attention to these injustices.
Failure to act will embolden a regime that has long defied international norms. The time to act is now—for these six lives, for countless others silenced by repression, and for the enduring principles of freedom and justice.
