Maryam Akbari and Golrokh Ebrahimi Open Letter in Commemoration of Political Prison Masacre Anniversary

Maryam Akbari Monfared and Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraee, two civil activists and political prisoners detained in the Evin women’s ward, in an open letter addressed to the people, on the anniversary of year 1988 prisoner massacre, to clarify the general minds, called for the protection of the eighties, which is part of the Iran’s history, is the duty of every Iranian.

From the perspective of many international organizations and human rights activists, August 1988 was the beginning of the largest political prisoners’ massacre during the last decades by Rouhollah Khomeini’s order and fatwa. In this brutal massacre, which lasted for two months, more than 30,000 political prisoners were hung. On the thirtieth anniversary of the massacre, political prisoners detained in Evin prison women’s ward, Akbari Monfared and Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraee, wrote in a message that “We will not forgive nor forget.”

The full text of the message of these two political prisoners is as follows:

“The bitter heat of August in a dark night, between the starless sky and the sleepy land, made the night full of love and death potion and whispers, of love and resistance in the shadows of the night were heard in a bitter and sweet song, and a dignified fate dancing against the eyes of the world on the brink of dreams.

The stars were droplets that passed through the ropes like a crystal light and pure, and germinated like a dew on the top of the Iranian history header.

In the wake of the words, there was a tremendous battle. The battle between those whose mission was to invade the names of human words and values and those who revived the words and resisted to preserve the human values that the most fearsome anti-people force had been trying to eliminate, and this was how they hug their noose to protect the respect and sanctity of words and values.

When we go through Iran history page by page, one era ends and a new one emerges. The Constitutional Revolution, Jangal (Jungle) Movement, 1953 Coup (28 Mordad Coup), 1979 Revolution, 1980’s prisoners massacre, especially the Summer of 1988 Massacre (The Mass graves of the 1988 massacre victims, Tehran’s Khavaran, which for 30 years, the families pay respect to their loved ones every week to nameless tombs of martyrs, or the towns dear families who buried their children in their courtyard), the events of 2009, the events of July 29th and 30rd, 2009. But history showed that in no juncture of time, these passions are immortal and lives in next thoughts and thought forever, not like physical survival.

They are gone now, but with their blood, they cracked the ceilings of disbelief and despair, and did not give up to captivity and submission and subjugation in any circumstances, whether in the execution field or on the top of the noose. They paid a heavy price for freedom, and their revelatory and gallantry continued every day and every time, despite all the assassinations and ashes falling on them.

Forgiveness is present at all times and does not rebound unless it been pushed backward, does not escape unless it pushed to escape, but as it happens, will make you helpless and powerless. A force that can kill you.

The regime has always tried to eliminate the history of the 80s and the 1988 massacre from the people minds, trying to censor it with various methods, demolishing mass graves or calling the victims terrorists.

The more that this will be done, ignoring the fact that in all these years there were families who tried to keep this memory and history intact, and despite the means of oppression and the security environment, they would send their voice to the world.

The walls of this repression and concealment with the raging waves of the litigation movement collapsed and the body of autocracy and tyranny of the religious monarchy, which built its palace of power on the basis of poverty, prostitution, embezzlement and chambers, was shaken.

Protecting the history of the eighties, which is part of Iran’s history, is the duty of every Iranian, and it is necessary to review this decade and trial the responsible people in the People’s Court to prevent the repetition of this crime. Until independent investigations are conducted in this regard, and the responsible people do not get punished, we will not stop, we will not forgive or forget.”

Maryam Akbari

Golrokh Ebrahimi 


Evin Prion

August 2018

It should be recalled that political prisoner Maryam Akbari Monfared’s two brothers, were executed by the Revolutionary Courts in Iran in the years of 1981 to 1984 (1360 and 1363) on charges of association and membership in the People’s Mojahedin Organization (Mojahedin Khalgh) of Iran. Her younger brother and her other sister were hanged in a wave of political prisoner’s executions in the summer of 1988 (Koshtar 67).

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