During the short period since the issuance of the death sentence for Sharifeh Mohammadi and Parichehr Azizi, multiple statements have been released in protest against the issuance of these sentences and the danger of similar sentences being issued for Vida Movahedi and Nasim Gholami Simiari. Paying attention to the letters and analyses published by imprisoned women regarding the unstable situation in the country, especially in the face of the government’s efforts to eliminate or reduce their influence, becomes crucial.

Highlighting parts of Parichehr Azizi’s letter, Vida Movahedi’s defense, and other messages from imprisoned women is an attempt to answer the question: why is the government at war with women and what is the purpose of issuing these sentences from the perspective of political imprisoned women? 

“Women, the life of freedom” A way of living and fighting.

Pakhsan Azizi, a social worker and political prisoner sentenced to death, writes in a section of his letter: “Those who have taken steps towards truth and freedom have given death and life a different meaning. We are not afraid of death, but we are afraid of a life without dignity and servitude. True life begins where women – the oldest colonizers – stand firm for their dignity and honor, embracing death for a free life.”

In his eloquent words, Pakhsan emphasizes the value of striving for freedom and understanding the true meaning of life and death. In all of his sentences, he acknowledges the worth of a dignified life, the determination to preserve one’s status, the nobility of human beings, and the unwavering resolve of women in building a free life. “Woman, the life of freedom” (Jen Jen Azadi) is not just a timely slogan for the writer, but an “ideal” that has shaped his fight for justice 

Intensifying suppression and creating cases, government’s confession, to the detriment of the people.
The incident at Evin Prison on August 6, 1984 was a scene of resistance and protest by political female prisoners who chanted: “Issuing death sentences, revenge from rulers, from women, from Kurdistan, to every corner of Iran.” 16 political female prisoners at Evin had previously written on July 19, 1984 in protest of the death sentence of Sharifeh Mohammadi, a labor activist: “What is seen more than ever in this sentence is a policy of suppression, through which they want to silence the voice of protest and demands – which had risen to a significant level with the revolutionary uprising of 1982 – and intimidate and force women, who have taken a louder stance for their rights, to retreat.”

Viriash Moradi believes that the root of the unjust sentences for Sharifeh Mohammadi and Parvaneh Azizi, within less than a month, is: “The Islamic Republic’s admission of political incompetence and 

Attention to social problems.Rihaneh Ansarinejad, a labor activist and political prisoner, wrote in her letter from Evin Prison on July 7th of this year: “Sharifeh Mohammadi is a demanding worker. She has always been concerned about justice due to her being a woman, her family’s history of labor activism, and witnessing the suffering of workers and women like herself. Her crime is having the courage to fight for her own rights and those of her fellow workers. Her crime is recognizing and empathizing with Kurdish workers.”

Pouyaan Azizi, who was sentenced to death for being a woman in the Middle East, describes it as follows: “The smell of burning and blood has engulfed the entire Middle East. With each one, another is added to the list. The first corpse I saw was at the age of 18, when Khadijeh Sartapa was burned by her husband and brother-in-law, her hands tied and her life set on fire 

Belief in fundamental changes.The belief in the necessity of creating major social changes is evident in the letters of Moradi and Pakhshani. As Pakhshani says, “The democratization of the family, to transition from gender bias, the democratization of religion to transition from religious fanaticism and not religious intolerance, the democratization of all institutions of the system to prevent central authoritarianism, is the construction of a common authority without falling into dictatorship and purging the traditions of the people of the region, which is their identity. A system that sees women and marginalized identities and takes them into account…”. Moradi writes, “The 21st century is the century of the demands of society and achieving fundamental changes in the structure and mentality of the government-nation, which can be achieved through democratization and revolution… Rojava (northern and eastern Syria) is a test that has shown the dynamism and inherent will of society, but this test is the result of years of effort to raise the level 

In unison and solidarity, against the death sentence.

Solidarity and protest message of women political prisoners, against the issuance and danger of issuing death sentences for women political prisoners, has been linked to the protest against all death sentences.

Sakineh Parvaneh, a Kurdish political prisoner, says in her letter: “During years of imprisonment in various prisons, I have experienced life with many death row inmates. Convicts with crimes of murder, drugs, and theft, who had reached poverty, deprivation, and oppression of their families… My death row friends and the women I have witnessed suffering before, are victims of the government, who have now condemned my dear friends and honorable Sharifah Mohammad to death… Sharifahs who have become the voice of those futureless women, whose pains are countless and their supporters are few.”

Women’s rights activists, imprisoned in Lakan prison in Rasht, after joining the campaign “No to Execution on Tuesdays”, announced that in addition to Sharifah Mohammad, 14 women prisoners of