March 8 in Evin Prison – Forough Taghipour’s Account of Struggle and Resistance Forough Taghipour March 8 in Evin Prison – Forough Taghipour’s Account of Struggle and Resistance March 8, 2025

Forough Taghipour, a political prisoner held in the women's ward of Evin Prison, has written about her years of struggle, imprisonment, and resistance against religious tyranny in honor of International Women's Day. Having been familiar with concepts like imprisonment and oppression from childhood, she shares her personal experiences and the challenging path Iranian women have walked to achieve freedom and equality.

Inspired by Maryam Rajavi, Forough envisions a future free from oppression and emphasizes her belief in change and victory.

Forough Taghipour was released in February 2023 after serving three years in prison but was arrested again on August 21, 2023. On February 14, 2024, Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court sentenced her to 15 years in prison.

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Prison Could Not Break the Dream of Freedom

On the Occasion of International Women's Day – March 8

I am Forough Taghipour, 30 years old, with a bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of Applied Science and Technology. I have spent four years in prison.

From childhood, I was familiar with the word "prison." Before I was born, my father and mother had each spent 10 and 5 years, respectively, behind the walls that I imagined as “dark and black” in my childhood. My uncle and two of my aunts were executed in their 30s.

As I grew older, I felt the contradictions in society — gender discrimination, unequal educational and job opportunities, and the lack of basic freedoms as a woman.

Over the years, I realized the truth about the brutal repression of political dissidents, especially members and supporters of the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), and the intensified oppression of Iranian women.

I came to understand that the women of my country are the only force capable of solving these issues.

It was during this time that I became familiar with the name Maryam Rajavi. I sought to know her better and explore her ideas and plans. To my amazement, what Maryam Rajavi advocated was exactly what the people of Iran longed for.

For over a century, from Sattar Khan and Mirza Kuchak Khan to Mosaddegh, Hanifnejad, and Jazani, countless lives have been sacrificed for this cause.

From Maryam, I learned how to stand firm in difficult times and rise above fragility. As a leader, she taught me that we "can and must" overcome what seems impossible. I learned that we "cannot and must not" exclude others with negativity, nor claim superiority and push others aside. Instead, one must fight for equal rights and freedom with honesty and courage.

A few days ago, I received parts of her speech on International Women's Day, and once again, I was amazed by how she has created a lasting historical model for Iranian women in their courageous and enduring struggle.

How did such extraordinary resistance from pioneering women emerge during the longest, bloodiest, and most complex battle in Iran’s history — something unmatched anywhere in the world?

How did they rise against a culture of female weakness and powerlessness?

How did they achieve the solidarity of a united community — one in which all members move forward together based on common goals and mutual support?

This unity, built through self-sacrifice, empowered women to assume leadership roles, take responsibility, and expand the scope of their resistance.

Now, I too have spent nearly five years behind bars solely because of my beliefs, as if the cycle of repression has become routine in the life of dictators.

Although they want my voice silenced, my voice and demands are echoed through Maryam’s struggle against injustice and discrimination.

During my time in prison, I have encountered countless oppressed women whose suffering has strengthened my resolve to take firmer steps on the path toward freedom.

I hear the voices of pioneering women who endured imprisonment under both the Shah and clerical dictatorships — names like Fatemeh Amini, Marzieh Ahmadi Oskoui, and Ashraf Rajavi — women who cried out against oppression and whose blood has become a guiding light for me.

I am proud that the path they forged has continued from their generation to mine.

I am also encouraged to hear that the comrades of that generation have reopened the case against Parviz Sabeti, a notorious SAVAK torturer, for his crimes against prisoners in Evin Prison. My uncle was tortured by these same criminals during the Shah’s reign and later executed under the clerical regime. It seems the mullahs completed what the Shah had left unfinished.

Indeed, the day of reckoning for those who deny people their right to life is approaching.

Now, after all these years, I know that those “dark, dark” walls can be transformed into the blue expanse of the ocean — equally vast and equally turbulent.

I know now that one can ignore the walls and live immersed in the dream of Iranian people's freedom.

Today, a new generation inspired by Maryam has stepped onto the stage, raising the banner of resistance to new heights at every turn.

Forough Taghipour

Political Prisoner and Supporter of the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

March 8, 2025