This letter echoes the voice of a courageous female political prisoner in Iran, from behind the cold prison walls. It unveils the suffering of incarcerated women and the grim reality of torture; it is a testament to unwavering bravery— a truth that must be heard.
In the Name of Freedom and Justice
From Behind Prison Walls
To Everyone Who Hears My Voice
I write from behind the towering, cold prison walls—where neither the sun nor the bitter cold, nor even oppression, spares us.
Here, in Amol prison, women prisoners are punished by being bound to iron bars, their hands tied, and left to suffer for hours under the scorching sun or in the piercing cold. Here, every breath is weighed down by repression and cruelty.
The hardships faced by women in prisons in smaller cities never end. There is no library worthy of the name. The food is barely enough to keep hunger at bay. With nothing to pass the time but the walls and a few tattered blankets, our cells feel endlessly empty. Days, sometimes weeks, slip by in solitary confinement—without interrogation, without acknowledgment—forgotten, as if we never existed.
But the detention centers like “Vozara” and “Shapour” are even worse. Here, even a cup of water is kept beyond our reach. Here, the sounds of torture, the screams of pain, and the silence of lives extinguished never cease. Many have been tortured in these places—some were raped, others never made it out alive.
Every day, dozens are taken to the gallows—accused of murder, theft, drug-related charges, or simply for their political beliefs. Some have endured years of solitary confinement before their execution, while others perish only days after their arrest.
Yet, amidst all this suffering, our resistance remains unbroken. We have learned that even in the absence of resources, in the heart of torture, in the depths of winter and repression, we must stand together.
We have discovered that nothing remains the same forever. Even in the darkest of times, we have learned to keep hope alive.
Through these years of imprisonment—whether in Amol, Vozara, or Shapour—I have come to understand that our resilience is tyranny’s ultimate downfall. No matter their rank, the enforcers of oppression will one day bow before our unyielding defiance.
We are made of the same spirit as the fallen revolutionaries like Golesorkhi[1]—those who, even in sham trials, defended the people before defending themselves. The prisons may be different, but our struggle is the same. Here, behind these iron walls, despite every hardship, we stand firm—and we will continue to fight.
Until the day our voices echo across the world.
A Fighting Woman Prisoner
[1] Khosrow Golesorkhi (1944–1974) was an Iranian poet, journalist, and political activist known for his revolutionary views. He was a staunch critic of the Pahlavi monarchy and used his poetry and writings to advocate for social justice and resistance against oppression.
In 1973, Golesorkhi was arrested along with other activists and accused of plotting against the Shah’s regime. During his televised trial, instead of defending himself, he delivered a powerful speech condemning tyranny and advocating for the poor and oppressed. His unwavering stance turned him into a symbol of resistance.
Despite international calls for clemency, he was executed by firing squad in 1974. His defiance in the face of death and his revolutionary poetry made him an enduring figure in Iranian opposition movements.
