Zohreh Bani Jamali, a cherished leader and member of the Central Council of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), passed away on November 20, 2025, in Albania after a battle with heart and lung complications.
Her fifty years of struggle against both the Shah’s dictatorship and the clerical regime stand as a shining example of courage, resilience, and dedication; a legacy that will continue to inspire generations of freedom fighters, particularly women.
Early Life and Education
Born in 1957 in Arak, Zohreh moved to Tehran after completing her secondary education and pursued medical studies at Melli University. During these formative years, she joined the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran, committing herself to a lifelong pursuit of justice, human rights, and the liberation of her country.
Before the victory of the anti-monarchy revolution, she actively participated in demonstrations against the Shah. After the revolution’s success in 1979, she began her professional work with the PMOI, initially engaging in student and civil servant sections.
With the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq War, Zohreh was sent to Ahvaz by the organization to assist fellow citizens affected by the conflict, remaining in the war zone as long as circumstances allowed.
In the summer of 1982, she was transferred abroad. Until 1986, she headed the organization’s entities in several countries, including Italy, the United Kingdom, France, and Scandinavia.
Leadership Roles in the National Liberation Army
After this period, Zohreh took on various managerial roles within the National Liberation Army of Iran, including overseeing the administration of schools and training centers.
In 1987, she became a member of the PMOI Executive Board and held a range of positions for a decade:
- Commander of support for the National Liberation Army
- Base commander
- Head of the Department of Training and Education
- Head of the Department of Finance and Procurement in the army’s administrative division
- Head of the Central Medical Department
- Chair of the Food Committee during the period of sanctions
PMOI Leadership Council
In 1993, Zohreh was elected as one of the first candidates to the PMOI’s Leadership Council, which consisted of 24 members. In every role, she cared for her fellow comrades with love, dedication, and indescribable kindness, despite her own health challenges.
Dedication to Medical Care
In recent decades, thousands of patients and the wounded, particularly during the sieges in Ashraf and Liberty in Iraq, benefited from her medical care under the most difficult conditions.
During missile attacks and severe shortages of medicine in Liberty, she worked tirelessly with unparalleled responsibility to care for her fellow PMOI members. The intensity of the work and enormous pressures of those years ultimately affected her heart and lungs.
Condolences from Maryam Rajavi
Mrs. Maryam Rajavi expressed her sympathies to the Central Council, the PMOI Secretary-General, and all PMOI members on Zohreh’s passing. She described Zohreh as a model of responsibility, sincerity, and dedication, and a shining example of pioneering women within the Mojahedin.
Mrs. Rajavi praised her remarkable perseverance, integrity, and kindness, noting that despite her own illnesses, Zohreh maintained a spirit full of selflessness and devotion, particularly in caring for sick comrades.
Liberated and pioneering women like Zohreh Bani Jamali remain among the most precious assets in the struggle to free Iran and its people from the tyranny of the Shah and the clerical regime. They are a guarantee of a free and democratic Iran in the future.
The path and example of Zohreh Bani Jamali as a Mojahed woman remain alive, vibrant, and unforgettable.
