A group of female political prisoners in the women’s ward of Evin Prison, located in Tehran, Iran’s capital, have been barred from receiving visitors after staging a sit-in and chanting anti-regime slogans.
Their protest was in response to the transfer of two political prisoners sentenced to death, Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani, to Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj, a city west of Tehran known for housing Iran’s largest execution facility.
On Wednesday, January 29, 2025, Hedayatollah Farzadi, the warden of Evin Prison, informed the women that they were being punished for their protest and that, starting Sunday, February 2, they would be denied all visitations—both in-person and behind glass—for three weeks.
This harsh measure comes amid rising concerns over Iran’s increasing use of executions as a tool of repression. The clerical regime has escalated its crackdown on dissent, targeting political prisoners with brutal measures to silence their voices.
The women affected by the visitation ban include Azar Korvandi, Reyhaneh Ansari, Forough Taqipour, Shiva Esmaeli, Maryam Yahyavi, Golrokh Iraee, Sakineh Parvaneh, Zahra Safaei, Marzieh Farsi, Tahereh Nouri, Motahareh Gouneii, Nahid Khodajoo, Elaheh Fouladi, Nasrin Khezri, Anisha Asadollahi, and Samaneh Asghari.
Prisoners’ Protest Against the Transfer of Death Row Inmates
On Sunday, January 26, 2025, at approximately 9:00 PM, female political prisoners in Evin launched a sit-in to protest the sudden and forceful transfer of Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani to Ghezel Hesar Prison. The prison is notorious for carrying out mass executions, and the sudden transfer of prisoners there is often a prelude to their execution.
Fearing for the lives of these men, the women protested by chanting slogans against the Iranian regime and its systematic use of the death penalty.
The prisoners’ chants included: “The executioner’s noose no longer holds power over Damavand,” referring to Iran’s tallest mountain as a symbol of resilience; “Behrouz Ehsani must be freed,” “Mehdi Hassani must be freed,” “Death to the dictator,” “Death to the executioner regime,” “Neither prison nor execution will work anymore—this executioner regime will never sleep in peace,” and “Freedom! Freedom! Freedom!”
In Iran, chanting anti-regime slogans in prison is an act of extraordinary defiance, often met with severe punishments. Yet, these women, already imprisoned for their political activism, refuse to be silenced.
The Iranian regime’s continued repression of political prisoners, particularly women, highlights the growing resistance against the mullahs’ rule. The ban on visitations is not just a punitive measure—it is an attempt to break the spirit of those who dare to stand against tyranny. However, as these women have shown, the regime’s brutality has not crushed their will to fight for freedom.
