As long as a prisoner resists, she remains free
In the summer of 1982, inside the towering, brutal walls of Dizel Abad Prison in Kermanshah, Iran, eight young women carried out one of the boldest prison escapes in the country’s history.
Dizel Abad wasn’t just a prison — it was a place designed to crush the spirit. Run by Iran’s clerical regime, it was notorious for its cruelty, especially toward female political prisoners, many of whom were affiliated with the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK). Guards from this prison were so feared that they were often transferred to other cities, like Mashhad, to help break the will of other prisoners.
The prison was nearly impenetrable: 30-foot walls topped with barbed wire, nine guard towers, and constant surveillance. But in the face of impossible odds, eight women dared to defy it all.
A Spark of Rebellion
It started in late May 1982. The women were planning a small ceremony to honor the anniversary of fallen PMOI leaders — an act of remembrance that the regime considered a crime. Word of the ceremony leaked.
On May 25, guards stormed the ward, dragged the women outside under the scorching sun, and tore apart their belongings looking for evidence. Some were found with materials related to the event and were sent to a punishment container — a shipping box placed in the sun, with little ventilation or access to water.
But even under unbearable conditions, the women remained defiant. One of them, Atefeh Bahardoust,[1] a 22-year-old who led the prison’s underground network, told the others: “You must escape — no matter the cost.” Another, Tahereh Mohammadi-Kia, replied, “We won’t let them kill us like this. We will get out. Count on it.”
Their spirit caught the attention of one unlikely ally — a prison guard named Ali Bayat. Deeply affected by their resilience and humanity, he agreed to help. With execution looming over several of them, there was nothing to lose.
Planning the Impossible
Bayat began smuggling in supplies: chadors[2], clothing, fake IDs, even shoes. The plan was to disguise the women as female guards or workers and walk them out during morning movements when families gathered outside the prison.
The operation had two phases. First, on July 3, prisoner Azam Barazesh[3] — who had already received the death sentence — slipped out of the container in disguise. When confronted at the gate, she posed as a member of the Revolutionary Guards, saying she’d forgotten some inspection papers. A tense standoff followed. The guard nearly woke up the prison chief — who also happened to be her torturer. But Bayat intervened smoothly: “Don’t wake him. He’s been interrogating people all night. He’ll flip out. I’ll vouch for her.” It worked.
Azam made it out, took a bus to Kermanshah, and eventually reconnected with the resistance in Isfahan. Her escape proved the plan could work.
The Mass Escape from Dizel Abad Prison
The next morning, July 4, 1982, the second phase began. Seven more women — Narges Bahardoust, Atefeh Khazaei, Marzieh Jalili, Gita Dehghan, Zhaleh Molaeian, Marzieh Eskandari, and Tahereh Mohammadi-Kia — dressed in disguises and walked out in the chaos of morning visits. The prison guards didn’t suspect a thing.
By the time they realized the container was empty, it was too late. What was meant to be a torture cell had become a tunnel to freedom. Dizel Abad was in uproar. The regime deployed every resource it had to track the women down — and even used collaborators to scour the city.
The Price of Resistance
In the days that followed, five of the women — Atefeh, Tahereh, Gita, Zhaleh, and Marzieh Eskandari — were captured. Despite brutal interrogations, they refused to talk. On August 4, 1982, they were executed.
In a final act of dignity, the women refused blindfolds and wrote their names on armbands in case their bodies were never identified. One female guard present at the execution was so shaken by their bravery that she quit her job. She recalled: “Zhaleh and Gita were smiling, even as they faced death. Zhaleh fell, still alive, and pointed to her temple, signaling where to fire the final shot.”
Azam Barazesh remained free for another year. But in 1983, the safe house she was using was raided. She was arrested and returned to Kermanshah. On August 2, 1983, she was executed.
Atefeh Bahardoust, the mastermind of the escape, also continued to lead the underground prison network until she was identified. She was hanged alongside Azam and another resistance member, Afsaneh Jalali.
Ali Bayat, the guard who had risked everything, was eventually caught through a wiretap. He, too, was tortured and executed in the winter of 1983.
Legacy
This escape wasn’t just about breaking out of a prison. It was a defiant act of hope, a bold statement that freedom is possible even under the boot of tyranny.
Their story is one of courage, solidarity, and sacrifice — a reminder that even in the darkest places, resistance can still burn bright.
[1] Atefeh Bahardoust was a law student at Tehran University. She joined the PMOI after the Shah’s overthrow in 1979. Before June 20, 1981, Atefeh went to Kermanshah, where she continued her activities. She played a key role in organizing PMOI supporters in Kermanshah and leading protests. She was 21 years old when she was arrested during a raid on their resistance base in Kermanshah in September 1981.
[2] A chador is a full-body-length semicircle of fabric that is open down the front. The garment is pulled over the head and is held closed at the front by the wearer.
[3] Azam Barazesh, who was 22 at the time of her martyrdom, joined the PMOI at Tehran University in 1979 and began her political activities. She had studied Persian Literature.
