On June 20, 1981, the Iranian people embarked on a righteous resistance—a pivotal moment etched in history. This date, commemorated annually as the “Day of Martyrs and Political Prisoners” by the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI) and their supporters, symbolizes unwavering courage.
The PMOI rallied half a million people in Tehran to protest Khomeini’s suffocating suppression of freedoms. Despite its peaceful nature, the demonstration faced brutal repression, orchestrated directly by Khomeini himself and broadcast over the radio waves.
As night fell, Khomeini’s machinery of death swung into action. Shockingly, the initial victims included 16- and 17-year-old schoolgirls and PMOI supporters who steadfastly withheld their identities. The Ettela’at newspaper later published photographs of 12 of these unnamed girls, urging their families to claim the bodies of their executed children from the prosecutor’s office.
In an unprecedented act of tyranny, Khomeini’s regime executed these young girls without even knowing their names. Yet, their clenched fists, defiant cries for freedom, and refusal to yield to their executioners left an indelible mark on the world of revolutions.
These nameless, innocent, yet resolute figures forged an unyielding generation of courageous Iranian women. By violently suppressing the peaceful June 20 demonstration and its blameless participants, Khomeini’s regime effectively silenced any hope of political expression and opposition activity.
