Political prisoner Sakineh Parvaneh, a native of Quchan, was arrested by security forces in Tehran on March 6, 2024. She had previously been released from Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad on February 15, 2023, after serving four years in prison.
In 2020, she was sentenced to five years in prison and a two-year ban on political activities on charges of “membership in anti-regime groups.” Additionally, she was sentenced to 7.5 years in prison by Branch 5 of the Mashhad Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Mansouri, on charges of “insulting Khamenei,” “propaganda against the regime,” and “collaboration with foreign media.” This trial was conducted without her right to a chosen lawyer.
In a letter, Sakineh Parvaneh condemned the death sentences issued for Mehdi Hassani, Pakhshan Azizi, and Behrouz Ehsani, calling for the abolition of the death penalty. In part of her letter, she writes:
“When someone is sentenced to death, we do not ask what they have done. Instead, we stand together as one voice to demand the abolition of the death penalty.”
Life Among Death Row Inmates
Having spent nearly eight years in Iranian prisons, Sakineh Parvaneh shares her experiences of living alongside death row prisoners. She writes:
“A prisoner sentenced to death lives every moment with the fear that they may be called for execution. Every time their name is called, they feel the noose tightening around their neck. We lived every day and every moment under the shadow of death.”
She adds:
“The Islamic Republic began its rule by erecting gallows for political dissidents. Over time, it expanded the use of executions to non-political cases as well. Thousands of people are executed in Iran each year under various charges, paving the way for the regime to silence political opponents too.”
She also highlights the plight of two death row prisoners, Varisheh Moradi and Pakhshan Azizi, who are currently awaiting execution in Evin Prison’s women’s ward. Additionally, she points out that the death sentences of Sharifeh Mohammadi, Mehdi Hassani, and Behrouz Ehsani have been upheld by Iran’s Supreme Court, while others, such as Mohammad Javad Vafa’i-Sani, face imminent execution.
In her letter, Parvaneh recounts painful memories of the executions of her fellow inmates:
“Monireh Nouri-Kia, a woman around 30 years old, was hanged after four years in prison, without ever having the chance to obtain forgiveness from the victim’s family. Mahbubeh Roshandel, not yet 30, was taken to the gallows at dawn on a September morning in 2023—so terrified that her tongue was tied, her neck stiff, and her body paralyzed with fear.”
She stresses that these executions leave lasting scars on the minds of those who witness them, only deepening their anger and resentment toward oppressive regimes that maintain their power through suppression and bloodshed.
At the end of her letter, Sakineh Parvaneh urges everyone to stand against death sentences and states:
“To abolish the death penalty, we must join hands. It does not matter what crime the condemned person has committed, nor their race or nationality. We must stand against every execution. Together, alongside the families of those sentenced to death, we must raise our voices and say: ‘No to executions!’”
