Zahra Safaei: A Symbol of Resistance Amidst Repression

Introduction: A Life Shaped by Resistance

Zahra Safaei, born in 1962 in Tehran, is a former political prisoner from the 1980s, imprisoned for eight years for her affiliation with the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK).
Her father, Hassanalı Safaei, a respected merchant and political prisoner during both the Shah’s regime and the Islamic Republic, was executed in Evin Prison in 1981.

Today, Zahra Safaei remains a victim of the regime’s brutal repression, enduring prolonged imprisonments, severe health crises, and systematic psychological torture.

The Latest Arrest: The Shattering of a Family’s Spirit

On September 13, 2023, Zahra Safaei was arrested again along with her daughter, Parasto Moeini, and her son, Mohammad Masoud Moeini, at their home in Tehran. They were taken to Ward 209 of Evin Prison, notorious for solitary confinement and harsh interrogations.

In a show trial held on November 18, 2023, Branch 26 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Iman Afshari, sentenced Zahra Safaei and her children each to five years in prison, on charges of “assembly and collusion against national security through links to the PMOI.”

Health at Risk: Systematic Medical Abuse

Zahra Safaei’s health is critically compromised.
In June 2020, she suffered a heart attack while detained in Qarchak Prison. After months of obstruction by prison officials, she was finally transferred to a hospital where two stents were implanted in her arteries.

Despite her severe physical condition, heart disease, high blood pressure, and recurrent fainting, she remains incarcerated under inhumane conditions.
Denial of proper medical care constitutes a blatant violation of international human rights conventions.

Psychological Torture: Deprivation of Family Contact

In a shocking act of cruelty, prison authorities imposed a DNA test as a precondition for Zahra to meet her son, questioning their familial relationship.
This humiliating demand inflicted profound psychological harm on this imprisoned mother and son.

Previously, Zahra and her children were repeatedly denied family visits, subjected to bureaucratic harassment and emotional blackmail.

Multiple Convictions: A Cycle of Injustice

• 2019-2020: Arrested and sentenced to 8 years for “propaganda against the regime,” “insulting Khomeini and Khamenei,” and “assembly and collusion.”
• 2023: Re-arrested and sentenced again to 5 years on similar fabricated charges.

Despite having served a significant portion of her previous sentences, Zahra Safaei was rearrested without legitimate legal grounds, demonstrating the systematic violation of even the regime’s own laws.

A Pattern of State-Sanctioned Persecution

Zahra Safaei’s ordeal highlights the Iranian regime’s deliberate policy of targeting former political prisoners and their families.

She has suffered:

• Death threats inside prison,
• Physical assaults by recruited prisoners,
• Denial of access to independent legal counsel,
• Constant humiliation and severe psychological pressure.

Conclusion: An Urgent Call for Justice

Zahra Safaei’s story stands as a powerful testimony to the Iranian regime’s brutality and contempt for basic human rights.
Her suffering and that of her children highlight the heavy price of freedom in today’s Iran.

We call on the United Nations, Amnesty International, and all human rights organizations to:

• Demand the immediate and unconditional release of Zahra Safaei and her children;
• Launch independent investigations into the torture and mistreatment of political prisoners in Iran;
• Hold the Iranian regime accountable for crimes against humanity.

Zahra Safaei’s voice must not be silenced.
Her courage must echo across the word