CRY FREEDOM.net
formerly known as
Women's Liberation Front
'Insight is the first step of resistance against any ideologic form of dictatorial and misogynistic oppression'

Manifest - Oct 26, 2025
Slaughterhouse Rape

Manifest - Start August 31, 2025
Matriarchism is alive and kicking
UPDATE with New Story: Sept 19, 2025:
Tunisian women react to gender remarks: A consequence of patriarchal mentality
Earlier stories embedded:
Sept 10, 2025: Rûken Nexede on ‘Jin Jiyan Azadî’: Philosophy of freedom, equality
And “How Fiercely We Cling to Life” – A Prison Letter from Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraee

Manifest - Axis of Evil - J´Accuse :-)
August 8 025

Tribute to KIAN PIRFALA, 9 years old and victim of the Islamic Republic's savagery 10 years ago

Editors' info: About a possible change of the name of the outlet:
and no, the URL www.cryfreedom.net will not change in this. Too much hassles and as such the outlet
is too well known to run that risk. Still, to enhance the content of it the
name online will be incl. a logo named
´Woman, Life, Freedom - MENA News Agency
covering the news from the Middle East and North Africa and covering all the Arabic muslim world.
Any feedback, negative or positive, on this is more than welcome at info@cryfreedom.net
Thank you for your time and input.

 HEAR JINA AMINI'S VOICE
And do read also the above linked  incredible December 2023 update!

despite the mullahs' regime to force it down!
Her mother speaks out loud and clear
UPDATED: September 29 - 16, 2024
Second Anniversary of Jina Amini's
state-sanctioned murder
incl. Commemorating Bloody Friday
a wave of arrests of her fellow-citizen

Overview of news about the Second aniversary of Jina Amini's state-sactioned murder September 2024


JINA AMINI
The face of Iran's protests. Her life, her dreams and her death.

Read also: Armita's Story: Iran's Generation Z Rebellion Against the Ayatollahs

Ongoing since Oct. 3, 2024:
Commemoration of the Fallen for
Freedom Part6
 Click here for previous Commemorations  
And more commemorational stories
Tortured to Death: The Story of Atefeh Na'ami
Violence During Woman, Life, Freedom Protests

HAIL TO THE IRANIAN WOMEN'S REVOLUTIONISTS FALLEN FOR FREDOM
against the supreme leader, the arch-reactionary Ayatollah Ali Khomeini, and his placeman president. The message of the women when the former president visited a university was plain: <give way or get lost> in 2023 and still is.
IN MEMORY OF ASRA PANAHI (16)- JINA MAMINI (22) - NIKA SHAKARAMI (16), SARINA ESMAILZADEH (16) HADIS NAJAFI (20), AND MORE WOMEN WHO WERE ASSASINATED SO FAR BY THE IRANIAN AXIS OF EVIL.
  Click here for a total list so far
Updates Dec 26, 2025

UPDATES OF THE UPRISING  AND REVOLUTION AROUND THE ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEATH OF JINA AMINI IN CUSTODY OF THE REGIME'S ATTEMPT AND CRUELTY TO TRY AND CRUSH IT.

This links to a page that is in full dedicated and a tribute to Jina Amini who, with stilll 'till today too many other sisters gave their life for freedom. Long live a long and free Iran And do read also the above linked  incredible December 2023 update! despite the mullahs' regime to force it down! Her mother speaks out loud and clear UPDATED: September 18, 2025 Full story of the Third anniversary of Jina Amini´s death September 29 - 16, 2024 Second Anniversary of Jina Amini's state-sanctioned murder incl. Commemorating Bloody Friday and earlier news about a wave of arrests of her fellow-citizen

We all grief for the loss of our sister / daughter of Iran Armita Gevarnand:   Read her updated story here   & Actual news:  Generation Z Leads Hijab Rebellion on Tehran’s Streets and Earlier Stories and more

Sisters 4 each other - Sisters 4 All
UPDATE: Dec 13 - Nov 12, 2025
Narges Mohammadi arrested and supporters soon after too
Death sentence of Kurdish political prisoner Varisheh Moradi overturned
Zahra Tabari, Sentenced to Death, Appeals for Global Solidarity
Nov 3 - Sept 25, 2025
Zahra Shahbaz Tabari - Sentenced to Death After 10-Minute Trial
& her son speaks out: "She´not afraid to die"
& Sharifeh Mohammadi’s Death Sentence Commuted to 30 Years in Prison
& Maryam Akbari-Monfared - Iran’s Regime Raises Pressure on Families of Political Prisoners
&  Maryam Akbari-Monfared - Continued Denial of Medical Care in Qarchak Prison
Earlier reports

Sisters 4 each other, Sisters 4 All
Narges Mohammadi: "Tyranny will fall"
Pakhshan Azizi: "You dictator, I am Arash, fire responds to fire,"
Sharifeh Mohammadi: "Finally, one day, I will sing the song of victory from the summit of the mountain, like the sun. Tomorrow belongs to us"
Varisha Moradi: "Resistance is life"
 in continuation of the resistance of the 4 sisters and others
read all their previous fights

 When one hurts or kills a women
one hurts or kills hummanity and is an antrocitie.
 and: My mother (1931-1997) always said to me <Mi figlio, non esistono notizie <vecchie> perche puoi imparare qualcosa da qualsiasi notizia.> Translated: <My son, there is no such thing as so called 'old' news because you can learn something from any news.>
Gianna d'Artali.

Symbol of resistance of Iranian women
Narges Mohammadi - Jina Amini : "With war there cannot be democracy"

Jina Amini Lives On


More than 400 Prominent Women Demand Halt to Execution of Political Prisoner Zahra Tabari
WNCRI - in Documents, Women's News - Dec 25, 2025
{More than 400 Prominent Women Demand Halt to Iran Execution of Political Prisoner Zahra Tabari
More than 400 prominent women from across the globe, among them Nobel Prize winners, former presidents and prime ministers, parliamentarians, UN special rapporteurs, prominent media figures, renowned sports icons, and leading human rights advocates, have endorsed an urgent public declaration demanding the immediate release of a women’s rights advocate currently facing execution in Iran. Zahra Tabari, a 67-year-old Iranian engineer and mother, is in immediate danger of execution solely for displaying a banner bearing the slogan “Woman, Resistance, Freedom.”
The appeal, organized by Justice for the Victims of the 1988 Massacre in Iran (JVMI), highlights the regime’s brutal gender apartheid and its specific targeting of women who challenge the mullahs’ tyranny. They warn that in Iran today, “daring to hold a sign declaring women’s resistance to oppression is now punishable by death.” Among the notable women supporting this appeal are eight former heads of state or government, three former Ministers of Justice, as well as Members of Parliament representing 14 different countries.
The following is the text of their appeal:
“Woman, Resistance, Freedom” – Save Zahra Tabari from Execution in Iran
We condemn the Iranian authorities’ death sentence against Zahra Tabari—a 67-year-old mother and engineer—handed down in October 2025 in a sham 10-minute trial, held remotely via videoconference without her chosen legal representation. Zahra is accused of collaborating with the opposition PMOI and faces execution solely for holding a banner bearing the words “Woman, Resistance, Freedom”—a slogan of women’s defiance that has gained popularity particularly among female political prisoners. For four decades, Iranian authorities have enforced brutal gender apartheid and institutionalised misogyny including through forced veiling. Thousands of female political prisoners have been executed, many during Iran’s 1988 massacre. Iran is today the world’s number one executioner of women per capita. Zahra’s case lays bare this terror: in Iran, daring to hold a sign declaring women’s resistance to oppression is now punishable by death. Iranian women, who ignited the 2022 uprising and continue to lead a nationwide movement of resistance against tyranny, will not be silenced. We demand Zahra’s immediate release, and we call on governments worldwide to stand with the women of Iran in their quest for democracy, equality, and freedom.
SIGNED:} Read here-Source: https://wncri.org/2025/12/25/more-than-400-prominent-women-zahra-tabari/


Zahra Shahbaz Tabari UN supported
WNCRI - in Women's News - Dec 24, 2025
{UN experts urge Iran to stop execution of Political Prisoner, Zahra Shahbaz Tabari
UN experts urge Iran to stop execution of Political Prisoner, Zahra Shahbaz Tabari
United Nations human rights experts have issued an urgent warning to Iranian authorities, calling for the immediate halt of the execution of Zahra Shahbaz Tabari, a 67-year-old political prisoner currently held in Lakan Prison in Rasht. In a strongly worded statement, the experts condemned what they described as grave violations of international human rights law in her case, including the denial of a fair trial, the misuse of capital punishment for vaguely defined national security charges, and the criminalization of women’s peaceful activism. They warned that carrying out her execution would constitute an arbitrary deprivation of life under international law and urged Iran to comply with its binding human rights obligations.
The statement of UN experts on Zahra Shahbaz Tabari reads as follows:
UN experts urge Iran to halt execution of a 67-year-old Iranian woman
GENEVA – Iran must immediately stop the execution of Zahra Shahbaz Tabari, a 67-year-old electrical engineer detained in Lakan Prison in Rasht, UN experts said today. “Ms. Tabari’s case shows a pattern of serious violations of international human rights law regarding fair trial guarantees and the inappropriate use of capital punishment for broad and ill-defined national security offences,” the experts said. Tabari was sentenced to death on 25 October 2025 by the Revolutionary Court of Rasht for baghi (armed rebellion against the foundations of the Islamic Republic of Iran) based on two pieces of evidence: a piece of cloth bearing the slogan ‘Woman, Resistance, Freedom’—a popular slogan from the 2022 protests—and an unpublished audio message. Authorities alleged she planned to install the cloth as a public banner to challenge the State. Tabari was arrested during a raid on her home without a judicial warrant. She was interrogated for a month while held in solitary confinement and pressured to confess to taking up arms against the State and to membership in an opposition group. The trial, conducted via video conference, lasted less than 10 minutes. The experts said Tabari had been denied access to a lawyer of her choosing and was represented by a court-appointed lawyer. The death sentence was issued immediately following the brief hearing. “The severe procedural violations in this case—including the unlawful deprivation of her liberty, the denial of effective legal representation, the extraordinarily brief trial, the lack of adequate time to prepare a defence, and the use of evidence that appears insufficient to support a charge of baghi—render any resulting conviction unsafe,” the experts said.
The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, ratified by Iran in 1975, restricts the death penalty to ‘most serious crimes’, interpreted as intentional killing. “This case involves no intentional killing and contains numerous procedural violations. To execute Tabari under these circumstances would constitute arbitrary execution,” the experts warned. “Criminalising women’s activism for gender equality and treating such expression as evidence of armed rebellion constitutes a grave form of gender discrimination,” they added. “The debate around capital punishment has evolved to whether the death penalty per se constitutes a violation of international human rights law. But the way Iran’s judiciary sentences people to death is far removed from such legal discourse,” the experts said. “What we see here is a mockery of justice that falls far short of the most basic international standards.” “When a State exercises its power to take away life, it must meet corresponding obligations to rigorously follow due process guarantees, ensure complete transparency, and limit the scope of application to cases involving intentional killing” they said. Tabari’s case represents one of at least 52 individuals currently facing the death penalty for broadly applied national security offences, including baghi, moharebeh (waging war against God), corruption on earth, and espionage. Other women political prisoners have also faced execution for baghi. Some of these death sentences have been overturned, but Iranian activist Pakhshan Azizi is currently facing the death penalty for baghi. “Iran’s systematic use of the death penalty for vaguely defined national security offences represents a serious departure from its international legal obligations,” the experts said. The experts are in contact with Iranian authorities seeking immediate intervention to prevent this arbitrary execution.} Source: https://wncri.org/2025/12/24/un-experts-execution-of-zahra-shahbaz-tabari/


Describing Evin Prison as a “Hotel”
Jinhagency - Womens News Agency - Dec 25, 2025
{Describing Evin Prison as a “Hotel” Sparks Criticism Over Distorted Reality
A video of former Iranian parliament member Faezeh Hashemi calling Evin Prison’s women’s wing a “hotel” sparked widespread reactions, with activists describing her remarks as propaganda intended to deny documented human rights abuses in Iranian prisons.
News Center — Human rights organizations criticized Faezeh Hashemi’s recent remarks about Evin Women’s Prison, arguing that they ignore documented reports of torture, mistreatment, and denial of medical care. They called for independent inspections of Iranian prisons. A short video circulated via Iranian security-affiliated media showed the journalist and former Islamic Consultative Assembly member Faezeh Hashemi claiming that “Evin Women’s Prison is like a hotel with many facilities.” The clip was widely shared on official and unofficial platforms, as well as social media, sparking significant reactions, particularly among former political prisoners and families of inmates.
Reactions from Political Prisoners and Critics
Former political prisoners, human rights activists, and social media pages supporting detainees rejected the characterization of Evin as a “hotel.” They cited multiple reports documenting torture, denial of medical care, and ongoing security pressures inside the prison, viewing Hashemi’s statement as an attempt by authorities to distort reality. Activists who experienced imprisonment firsthand stressed that the portrayal “does not reflect at all” their lived experiences, describing its circulation via pro-security media as propaganda aimed at denying human rights violations. Critics have long highlighted attempts by authorities to present a polished image of prisons through selective visits or curated reports, practices previously described by political prisoners and human rights groups as “face-showing exercises.” Publishing such videos, especially by prominent figures from the ruling family, can simultaneously neutralize civil protests and legitimize the existing prison system.
Faezeh Hashemi and the Political Context
Faezeh Hashemi, former parliamentarian and daughter of the former Iranian president, has repeatedly written about prison conditions and openly disagreed with political detainees. Analysts note that her positions have occasionally drawn criticism from opposition prisoners and revealed tensions within opposition circles. Nonetheless, critics emphasize that official narratives should not obscure documented human rights violations.
Why Critics Call It “Propaganda”
Opposition observers cite three reasons for labeling the video as propaganda:
It was published by media closely linked to security agencies, raising questions about neutrality.
Numerous independent reports and documents from Evin and other detention centers—including testimonies from political prisoners and human rights organizations—document torture, lack of medical care, and prolonged confinement under harsh conditions. A narrative presented by a ruling family member may signal locally and internationally an attempt to deflect allegations of prisoner abuse.
Media and Legal Implications
The video reinforced two conflicting narratives: supporters hailed it as proof of proper conditions, while opponents and victims’ families described it as a deliberate attempt to conceal human rights violations. Independent lawyers argue that in light of extensive documentation of judicial pressure, denial of medical care, and retaliatory practices in prisons, selective statements from a prominent figure with her own incarceration history should not be taken as evidence of general prison conditions. Meanwhile, three female political activists—Bakhshan Azizi, Vorisheh Moradi, and Zahra Shahbaz Tabari—face death sentences in Iranian prisons, with Azizi and Moradi currently held in Evin. Many human rights activists and former political prisoners view the video not as an impartial report but as part of a narrative that downplays documented complaints and international evidence. They stress that the government’s appropriate response should be transparency, allowing independent prison access, ending politically motivated releases, and addressing verified human rights violations rather than producing curated video portrayals of reality.} Video-Source: https://jinhaagency.com/en/actual/describing-evin-prison-as-a-hotel-sparks-criticism-over-distorted-reality-38225

Hengaw - Dec 26, 2025
{Afghan national shot dead by Iranian government forces in Zarabad
Iranian government forces shot and killed an Afghan national identified as Ghadir (surname unknown) while he was driving along the coastal road in Zarabad, located in Sistan and Baluchestan. Information received by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights indicates that the incident occurred on Thursday, December 25, 2025, when Iranian law enforcement forces opened direct fire on the victim’s vehicle during a pursuit on the coastal road in Zarabad County. The victim, a 55-year-old Afghan national, was married and had five children. According to local sources, Ghadir was struck by multiple bullets and died instantly at the scene.
The report further indicates that the shooting was carried out without any prior warning, and that the victim’s vehicle was stopped on the Zarabad coastal road at the time of the incident. Source: Hengaw English}: https://hengaw.net/en/news/2025/12/article-144

Hengaw - Dec 26, 2025
{Two more men arrested in Sabzevar for attending the memorial ceremony of Khosrow Alikurdi
Iranian government forces arrested Qasem Gharaghli and Mahmoud Gharaghli, residents of Sabzevar, for attending the seventh-day memorial ceremony of Khosrow Alikurdi, a Kurdish lawyer and former political prisoner who died under suspicious circumstances. Information received by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights indicates that the two men were detained on Thursday, December 25, 2025, by agents of the Intelligence Department of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Mahmoud Gharaghli, 33, and Qasem Gharaghli, 35, are both from Sabzevar, located in Razavi Khorasan province. According to a source close to their families, the two detainees were transferred after their arrest to the quarantine ward of Sabzevar Prison. In recent days, several other residents of Sabzevar have also been arrested in connection with their participation in the same memorial ceremony and accused of charges including “propaganda against the Islamic Republic of Iran” and “assembly and collusion against national security. Khosrow Alikurdi, a lawyer and former political prisoner, died under suspicious circumstances in early December. Source: Hengaw English}: https://hengaw.net/en/news/2025/12/article-143


Salar Taher Afshar
Hengaw - Dec 25, 2025
{Iran sentences civil activist Salar Taher Afshar, imprisoned in Evin Prison, to an additional one-year term in a new case
Salar Taher Afshar, a Turkish civil activist currently held in Evin Prison, has been sentenced to an additional one year in prison in a new case opened against him while in detention by the judiciary of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The ruling is linked to his signing of a protest statement condemning death sentences issued against several women and protesting the death of prisoner Somayeh Rashidi in Qarchak Varamin Prison. According to information received by the Hengaw Human Rights Organization, Taher Afshar, a civil activist from Urmia, was sentenced by Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Iman Afshari, to one year in prison on the charge of “propaganda against the state” on Sunday, December 20, 2025. The verdict has been formally communicated to him. The new case was initiated after he signed a statement protesting the death sentences issued against Sharifeh Mohammadi, Varisheh Moradi, and Pakhshan Azizi, as well as condemning the death of Somayeh Rashidi while in custody at Qarchak Prison. Last December, Branch 36 of the Tehran Court of Appeals sentenced him to five years in prison on charges of “assembly and collusion against national security.” He was subsequently summoned to the Evin Prosecutor’s Office to begin serving the sentence, arrested, and transferred to Evin Prison on April 6, 2025. Taher Afshar had earlier been arrested after intelligence agents raided his workplace in Urmia and transferred him to the IRGC Intelligence Detention Center in Tabriz on February 18, 2025. He was released on bail in March of that year. He had previously been arrested on February 5, 2024, in Urmia and transferred to Ward 209 of Evin Prison (Ministry of Intelligence detention facility). He was temporarily released on bail on February 28, 2024, pending trial. Source: Hengaw}: https://hengaw.net/en/news/2025/12/article-141

Iranfocus - Dec 25, 2025 Mehdi Hosseini
{About 4,000 Iranian Children with Autism Have Abandoned Treatment Due To Financial Difficulties
Saeedeh Saleh-Ghaffari, the CEO of the Iran Autism Association, announced that about four thousand children with autism in the country have halted their treatment process due to families’ financial inability and the lack of effective insurance coverage for treatment and rehabilitation costs. She added that about five thousand children are also not receiving rehabilitation services. On Wednesday, December 24, Saleh-Ghaffari, in a meeting criticizing the performance of insurance companies, said that many families with autistic children are forced to personally pay all the heavy costs of treatment and rehabilitation, because insurance providers do not fully and consistently cover these services. Regarding the costs, Saleh-Ghaffari said: “Educational and rehabilitation expenses for a child under seven years old on the moderate spectrum are at least 250 million rials per month (approximately 185 dollars). These children have specific dental and medical problems and often must be treated under anesthesia; the cost of treatment and anesthesia for each tooth reaches about 250 million rials.” This is while the base monthly wage in Iran barely reaches 115 dollars per month. She emphasized that treatment and rehabilitation costs should be borne by the government and that the Supreme Council of Health Insurance should set the tariffs. According to her, the current cost of each rehabilitation session in the private sector is close to 5 million rials (approximately four dollars), and families must receive at least 25 sessions. Saleh-Ghaffari added: “For two years, these costs have not been properly paid by insurance companies, and families are forced to sell gold, cars, and even their homes.” She stressed that the Social Security Organization and the Health Insurance Organization, both government-affiliated insurance bodies in Iran, must be held accountable in this regard. Despite increased public awareness about autism, individuals with this disorder in Iran and their families still face numerous challenges in diagnosis, treatment, education, and government support. Sina Tavakoli, the deputy for education, rehabilitation, and family health at the Iran Autism Association, said on April 14, during a meeting held on the occasion of Autism Awareness Month, that high costs have prevented many autism patients from receiving treatment. At the same time, he stated that there are no precise statistics on the number of people with autism in Iran, but it can be said that more than 40,000 people have this disorder. However, in another part of her December 24 remarks, Saleh-Ghaffari said that so far about 30,000 people with autism have been identified in Iran but estimates show that more than 100,000 others have yet to be identified. Referring to the age distribution of those affected, she said that about two thousand and 500 of people with autism in the country are adults, for whom there is currently no designated authority and no defined services. She added that in the field of adult autism, there are practically no specialized therapists. According to her, more than seven thousand people with autism are being cared for at home, and the existing round-the-clock care centers are in no way sufficient to meet current needs.} Source: https://iranfocus.com/iran/56477-about-4000-iranian-children-with-autism-have-abandoned-treatment-due-to-financial-difficulties/


Ehsan Rostami
Iranfocus - Dec 25, 2025 Hoshang Amiri
{Iranian Political Prisoner Ehsan Rostami Faces Risk of Execution
The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), the main opposition coalition to Iran’s regime, announced that political prisoner Ehsan Rostami is facing the risk of a death sentence or heavy punishments due to the fabricated charge of “baghi” and under the pretext of cooperation with the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK). On Wednesday, December 10, Branch Five of the Evin Prosecutor’s Office formally presented this charge to Ehsan Rostami. After the interrogation session ended, he was immediately transferred to solitary confinement. Ehsan Rostami was arrested on August 20 along with several relatives and friends, including his cousin Ramin Rostami, during simultaneous raids on their homes in Tehran. They were subjected to torture-inflicting interrogations and severe pressure for four months. Ehsan and Ramin Rostami began a hunger strike on Thursday, October 2, in protest against the torture and pressure imposed by interrogators, continuing for 23 days.
Ehsan Rostami, 36 years old, is a sociologist and a graduate of Allameh Tabataba’i University. He is the manager of a publishing house and bookstore and is known as a cultural figure. Ramin Rostami, 29 years old, is an electrical engineer and an independent cultural publisher. Additionally, Jahangir Rostami, Ehsan’s 63-year-old father and a retired educator, was arrested at his home in Harsin on Friday, October 17, and was severely beaten, suffering injuries to his head and face. Two days later, he was brought before his son Ehsan with a bloodied face to extract a forced confession. Retirees’ labor associations in Kermanshah and Harsin issued statements condemning the arrest and beating of Jahangir Rostami. They also demanded his release during a retirees’ gathering in Kermanshah. He was eventually temporarily released from prison on December 16 on bail of 15 billion rials (approximately 11,200 dollars). It should be recalled that the Iranian regime’s security agencies, in order to intimidate the public and young people, are carrying out widespread arrests of activists and regime opponents and bringing the charge of baghi, which carries the death penalty, in an effort to frighten people and prevent them from joining Iran’s Resistance and engaging in active political struggle.} Source: https://iranfocus.com/human-rights/56474-iranian-political-prisoner-ehsan-rostami-faces-risk-of-execution/

Hengaw - Dec 25, 2025
{Sunni cleric Younes Ashari remains detained as fate stays unknown
Iranian government forces have held Sunni cleric Younes Ashari in detention for one week after arresting him in the Turkmen Sahra region. Information received by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights indicates that Ashari, the Sunni Friday prayer leader of the Zavkuh area in Kalaleh County, Golestan province, was arrested on Friday, December 19, 2025, by agents of the Intelligence Department and transferred to an undisclosed location. Efforts by his family and close associates to obtain information about his situation have so far been unsuccessful. No information is available regarding the reasons for his arrest, any charges brought against him, his place of detention, or his current condition. Source: Hengaw English}: https://hengaw.net/en/news/2025/12/article-140

Hengaw - Dec 25, 2025
{Iran sentences political prisoner Mohsen Parish to prison and supplementary punishments
Iranian judicial authorities have sentenced Mohsen Parish, a political prisoner currently held in Karaj Central Prison and one of those injured during the November 2019 protests, to three years in prison along with multiple supplementary punishments. Information received by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights indicates that Parish, a resident of Meshkindasht in Fardis County, was convicted by Branch Two of the Karaj Revolutionary Court on charges of “propaganda against the state” and “insulting Ali Khamenei.” In addition to the three-year prison sentence, the court imposed a two-year travel ban, a two-year ban on membership in social groups and associations, and dismissal from and deprivation of all governmental and public employment and services. He was tried before the same court on December 14, 2025. A separate hearing related to additional charges, including “insulting officers” and “resisting law enforcement,” was held via video conference on December 20, 2025, at Branch 103 of Criminal Court No. 2 in Fardis. Parish was arrested on October 21, 2025, amid intimidation and physical violence. During the arrest, he sustained injuries to his elbow and neck and was transferred to Karaj Central Prison. Government forces also confiscated his mobile phone. Following his arrest and the formal notification of charges at the Karaj Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office, Parish was transferred to the city’s central prison, where bail was set at 750 million tomans for his temporary release. Mohsen Parish had previously been detained during the November 2019 protests. In a two-part case, he was convicted on charges including “sabb al-nabi,” “insulting religious sanctities,” “insulting Khamenei,” “propaganda against the state,” and “acting against national security,” and was sentenced to imprisonment and flogging. He was ultimately released in 2022 while serving his sentence under a directive commonly referred to as an amnesty. Source: Hengaw English}: https://hengaw.net/en/news/2025/12/article-139


Kamal Jafari Yazdi
Hengaw - Dec 25, 2025
{Iranian court sentences political activist Kamal Jafari Yazdi to 18 years in prison
Kamal Jafari Yazdi, a political activist and former political prisoner based in Mashhad, has been sentenced to a total of 18 years in prison by the Iranian judiciary. Information received by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights indicates that Kamal Jafari Yazdi was sentenced to 18 years’ imprisonment by Branch Two of the Mashhad Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Hassan Vaziri. The ruling was issued on December 8, 2025, and was formally communicated to him on Wednesday, December 24. According to the verdict, Jafari Yazdi was sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges of “forming a group with the intent to disrupt national security,” five years for “membership in opposition groups,” two years for “insulting Khamenei,” and one year for “propaganda against the state.” Under Iran’s sentence aggregation law, the maximum enforceable sentence is 10 years in prison. The ruling is subject to appeal within 20 days of notification. Court hearings related to the case were held on June 10 and November 11 of this year at the same branch of the Revolutionary Court. Jafari Yazdi was arrested on December 10, 2024, following a raid by Intelligence Ministry forces on his home in Mashhad and was transferred to Vakilabad Prison. He was later released on bail on November 15, 2025. Source: Hengaw English}: https://hengaw.net/en/news/2025/12/article-138

Hengaw - Dec 25, 2025
{Iranian authorities arrest Keyvan Mamegoli to enforce prison sentence
Keyvan Mamegoli, a Kurdish resident of Mahabad, was arrested after being summoned to the Criminal Enforcement Branch of Mahabad to begin serving his prison sentence. He was subsequently transferred to the city’s central prison. Information received by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights indicates that Mamegoli, a resident of the village of Gug Tappeh in Mahabad, was taken into custody for the enforcement of his sentence and transferred to Mahabad Central Prison on Wednesday, December 24, 2025. He had previously been sentenced by Branch One of the Mahabad Revolutionary Court to six months of discretionary imprisonment on charges of “propaganda against the state.” Mamegoli was earlier arrested by Iranian security forces on Thursday, June 19, 2025, and was released a short time later from Mahabad Prison after posting bail. Source: Hengaw English}: https://hengaw.net/en/news/2025/12/article-137


Azizeh Moradian
Hengaw - Dec 25, 2025
{Azizeh Moradian launches dry hunger strike amid legal limbo in Sanandaj Prison
Azizeh Moradian, a resident of Sanandaj (Sine), who was arrested by Iranian government forces about a month ago, has launched a dry hunger strike in protest against her continued legal limbo and poor detention conditions in Sanandaj Prison. Following her arrest in Marivan, she was transferred to the women’s ward of Sanandaj Central Prison. Information received by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights indicates that Moradian, a native of Tengisar village in Sanandaj County and a resident of Marivan, has been on hunger strike since Monday, December 21, 2025, in protest against her unresolved judicial status while being held in the women’s ward of Sanandaj Central Prison. An informed source told Hengaw that Azizeh Moradian began a dry hunger strike, abstaining from both food and water, three days ago in protest against the continuation of her detention, ongoing legal uncertainty, and her overall conditions in custody. Despite the passage of 23 days since her arrest, Moradian remains in legal limbo, and her request for temporary release on bail has been rejected. Azizeh Moradian was arrested at her workplace in Marivan on Monday, December 1, 2025, by agents of the Intelligence Department. During the arrest, officers also conducted a full search of her workplace and confiscated several personal belongings, including her mobile phone. Source: Hengaw}: https://hengaw.net/en/news/2025/12/article-135

Iranwire - Dec 22, 2025
{A Turbulent Year for Iran: 2025 in Review
What a year it has been for over 90 million Iranians.
They wake each morning to a grinding reality: an Islamic Republic that pours resources into nuclear ambitions and regional militias while its own people struggle to survive. The economy is in freefall. Families skip meals. Dreams are deferred, then abandoned. Last night was Yalda - the longest night of the year, when Iranians have gathered for thousands of years to feast on pomegranates and watermelon, to recite poetry and to celebrate light triumphing over darkness. But this year, across Tehran and beyond, tables were half-empty. Families scaled back the celebrations they could no longer afford. Many canceled entirely. Inflation exceeding 40 per cent has pushed millions into poverty. Unemployment haunts young people who studied for futures that no longer exist. Families wait desperately for government ration cards to be recharged just to purchase rice and bread. Children in Tehran and other major cities stay home from school when air pollution reaches hazardous levels, their lungs bearing the cost of unchecked industrial emissions. Farmers watch their ancestral lands turn to dust as prolonged drought drains rivers and aquifers dry. Wells that sustained villages for generations now pump only sand. Political repression has shattered thousands of families. Mothers mark another Yalda without children killed on the streets. And still, the Islamic Republic pours resources into militias abroad and a nuclear program, while its people go hungry and cold. 2025 has proven to be one of the country’s most challenging years in recent decades, defined by major infrastructure failures, direct military conflict, escalating domestic repression, and intensified international pressure. The year began with disaster on April 26, when a massive explosion struck Iran’s largest port near Bandar Abbas, killing at least 57 people and injuring more than 1,000. Just weeks later, in mid-June, Iran entered a direct military confrontation with Israel and the United States. Israel launched surprise strikes on June 13, and by June 22, the United States entered the war. A ceasefire brokered by the United States and Qatar took effect on June 24, but not before the war claimed hundreds of Iranian lives and dozens of Israeli lives. More alarming is the surge in the number of executions under President Masoud Pezeshkian's administration, reaching the highest rate in decades. Meanwhile, tensions regarding Iran's nuclear program reached a breaking point. In June, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported that Iran had accumulated enough enriched uranium to produce nine nuclear warheads. On June 12, the agency declared Iran non-compliant with its nuclear obligations for the first time since 2005. The Trump administration's return to "maximum pressure" policies brought renewed sanctions targeting intelligence officers, proxy groups, oil networks, and drone production. By late September, UN sanctions predating the 2015 nuclear deal "snapped back" into effect, further squeezing Iran's already strained economy and international trade networks. The year also saw significant internal political shifts. In January, President Pezeshkian signed a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty with Russia, followed by the resignation of Vice President Mohammad Javad Zarif in April. Amid the gloom, a rare cultural bright spot emerged in May when film director Jafar Panahi won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. And two years after mass protests shook the Islamic Republic, Iranian women are increasingly appearing in public without headscarves, mounting a sustained challenge to the country’s mandatory hijab laws. The shift is visible across Tehran and other major cities, where women without headscarves now gather openly in cafés, galleries, and shopping centers. As 2025 draws to a close, reports say that Israeli officials are preparing to brief President Trump on Iran's expanding ballistic missile program, with options for potential new strikes under consideration.} Read all about it at Source: https://iranwire.com/en/features/147104-a-turbulent-year-for-iran-2025-in-review/


Pahlavi Is Dishonorable
WNCRI - in Articles, Women's News - Dec 19, 2025
{Female Fans at Sahand Stadium in Tabriz: “Azerbaijan Has Honor; Pahlavi Is Dishonorable”
On Thursday, December 18, 2025, during a football match at Sahand Stadium in Tabriz, the presence and voices of young women from Azerbaijan turned the stands into a powerful scene of political and social protest. These freedom-seeking women chanted: “Azerbaijan has honor; Pahlavi is dishonorable,” clearly rejecting all forms of dictatorship, past and present. This slogan was not a spontaneous outburst confined to a sports venue. Rather, it reflected the political consciousness and deliberate choice of a generation that draws a firm line between the future and the past. A generation of young women who neither submit to the overt repression of the ruling clerical regime in Iran nor fall for nostalgia-driven attempts to rehabilitate the former monarchy. With clarity and resolve, they assert that freedom, dignity, and democracy are incompatible with any form of authoritarian rule, whether clerical or monarchical. Their voices echo the same message that reverberated across Iran during the nationwide uprising of 2022, from Tabriz and Tehran to Sanandaj, Zahedan, and dozens of other cities, when women and youth chanted: “Death to the oppressor, whether the Shah or the (mullahs’) Leader.” The courageous action of young Azerbaijani women at Sahand Stadium once again underscores a central reality: women stand at the forefront of Iran’s social and political transformation. They are not merely victims of repression, but conscious agents of change. By asserting their presence in spaces long denied to them, and transforming those spaces into platforms of protest, they continue to challenge and dismantle imposed boundaries. This event delivers a clear message: history will not move backward. Iranian society, particularly its women and youth, has made its choice. The future they envision leaves no room for the clerical regime, nor for the restoration of monarchical authoritarianism. It is a future grounded in freedom, equality, and democracy, and that future is already taking shape in the voices of today’s young women.} Source: https://wncri.org/2025/12/19/sahand-stadium-tabriz-azerbaijan-has-honor/


Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraee
NCRI - in Women's News - July 28, 2025
{“How Fiercely We Cling to Life” – A Prison Letter from Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraee on the Execution of Two Political Prisoners
On July 27, 2025, the Iranian regime executed two political prisoners—Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani—in silence and without due process, announcing their deaths through a news ticker on state television. From inside the walls of Qarchak Prison, political prisoner and writer Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraee penned this powerful and heartbreaking testimony. In it, she captures the collective mourning, defiance, and enduring spirit of resistance shared among incarcerated activists.
How Fiercely We Cling to Life
By Political Prisoner Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraee – Qarchak Prison, July 2025
“The news came.
From there.
From them.
Their clothes were spotless. Their brows uncreased.”
On the morning of July 27, 2025,
the regime’s execution of two political prisoners
was quietly scrolled across the ticker of the state news channel.
In the quarantine ward of Qarchak Prison,
we stood beneath the flickering television screen,
lined up in silence.
No one could speak.
A heavy grief filled the air like smoke.
Eyes welled.
We stood frozen, stunned.
A few moments later, the names were added:
Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani

We had never seen their faces,
never heard their voices—
yet something in us had known them deeply.
It was as if pieces of our own flesh had been sent to the gallows—
and in truth, they had.
For months, their names echoed with ours—
in our chants, our songs,
our cries during the “Tuesdays Against Executions.”
We had shouted for them,
spoken of them in conversations through prison walls,
remembered them alongside other comrades trapped under death sentences.
Now, they had been taken.
Executed.
And the absence of them
filled our chests with fury, with aching sorrow.
We whispered to ourselves:
“We know they stood firm. We know they endured…”
We were shaken by the cruelty—
though it was no stranger to us.
They Dragged Them in Chains
The agents of repression came for Behrouz and Mehdi
with fists, with shackles,
dragging them from their cells in chains.
They had already transferred Saeed Masouri—
our symbol of endurance,
a man who has spent 25 years in unbroken captivity—
to another prison,
and now they led Behrouz and Mehdi
to their execution.

How fiercely we cling to life…

By nightfall, we had wiped the dust of mourning from our faces,
swallowed the lump in our throats.
We even rose above the cruel sneers of a few hardened cellmates—sneers that clawed at the soul.

Hand in hand,
we raised our voices.
We sang the anthem of resistance.
We honored the memory of those two
who walked the path of freedom to its final step.

They had lived, to the very end,
the truth in the words of Nazim Hikmet:

“I know they stared the enemy down with a smile.
No furrow touched their brows…”

Their memory is sacred.
Their path—paved in courage and sacrifice—will be followed.}
Source: https://wncri.org/2025/07/28/golrokh-ebrahimi-iraee-from-qarchak/

Women's Liberation Front 2019/cryfreedom.net 2025