A defiant Iranian prisoner has called for the overthrow of the country’s war-ravaged regime in a courageous video recorded from the notorious Evin Prison shortly before his execution.
Mohammad Taghavi, 58, urged supporters to “bring the campaign for overthrow [of the regime] to fruition,” moments before he was hanged. He told fellow activists, “You, dear friends, stand at the threshold of history, the door of this land’s history opening toward a bright and luminous future.”
Taghavi was executed alongside Akbar “Shahrokh” Daneshvarkar, 60, a fellow member of the banned opposition group, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), on Monday morning. Both were arrested in 2024 on charges of participating in “riots, urban actions, and confrontation with security forces.”
During their imprisonment, the two endured months of severe physical and psychological torture in Evin Prison’s infamous Ward 209. Reports describe beatings, floggings, threats at gunpoint, and prolonged solitary confinement. Their trials, held in mere minutes, resulted in death sentences. Amnesty International noted that Iranian authorities executed the men without notifying them or their families, denying any opportunity for final farewells.
In his video, Taghavi introduced himself, saying, “I am Mohammad-Ali Taghavi, 58 years old, a graduate in Graphics from the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Tehran. Although about a year has passed since my death sentence was issued, despite living under the shadow of the gallows, we stand firmer than ever. This strength comes from faith in the liberation of the oppressed people and the support of the massive movement advancing under the leadership of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran. The role of you—as conscious, educated, and professional individuals—in bringing the campaign for overthrow [of the regime] to fruition is unique and irreplaceable.”
In another image, he held a sign reading, “If the price of staying alive is to renounce the name of the People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran then shame on such a life! Let it be yours!”
Daneshvarkar, in a handwritten note smuggled out of prison last year, paid tribute to fellow MEK prisoners Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani, who were executed in July, underlining the enduring spirit of resistance even in the face of relentless repression.
