Female and male political prisoners in Evin prison overcame the segregation of their units and braved great risks to themselves by publishing the following letter against the execution sentence of beloved rebel rapper Toomaj Salehi. The English translation was posted by Narges.Foundation on April 27, 2024.
Our silence today dictates the fate of each of us tomorrow.
The shameless issuance of a death sentence for Toomaj Salehi, a committed artist and human rights activist, using a notorious process in the courts of the regime, has once again exposed the anti-human nature and the depth of corruption of this government.
These days, the Islamic republic, intoxicated by the illusion of external authority, is desperate for internal power and spares no effort. On one hand, by deploying troops, it has turned the streets into a battleground against the women of Iran who seek freedom, and on the other hand, in its struggle to exact revenge on protesters and opponents, it lies in wait to crush the hopes of society.
In response to the most civil forms of struggle and even protests expressed through art, it reacts with utmost cruelty, demonstrating its power through inhuman sentences, long imprisonments, and exile, and “nooses ready for the neck,” against a defenseless people, warning the society that any protest, even non-violent and civil, awaits the claw of tyranny.
It seems intent on a vendetta against a society that has neutralized “victory through terror,” committed to eliminating all critics and opponents of the current situation, aiming to keep every concerned citizen in fear of government-organized repression and murder.
The message of the rulers regarding Toomaj’s verdict has reached us clearly! Beware, for the consequence of our silence today will be the decree of our future, where every voice will be stifled. Unaware that the end of this absolute corruption will be with the infinite power of the people’s resistance in these very occupied streets.
Golrokh Iraee, Hasti Amiri, Rasoul Badaghi, Mostafa Tajzadeh, Amirsalar Davoudi, Vida Rabbani, Hossein Razzaq, Reza Shahabi, Narges Mohammadi, Abdollah Momeni, Mohammad Najafi, Sedigheh Vasmaghi, Faezeh Hashemi, Maryam Yahyavi
Evin Prison
April 26, 2024