Stories of Women's Resistance – The 1988 massacre -

Conversation series with Ms. Fereshteh Akhlaghi, part 2

Two sisters executed together in the 1988 massacre

In the second part of the Stories of Women’s Resistance, Ms. Fereshteh Akhlaghi recounted the moving story of two sisters who were executed together during the 1988 massacre in Isfahan. They were PMOI members, Farahnaz Ahmadi, 20, and Fariba Ahmadi, 22.

The two young and prolific sisters started their activities with the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran after the victory of the Iranian people’s anti-monarchic revolution.

In all the letters and memoirs about these sisters, they have been described as resistant, brave, lively and active.

Farahnaz and Fariba were actively involved in all the PMOI demonstrations and meetings, doing their best to accomplish their responsibilities in the best possible manner.

Farahnaz and Fariba were arrested in spring 1985 when they were only 17 and 19 years old, respectively. Farahnaz was sentenced to 12 years in prison and Fariba was sentenced to 15 years.

Although prison conditions are difficult, dangerous, terrifying and painful, but for the two brave Ahmadi sisters, it was a new battlefield to hold their ground against the ruling misogynistic regime. They stood up to the demands of the criminal torturers, without caving in to the daily difficulties in prison. Instead, they gave hope to their fellow combatants in chains.

The prisoners who knew the two young sisters in prison say all prisoners liked them and they were tremendously popular among all prisoners.

By being greatly resistant, Fariba had an enormous impact on all prisoners who called her “the sun of the prison.” Farahnaz was also known as a great bold fighter who never succumbed to the demands of the guards. And for doing so, Farahnaz was often transferred and detained in solitary confinement.

Former political prisoners say Fariba, Farahnaz and a number of other imprisoned women had held a hunger strike prior to July 1988 when the massacre started. For this reason, they had been banned from having visitations.

The Revolutionary Guards, who carried out Khomeini’s fatwa for that great crime against humanity, sent Fariba, Farahnaz and a number of other PMOI members before the firing squads in Dastgerd Prison of Isfahan.

The clerical regime did not allow the bereaved Ahmadi family to hold a memorial for them. Despite being increasingly harassed and intimidated, the family posted a statement on the city walls on the seventh night after their execution and informed people of the horrific crime.

After that, many went to visit and condole the Ahmadi family in Shahinshahr of Isfahan. But the Revolutionary Guards did not tolerate even these brief expressions of sympathy and prevented them.

The two sisters are buried next to each other in section 41 of Bagh-e Rezvan Cemetery in Isfahan.

In addition to Fariba and Farahnaz, six other members of Ahmadi family have been executed by the clerical regime. They were: