Voices from Evin: Letters of Resistance

Evin Prison, perched in northern Tehran, is notorious as the epicenter of political repression in Iran. For decades, this fortress-like complex has housed journalists, activists, students, and dissidents—many of whom have endured torture, solitary confinement, and forced confessions. Yet vivid letters smuggled out of Evin reveal something extraordinary: voices of resistance that refuse to be silenced. From women’s rights activists to Kurdish teachers, these letters expose cruelty while illuminating resilience, courage, and unwavering hope.

1. Evin: A Symbol of Systemic Oppression

Evin’s history of brutality spans eras. Under the Shah’s SAVAK, then the Islamic Republic’s IRGC-run interrogators, political prisoners have faced severe abuses, legal corruption, and torture   . Secret “parallel” detention units like Section 209 are infamous for breaking prisoners through harsh interrogation techniques .

2. Letters as Acts of Defiance

a) Bahareh Hedayat

Imprisoned during the 2022 protests, Hedayat’s Evin letter asserts:

“The echoes of ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ can be heard even through the thick walls of Evin prison.”  

b) Sepideh Gholian

In The Evin Prison Bakers’ Club, she passed smuggled recipes and narratives:

“She purposely blurs identities … to emphasize collective suffering of women under Iran’s judicial system.”  

c) Farzad Kamangar

Executed in 2010, the Kurdish activist wrote powerful letters to students:

“Teach your children to be offspring of ‘poems and rain’… I leave you to wind and sunshine.”  

3. Poetry in Silence: Cultural Resistance

Letters often blend personal suffering with art, especially poetry. Prisoners—like Kamangar—use metaphors tied to hope and resistance. Gholian’s blending of baking and prison life transforms oppression into solidarity through shared acts of care and memory  .

4. Spotlight: Made to Bear Witness

Political prisoners write to expose:

 • Torture & solitary confinement: letters detail threats, isolation, and denial of medical care  .

 • Forced confessions during televised sham trials  .

 • Sexual violence and abuse targeting women prisoners  .

 • Denial of legal representation, including forced virginity tests and mock trials  .

5. The Gendered Face of Resistance

Women are central to Evin’s defiance:

 • Narges Mohammadi reports on IRGC abuse and health crises in Evin ‍  .

 • Sepideh Gholian narrates solidarity and suffering through her cooking memoir  .

 • Atena Farghadani smuggled out a letter detailing virginity testing and physical abuse after protests  .

6. Hunger Strikes & Open Letters

 • Akbar Ganji, activist-journalist, authored “Letters to Free People” during an 80-day strike, amplifying prisoner narratives  .

 • In 2010, seventeen inmates launched a 16-day hunger strike over medical neglect .

 • Farhad Meysami’s hunger strike for legal rights was publicized by Amnesty and UN bodies  .

7. Evin’s Insurrection Numbers

Whispered letters echo protests:

“The echoes of ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ can be heard…”  

“Revolution is inevitable,” Hedayat proclaims  .

These words remind us Evin is not a graveyard for dissent—it’s the forge of resistance.

8. Global Impact of Prison Letters

Internationally, Evin letters:

 • Amplify victims’ voices in media and parliament.

 • Justify Magnitsky sanctions and travel bans on IRGC officials.

 • Pressure governments to act. A 2022 letter by Mohammadi sparked global condemnation   .

 • Support legal efforts: Ganji’s hunger strike mobilized Nobel laureates  .

9. Supporting Prisoners Today

Effective support includes:

 • Securing medical & mental care for prisoners.

 • Campaigning for their release, especially for hunger strikers like Mohammadi and Gholian.

 • Protecting smuggled letters and promoting their safe distribution.

 • Pushing for IRGC designation as terrorists.

• Documenting abuses and lobbying institutions like UN, EU, and US Congress.

10. A Movement Beyond Bars

Letters from Evin affirm that resistance thrives even in isolation. These voices aren’t cries for pity—they are calls for revolution. Each note is a reprimand to the IRGC’s power and a blueprint for a future Iran free from prison walls and fundamentalist rule.

Conclusion

Evin’s letters are living proof that repression fails when met with courage. They are archives of injustice, instruments of protest, and beacons of hope. From personal poetry to shouted slogans, these voices—smuggled, hidden, yet powerful—demand action. As solidarity grows, the world must hear them—not as victims, but as trailblazers of a just and free Iran.