NCRI WOMEN COMMITTEE, 07 April 2018-- One of the
most epic confrontations in the world's history of nationalist wars and
liberation movements took place on April 8, 2011
, in Ashraf, Iraq, the seat of the Iranian opposition movement which is spearheaded by 1000 heroines.
The
PMOI freedom fighters stood up to a column of ten armored, infantry,
mechanized brigades and battalions of the Iraqi forces affiliated with
Tehran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei, who attacked Ashraf City at the
behest of the Iranian regime to massacre all of its defenseless
residents, destroy the city and annihilate the opposition.
The
freedom fighters, women and men, young and old, were empty handed
without any shields. Their heads and hearts were targeted by snipers. At
least 22 people were ran over by armored vehicles. Residential units
were shelled. Iraqi troops did not allow the wounded to be taken to
hospital.
The shooting of heavy armored vehicles and snipers
continued incessantly for six hours. The plan was to massacre all the
residents of Ashraf. 180 people were shot directly. A number of hostages
died in captivity. Some 300 people were wounded.
In
the history of nationalist and revolutionary wars, there never was an
instance where people stood empty handed, and only with their unshielded
bodies, in front of armored vehicles and armed forces of the enemy and
yet succeed to repel them.
The attack was another link in the
long chain of plots, siege, and murder of the Iranian opposition members
carried out by Tehran's puppet in Iraq, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
But Ashraf residents stood firm and resolved to prevent the enemy from
taking over the city which was the beating heart of the Iranian people's
Resistance movement.
On
that day, eight women and 28 men were killed either by the Iraqi Army
snipers or were ran over by armored vehicles. Hundreds more were
seriously wounded, some by grenades thrown to explode among them.
The
price was horrendous but these brave women and men managed to stop the
enemy's advancement and save Ashraf, the Iranian people’s bastion of
freedom. They proved that they can overcome any force by their amazing
steadfastness and resolve and by paying the dear price.
This was
not only a military confrontation, but a staunch defense of the most
sacred humane values inspiring people to fight for freedom and equality.
In
this epic picture, there were eight women who fought and died in the
forefront of the confrontations but foiled a major conspiracy by the
mullahs by their sacrifice, courage and steadfastness. They symbolized
the resolve and sincerity of a generation of women, 1000 heroines who
pioneer and lead the Iranian Resistance movement and comprise an
unprecedented asset to the Iranian people's 100-year history of struggle
for freedom, an amazing force for change. If and when they overcome the
misogynous Godfathers of fundamentalism and terrorism in Tehran, not
only will they change the situation in Iran but will have a great impact
on the war-torn Middle East and the petrified Europe.
Here is a glance on the lives of these heroines:
Saba Haftbaradaran
Saba
Haftbaradaran was born in a Tehran prison in 1982. Her father and
mother had been imprisoned for their opposition to the mullahs' regime.
Saba
was 1.5 years old when she came out with her mother's release. After
both her parents were released from prison, they left the country and
joined the Resistance in the border region.
She grew up in Ashraf
and was sent abroad to Germany when the Gulf war began in 1990 and
children were in danger of being killed in the massive bombardments of
Iraq. Saba, however, did not forget the suffering of her people. She
said, 'I cannot enjoy having the best life and education in Germany,
when I hear every day shocking news of women and children suffering in
my homeland.' So, she left Germany and went back to Ashraf in 1998.
With
the beginning of another war in Iraq in 2003, another testing time
began for Saba and for all the young women and men like her who were
being exposed to the difficulties of struggle against the mullahs'
regime in a strange land. Of course, this generation remained steadfast
in the stormy events of the post-war Iraq and under attacks of the Iraqi
agents of the Iranian regime.
Saba was 29 when she was shot in
the thigh and started bleeding heavily. Iraqi forces impeded her
treatment by delaying her transfer to hospital. Nevertheless, they did
not allow Saba to receive blood from the blood bank, a measure that led
to her eventual loss of life.
Saba's last words were: 'We will remain steadfast to the last breath.'
And
with those words and her courageous endurance, she turned into the
symbol of the epic resistance of April 8, 2011, in Ashraf.
Shahnaz Pahlavani
Shahnaz
Pahlavani was born in 1961 in Ramhormouz, in southern Iran. She grew up
and studied in Isfahan in an orthodox Muslim family, but did not like
the practices of her family. After the 1979 revolution in Iran, she
found her ideals in the opposition, but she lost her contact with the
PMOI after it was declared banned in the country and the PMOI supporters
and sympathizers were mass executed and massacred by the regime.
After 2003, she found out that she can travel to Iraq and join the movement, which was the happiest moment of her life.
Shahnaz
was very grateful for finding the movement after years of separation
and she was willing to sacrifice anything for the good of others and
advancement of the goals and objectives of the Resistance in Ashraf.
On
April 8, 2011, when Ashraf was under attack, she volunteered to join
the frontline of men and women who defended the city and was slain the
direct shootings of defenseless Ashraf residents.
Mahdiyeh Madadzadeh
Mahdiyeh
Madadzadeh was 29 when joined the Resistance movement in Asrhaf. She
had received her Bachelors of Science in Computer Software. She was very
dissatisfied with the situation in Iran and with the ruling regime and
she found the answer in the Resistance movement that was based in
Ashraf. After going through much difficulties, she overcame all the
obstacles and joined the movement along with her sisters and brothers.
Mahdiyeh
was 32, when she was directly shot by a sniper. Her brother, Akbar, was
also ran over by an armored vehicle on April 8, 2011.
Asiyeh Rakhshani
Asiyeh
Rakhshani's parents, both PMOI activists, had to leave Iran to join the
Resistance so she never saw the homeland she loved so much. Her
ancestors were from Sistan and Baluchistan, and she loved her native
land dearly and followed up on their news.
She joined the
Resistance in 1999 and she was very devoted to the cause. She was
prepared to sacrifice from her own for the wellbeing of others. She
believed that the fate of her people in Iran is tied to the efforts and
resolve of the pioneers in Ashraf, including herself.
Most
recently, she was into film production and helped document the events in
Ashraf. So on April 8, 2011, she was also filming the scenes of
savagery and brutality of the Iraqi forces, targeting and shooting the
human chain of her friends and comrades who were defending their city
with their flesh and bone.
Finally, she became a target for the snipers at the age of 28.
Faezeh Rajabi
Faezeh
Rajabi was only 20 when she was shot in the neck by snipers after she
rushed to the front human chain to defend Ashraf. Faezeh's father was a
political prisoner of the clerical regime who was killed under vicious
torture in 2008 after seven years in prison. Faezeh went to Ashraf and
joined the Resistance after her father was slain.
Nastaran Azimi
Nastaran
Azimi was born in 1985 in Tehran. She was a second-year student of
Computer Sciences at Tehran's Polytechnique University (Amir Kabir) when
she was arrested and imprisoned for her anti-government student
activities. Prison strengthened her resolve to continue her struggle
against the regime. In 2006, she found out about the existence of this
hub of resistance against the regime. A subsequent visit to Ashraf
completely changed her life. Upon return to Iran, she was arrested and
imprisoned again. After coming out on bail, she started arranging for
another trip to Ashraf, this time for good.
In Ashraf, she was
always in the first line of people defending Ashraf during attacks. So
was the case on April 8, 2011, where she was targeted by sharp shooters
and lost her prolific life at the age of 26.
Marzieh Pournaghi
Marzieh
Pournaghi was 48 when she lost her life in the April 8 attack. She knew
the PMOI since she was a high school student in Iran. She was arrested
and imprisoned in 1983 when she was 18 for supporting the PMOI. She
spent three years in prison and lost her contact with the movement. She
received Bachelors of Science in Social Sciences Research. In 2007, she
found out about Ashraf and travelled there for a visit. Upon return to
Iran, she was arrested and imprisoned but later released on heavy bail.
Then she quickly left the country with her husband and son in June 2008
to join the movement in Ashraf.
Marzieh was very popular for being very kind and humble, at the same time determined. Her son was 16 when he lost his mother.
Fatemeh Massih
Fatemeh
Massih was born in 1956 in the central Iranian city of Yazd. Her family
were religious but at the same time very much against oppression of the
mullahs. Her sister was killed by the clerical regime in the early
1980s along with her husband and five of her children and son-in-law.
So, she had felt the regime's oppression with flesh and bone. Fatemeh
used to say that it was her dream to find the PMOI and join them so that
she could struggle for the freedom of her country from the mullahs'
clutches.
With the history of her family, however, it was very
difficult for her to find a way to leave the country. Finally, when she
did so with her two daughters, it was the happiest day of her life.
These words are remembered from her, when she said: 'All my life and
existence is for my people and I have vowed to continue the path of
those who gave their lives for freedom.'
She loved her sisters in
Ashraf and she worked hard day and night without letting anyone find
out about her efforts. She did not expect anything for herself.
On
April 8, 2011, she was also one of those who had rushed to the front
line to defend Ashraf and help their wounded sisters and brothers.
With
their sacrifices, these heroines saved Ashraf and impacted subsequent
developments which opened the way towards Iran's freedom. They will be
always remembered as heroines who hoisted the flag of freedom in the
darkest days of their country's history.
https://english.mojahedin.org/newsen/63756
