Following the magnificent and widespread general strike of the people of Kurdistan on January 22, 2025, the Islamic Republic regime has arrested several activists engaged in various fields of civil and public activities in different cities of Kurdistan.
These arrests are taking place in a situation where, over the past two months, nearly 100 civil and political activists have already been detained under various pretexts.
The Islamic Republic, unable to tolerate the unity and firm determination of the people of Kurdistan an outstanding example of which was witnessed in the general strike on Wednesday is attempting to take revenge on the struggling and justice-seeking people through repression and intimidation. However, the regime must understand that the history and resistance of the people of Kurdistan have repeatedly shown that no degree of repression can stop the struggle for freedom of a people fighting for their fundamental human rights. The unity and solidarity of the people of Kurdistan are stronger than to be broken by these cowardly actions born out of desperation.
The Islamic Republic resorts to such cowardly actions while it is entangled in multiple incurable mega-crises. Inside the country, it faces waves of protests from workers, retirees, nurses, and justice-seekers. Meanwhile, beyond Iran’s borders, the forces that were supposed to provide it with strategic security are being eliminated one after another, failing to ensure the regime’s survival.
The Islamic Republic is incapable of suppressing the wave of mass dissatisfaction. The people of Kurdistan have moved beyond this phase, and the regime can no longer establish the climate of fear and intimidation it desires. The people, disillusioned and disgusted with the Islamic Republic, will not remain silent in the face of this wave of arrests in Kurdistan.
In a civil act, the people of Kurdistan protested against the issuance of unjust death sentences through their general strike, condemning such sentences against individuals who not only do not deserve such rulings, but whose very arrest and imprisonment are criminal and inhumane. The regime must not be allowed to continue its spree of arrests with impunity.
The reality is that without prisons and political prisoners, the Islamic Republic would not survive a single day in power. Therefore, the struggle for the freedom of political prisoners and the defense of their families is a serious step toward the overthrow of the Islamic Republic and the establishment of a system free from executions and political imprisonment.
Undoubtedly, with the fall of the Islamic Republic, the doors of political prisons will be broken open, and the noble individuals who have endured torture and death in their pursuit of freedom and justice will return to the people with pride. But until the day these prison doors are unlocked, millions of protesters must do everything in their power to prevent the execution and torture of political prisoners and to secure their release.
The slogan “Freedom for All Political Prisoners” must echo in every street and neighborhood. No one should be arrested or imprisoned for fighting for their rights, for protesting economic misery and existing oppression, for holding opposing beliefs, or for engaging in political activities. If anyone is to be imprisoned, it should be those responsible for the current state of affairs the very individuals who arrest, torture, and kill the children of the people, burying them in unmarked graves, and those who plunder society’s wealth while imposing immense suffering, deprivation, and oppression on the people.
In such circumstances, unity in action and broad cooperation around the slogan of defending the freedom of political prisoners and the abolition of criminal sentences is both practical and effective. The Islamic Republic’s grip on these imprisoned individuals must be broken. However, achieving such a significant goal is only possible for a people who ultimately hold the regime’s fate in their strong hands. Only through united struggle and mass protest can the regime be pressured into stopping such inhumane actions.
