During the week of February 7-11, as Iran’s Islamic Republic (IRI) was marking the 43rd anniversary of its reactionary rule, the International Emergency Campaign to Free Iran’s Political Prisoners (IEC) and important voices of conscience teamed up with Radio Pooya for a week of special programming around the theme: Free Iran’s Political Prisoners NOW!

Radio Pooya broadcasts mainly in Farsi, but also in English, and reaches tens, even hundreds, of thousands of people around the world including inside Iran.

Nine different guests were interviewed, some in Farsi, some in English. They came from a variety of perspectives and experiences, but all were deeply knowledgeable about the crimes of the Islamic Republic, shared a passion for justice for Iran’s 80 plus million people, and a commitment to freeing Iran’s political prisoners from the regime’s dungeons. Each interview was wrapped up by a beautiful, uplifting song (see below).

Thanks to the quality and breadth of those interviewed and Radio Pooya’s global reach, this week of broadcasts made an important contribution to the fight to “Free Iran’s Political Prisoners NOW!”by their many-sided focus on the prisoners’ conditions and the need for their immediate and unconditional release.

All the interviews have now been posted at RadioPooya.com (right-hand column of its homepage) and on the IEC’s website at “On Radio Pooya Week of February 7.” They have also been tweeted out on the IEC’s Twitter: @IranPrisonEmerg.

We’ve listed these interviews below, with direct links to each:

INTERVIEWS AVAILABLE:

Hadi Ghaemi (Farsi), Executive Director, Center for Human Rights in Iran, discussed the regime’s assault on basic rights, including its arrests of lawyers, violence against women in Iran, the danger hanging over political prisoners, and why he draws hope from the growing resistance and courage of the Iranian people, especially the younger generations.

Posted here (Farsi) on Radio Pooya

Twitter: @ICHRI, @HadiGhaemi

***

Mariam Claren (Farsi), the daughter of German-Iranian dual-citizen and prisoner of conscience Nahid Taghavi, talked about the torture inflicted on her mother, the plight of dual-nationals arbitrarily arrested by the regime, and her #FreeNahid campaign and the importance of family members speaking out.

Posted here (Farsi) on Radio Pooya

Twitter: @mariam_claren
Instagram: @FreeNahid

***

Jeff Kaufman, director, producer, writer and Marcia Ross, producer (English) talked about their award-winning documentary film NASRIN, and the wider concerns it connects to, including their short film on the women’s rights movement in Iran.

Posted here (English) on Radio Pooya

Twitter: @nasrinfilm #FreeNasrin

***

Larry Everest and Dolly Veale (English) of the IEC dug into the ongoing urgency of the campaign to free Iran’s political prisoners, the internationalist character of the campaign and the centrality of its Emergency Appeal, and its strategy for actually freeing these prisoners, including the broad need to oppose both the IRI and the U.S. and proceed from the interests of humanity. They laid out the Campaign’s plans for 2022 and how people can join it.

Posted here (English) on Radio Pooya

Twitter: @IranPrisonEmerg, @LarryEverest

Instagram: @DollyVeale

***

Kave Milani of the Burn the Cage, Free the Birds (BTC) movement in Europe and former political prisoner Mona Roshan (Farsi). Mona talked about how the IRI was built in the 1980s on the blood and bones of young revolutionaries, how women have been targeted by the regime, and her experience as a former political prisoner in Iran in the mid-1980s. Kave described how the Burn the Cage movement sprung from a new wave of intensified repression by the IRI in late 2020 with mass arrests and imprisonment, BTC efforts in Europe to free Iran’s political prisoners, and the importance of not allowing the regime to crush the new waves of resistance in Iran by imprisoning, and thus separating, the people from their political leaders.

Posted here (Farsi) on Radio Pooya

Twitter: @KaveMilani

Instagram: @BurnTheCage

The Beautiful, Uplifting Music That Concluded Each Interview

Here are the beautiful, uplifting songs by a collection of amazing artists, one of which wrapped up each interview, adding a powerful and poetic touch to this struggle.

Shekib Mosadeq, "Burn the Cage, Free the Birds." This Burn the Cage, Free the Birds theme song was composed by Shekib, a revolutionary artist and activist from Afghanistan, now living in exile in Germany.

Marjan Farsad, “Mahtab” (Moonlight). Produced by the Center for Human Rights in Iran, this song is dedicated to two of Marjan’s friends who were imprisoned in Iran under trumped-up charges: wildlife conservationist Niloufar Bayani and satirist Keyomars Marzban.

“How Can I Tell You?” an original song written for the documentary film NASRIN by Tony-winning composers Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, and performed by Grammy winner Angélique Kidjo.

“Whirlwinds of Danger.” This historic international anthem was performed live by the revolutionary internationalist rock band Outernational at the September 25, 2021 program at Revolution Books New York City dedicated to freeing Iran’s political prisoners.

"Bella Ciao," revolutionary Afghan singer-songwriter Shekib Mosadeq interprets this resistance classic, originally from Italy.

***

We encourage readers to go to the IEC’s website — www.FreeIransPolitiicalPrisonersNow.org — to learn more, to get involved, and to donate much-needed funds!