We are some friends from the Iranian Diaspora and others who support Iran’s political prisoners and the Women, Life, Freedom uprising. We want to contribute again to winning the $30K BA Official fund drive. 

To reiterate what our group said in calling for others to donate in the last such important fund drive: “The people of Iran have fought and sacrificed for decades to get free of oppressive regimes, with a spirit, heroism, and self-sacrifice that are an inspiration and example. But that alone is not enough. People need scientific leadership with the strategy that will enable them to defeat oppressive and fascist regimes and emancipate themselves and all humanity. We think that Bob Avakian is such a revolutionary leader. We are lucky to have BA's revolutionary leadership at this crucial time.” 

We oppose the Zionist-fascist Israeli-U.S. war in full force against Iran. It is a dire threat to all the people in Iran, the people all over the Middle East and possibly the world as the war threatens to expand exponentially. And Israel’s terror bombing of trapped, defenseless prisoners in Evin, with its many political prisoners, is as depraved as their bombing of hospitals in Gaza.

We have consistently opposed the dark ages, capitalist theocratic regime in Iran with its extreme, misogynistic repression, now more than ever. We stand firmly in support of the courageous political dissidents there, especially the prison hunger strikers determined to stop the now wartime execution machine that may go into high gear.

One of Iran’s inspiring voices of resistance has been that of Sepideh Gholian. She is a journalist-activist who was imprisoned by the Islamic Republic for most of her twenties. She was arrested in late 2018 during a labor strike and severely tortured in detention. In early 2023, when she was released from Evin prison, a video of her removing her hijab and calling for the downfall of Khamenei went viral. 

She was rearrested hours later and sentenced to two more years. She has been released recently in mid-June 2025, shortly after the release of her book.

We think it appropriate to offer her new book Evin Prison Bakers’ Club, Surviving Iran’s Most Notorious Prisons in 16 Recipes for donors to the campaign to get @BobAvakianOfficial reaching everywhere. It is part of humanizing the people, and political prisoners, now under attack by the U.S.-Israel axis. The book objectively captures the kind of culture in a future, revolutionary society that we can imagine from the new communism developed by Bob Avakian. The book blends brutal reality with a flight of the imagination so boundaries are not absolute but in motion. It is imbued with a largeness of mind and generosity of spirit, an unconditional camaraderie under duress, a collective joy in the fierce struggle against women’s oppression, and more. It portends what humanity is capable of—with the leadership that can lead us to be emancipated from enforced systems of exploitation and oppression that is today’s world.

And Sepideh’s journey comes with 16 recipes from around the world (for aspiring or current good bakers)! One recipe reminds the baker to “remember to wear a flowery dress” while making the dish (or maybe a flowery shirt). 

We collectively pledge to raise $500 for this project by July 1. We are asking $50 to cover the book’s cost plus the donation. The book is also available at Revolution Books in Berkeley and sales of the book will also contribute to this important bookstore staying open. 

In the near future, we also are planning fundraising activities for the @BobAvakianOfficial campaign as the Evin Prison Bakers Club auxiliary. We may hold a bake-off ourselves, but want to encourage others to bake recipes from Sepideh’s book, and to sell books to friends/family, and donate the funds to WINNING this historic fight to connect Bob Avakian’s rare and unique revolutionary leadership to millions. What future we get does indeed depend on it.