We face a thoroughly illegitimate regime that must suppress [masses so as to survive]. It has to keep tens of thousands of people in prison and carry out executions in order to terrorize the whole society. This horror can and must be stopped by unleashing an uprising for the release of political prisoners. Not only is it necessary, it also presents important opportunities to put a stop to the repressive apparatus of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI)….

Some Vitally Important Points About This Struggle

The struggle to free political prisoners has great revolutionary potential. But without a doubt, its positive and revolutionary potential will be squandered if it gets diverted into the gutter of dirty deals between imperialist governments and the IRI…. Throughout the struggle to free the political prisoners, we must base our actions on the principle of self-reliance, and winning the internationalist support of people around the world….

Fighting to free the political prisoners within the framework of “human rights” and “democracy” works against self-reliance, because it confines the theater of battle to a framework that is dominated by the imperialist capitalist world, a world where maintaining horrifying prisons, and training and equipping brutal regimes in Asia, Africa and Latin America have been and are integral to the functioning of that global [order]. And, undoubtedly, the Western imperialist governments who have long been the trade and political partners of the IRI have been fully aware of the many crimes committed by the IRI.

During the Jina uprising [sparked on September 16, 2022 by the murder of Mahsa “Jina” Amini by Iran’s morality police], right-wing opposition forces abroad tried to channel the struggle for overthrowing the IRI onto the pathway of the Western [imperialists]. This fueled widespread fantasies among the people themselves. But in the end, the “pro-democracy imperialists” sided with the IRI! This was the outcome of the widely publicized meetings with European leaders, the invitations to the White House, the meeting with Ayatollah Blinken (Biden's Secretary of State), of sitting in the UN with the support and encouragement of the US... and of waging a reactionary and filthy ideological campaign that included the [world] powers who themselves are war criminals and have torture sites around the world….

In this struggle, we must rely on the support of the people around the world and not on the governments. In order to rely on the support of the people around the world, people must be drawn forward into the campaign to free political prisoners in Iran based on internationalist politics. Internationalism has a very powerful basis in the real world, because the imperialist-capitalist system ties together the people all around the world. What is happening in Iran, expressed as a rebellion against the IRI, is actually the cry of humanity. It arises out of the global capitalist system that has produced so much suffering, which is similar to the suffering experienced by the 80 plus million people of Iran held captive by the IRI.…

Specifically, within the framework of imperialist “democracy” and the UN “human rights” institutions, we can never advance in confrontations with the IRI's fascist judiciary and its repression. For these bourgeois currents, however, keeping the movement within this framework is entirely in accordance with their outlook…. It is clear to us that such [frameworks] strengthen both the IRI and [other reactionary] currents…. They move entirely on the backs of the imperialist centers of power and aim to “replace” the IRI regime through their (intervention)—as happened in 1979 when Khomeini and his cohort replaced the Shah Pahlavi regime.

Moreover, [the IRI] repressing people is never a temporary thing and will not be resolved by “human rights” discussions. This repression will become even more violent than it is now, and we must prepare ourselves and the people for major crises with clear vision and understanding. This does not mean that we cannot force the regime to retreat, but our success in this matter depends on the type of work we do and our political line in this particular struggle, which is based on the outlook and viewpoint of communist revolution. The existence of a growing self-reliant nucleus within the mass internationalist struggle serves not only the purpose of the revolution, but is also necessary in this specific struggle to free political prisoners which will be a protracted struggle requiring tactics that confront the regime's siege and repression…

The Vital Importance of Internationalism in the Struggle to free [Iran’s] Political Prisoners

…. The people of the world identify with our people's resistance to the repression of the IRI, which the political prisoners represent. The ruling classes of imperialist countries try to confine and limit the feeling of solidarity that people of their countries have with the Iranian people's uprising [and keep them] within the framework of “human rights.” But there is a potential for their feelings to go far beyond this narrow and limited framework. The reality of the world, as analyzed and formulated by Bob Avakian, is that the whole world stands at the crossroads of a “terrible future or truly emancipating one,” and this reality holds enormous potential for the people of the world. We must act on this reality and in important parts of the world. We must broaden the outlook of solidarity with the struggles of political prisoners in Iran, so that it takes on an internationalist character. This means for people around the world to make common cause with us.

[end excerpt]