Women political prisoners in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison honored and paid tribute to firefighters who died battling the blaze that brought down a 17-story tower in Tehran.
Some two dozen women political prisoners honored the firefighters’ commitment and dedication because they risked their lives for others in a ceremony on January 21.
Iran was shocked on Thursday, January 19th as a deadly fire raged downtown in Tehran’s iconic 17-story Plasco tower. Firefighters battled the blaze for several hours yet the high-rise collapsed. A large number of trapped firefighters died due to lack of firefighting facilities.
The disaster stunned the firefighters’ families and friends and the people of Iran.
Among the political prisoners paying tribute to the firefighters was Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a 37-year-old British-Iranian charity worker detained back in April 2016 by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. The Iranian regime’s judiciary has confirmed her 5-year sentence, raising serious concerns about her fate.
Maryam Akbari Monfared, a sympathizer of the Iranian opposition group, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), arrested back in December 2009 for her participation in peaceful street protests, also participated in the commemoration ceremony.
Iran’s prisons hold many political dissidents and MEK sympathizers.
Iran received $1.7 billion in cash from the Obama administration over recent months, and almost $34 billion from 2014 to 2016. Nobody really knows where that money has gone, but obviously, Tehran’s firefighters didn’t get any for equipment.
