March 8: Against Gender Apartheid and the Regime of Executions
March 8, International Women’s Day, has a deep connection with the “Woman, Life, Freedom” revolution in Iran. Following the state-sponsored murder of Mahsa Amini, this symbol of the Jina revolution, the fury and hatred of society against 46 years of gender apartheid, systemic discrimination, and oppression erupted into a revolution. This uprising hailed as the first women’s revolution in history. March 8 in Iran carries the mark of this uprising.
The fight against gender apartheid—recognized globally as a crime against humanity—is a central demand of the Woman, Life, Freedom revolution. The bold resistance of women against state oppression, is expressed daily in the forms like women unveiled public singing, mixed-gender dancing during various occasions, including the recent New Year celebrations, and many other forms that is the radical expressions of this ongoing social resistance.
This continuation of the revolution has had a powerful global impact, as seen in international forums. At the ongoing UN Human Rights Council session in Geneva, Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, has called for the complete and permanent abolition of Iran’s “Hijab Law”—the bloody banner of gender apartheid—along with the immediate release of all political prisoners, an end to arbitrary arrests, and a halt to executions. The opposition to Hijab and other Islamic rules is wide spread internationally and inside Iran.
Building on these advancements, this year’s March 8 is a celebration of the victory over compulsory hijab and a renewed call to end gender apartheid with even greater force.
At present, three courageous women—Sharifeh Mohammadi, a beloved labor activist, and Pakhshan Azizi and Verisheh Moradi, two determined protesters—are facing the threat of execution. Execution is a tool of the regime to suppress society. On this March 8, we demand the immediate revocation of their death sentences, their release from prison, and the abolition of all death penalties and executions.
Women prisoners in Evin Prison are a key force in resisting the Islamic Republic and advancing the Woman, Life, Freedom revolution. Among them are prominent labor and pensioner activists such as Sepideh Gholian, Nahid Khodajoo, Nasrin Jowadi, and Reyhaneh Ansari (a retired labor activist), as well as Raheleh Rahmipour, a pensioner and a member of justice-seeking families. This year, we honor their struggles and demand the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners. Imprisoned workers, detained teachers, and all political prisoners must be freed without unconditionally.
The key demands of this year’s March 8 statements in Iran include:
- The eradication of gender apartheid
- The abolition of all reactionary Islamic and anti-women laws
- The complete abolition of the death penalty and the immediate revocation of all execution sentences
- The safeguarding of livelihood, dignity, and health as fundamental pillars of life
- The unconditional release of all political prisoners
Free Them Now, the Campaign to free jailed workers in Iran, fully supports these demands and honors International Women’s Day. FTN calls on all labor and human rights organizations worldwide to stand in solidarity with these demands, exert pressure on the Islamic regime for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners, end executions, and recognize the rights to assembly, protest, and independent organizing. The Islamic Republic—a regime of gender apartheid, misogyny, and crimes against humanity—must be boycotted internationally and expelled from all global institutions, including the ILO.
Long live March 8, International Women’s Day!
Free Them Now (Campaign To Free Jailed Workers In Iran )
Shahla Daneshfar – FTN spokesperson 00447435562462
Kazem Nikkhah – FTN head of international relations, 00447413753502
(https://free-them-now.com/)
05/03/2025