Iraj Mesdaghi, a former prisoner at Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison, told The Jerusalem Post that he felt a sense of relief after witnessing the Monday Israeli airstrike on the Evin Prison facility where political prisoners are held.
“When I saw the images, I had mixed feelings. On the one hand, I was worried about the fate of the political prisoners, but on the other, I was glad the killers were being targeted,” he said. “This was a powerful moment for us – to see those who tormented us finally being held accountable. But I must say: As long as Khamenei is alive, the cycle of violence isn’t over.”
Mesdaghi, who fled Iran in 1994, was a former Iranian political prisoner who endured 10 years of torture inside Evin. “The torture wasn’t just to extract information; it was constant. I was kept in solitary confinement for months, blindfolded, shoved into what they called ‘the grave’ – a tiny box. They lashed the soles of my feet with electric cables. Every part of my body was in pain.”
He recounted to the Post how he was forced to chant “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” every day. “It was all part of their psychological warfare. In 1988, after the ceasefire with Iraq, while I was still in prison, Khamenei ordered the mass execution of political prisoners. Thousands were killed. I survived, but most did not.”
On Monday, Israeli airstrikes targeted the Revolutionary Prosecution Office and the Revolutionary Court, located near Units 7 and 8 inside Evin.
“Evin was full of political prisoners. The prosecution office was right there in the northern part of the prison. People were terrified for their loved ones, and Khamenei didn’t care. He never released the political prisoners; now, suddenly, he claims to speak for the Iranian people, when for years he spoke only for Islam and ignored us.”
Fear over potential retaliation by the Islamic Regime
Although Mesdaghi was satisfied to see the Israeli airstrike, he now fears retaliation from the regime. “I really don’t know what will happen next,” he said. “If Khamenei survives this attack, I fear the regime will retaliate by executing more political prisoners. That’s why the world has to care, has to stand with the Iranian people, especially those being held hostage by this regime.”
Mesdaghi said he still hoped for change in Iran but didn’t see it happening yet. “Not while Khamenei is still alive,” he said. “People are too afraid. They aren’t in the streets. They are trying to flee. Maybe once Khamenei is gone, things will change. Even within the regime, cracks might appear. But today? The fear is still too strong.”