A community of Iranian descent from North Vancouver and West Vancouver came together at Mulgrave School on Saturday, June 29, to honour the 40th anniversary of the execution of 10 Baha’i women. The event, titled "Our Story is One," commemorated their memory.

On June 18, 1983, the Islamic Republic of Iran executed 10 Baha’i women in Chogan Square, Shiraz, in one night.

“The youngest was 17; most were in their 20s, and the oldest was 57. Arrested in October and November 1982, they were initially held at an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps detention center before being moved to Adel Abad Prison in Shiraz,” explained Ashley Roberts, the event's MC.

“They endured severe interrogations and torture by the IRGC to force them to renounce their faith,” she continued. “Denied legal representation and a public trial, they were sentenced by the Sharia judge of Shiraz to hanging on charges of espionage and teaching moral education to children. Each woman was given four chances to recant their faith to avoid execution, but none complied.”

The event organizers remarked, “As the impact of this injustice lingers, we honour the enduring strength and sacrifices of women in Iran and around the world in their fight for gender equality, justice, and freedom.”

The event began with an art exhibit on the Iranian women’s rights movement and a musical performance by Canadian-Australian artist Shadi Touloui-Wallace. Attendees also heard from Nahid Mazloum, whose sister, Roya Eshraghi, and mother, Ezzat Janami Eshraghi, were among the executed women.

“The loss of loved ones is painful, but when it happens unjustly, it’s a different story,” she said. “It’s like reading a book that ends abruptly in the middle. It leaves you wondering how the story could ever be complete. For 40 years, I’ve replayed the memories of the first 20 years of my life, imagining how different things could have been if they were still with us.”

The event concluded with a keynote speech by Shahrzad Sabet, co-director of the Center on Modernity in Transition and a fellow at New York University’s Institute for Public Knowledge. She discussed the necessity of recognizing human unity to achieve justice.

“A society with oppression and injustice harms every member,” she said. “When women are oppressed, society loses half its potential.”

The Iranian diaspora has long dreamed of a more equitable Iran, she said.

“For those of us connected to Iranian society, the vision of a more just and prosperous Iran is a deep-seated hope," Sabet said. “The legacy of these 10 women teaches us that the Iran we desire—and indeed, the world we desire—will be achieved not through conflict and division but through a profound recognition that our human story is one.”

In Canada, we have freedom of religion and faith, and this program also expresses solidarity with the First Nations people in Canada who have endured so much pain in their history. The gathering emphasizes coming together for a better and brighter future.

The Baha’i faith, founded in 19th century Iran, has faced severe persecution since the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Baha’i men and women have been dismissed from jobs, imprisoned, tortured, or executed. Those remaining in Iran face exclusion from universities, public employment, and many aspects of social life.

Journalist: Majid Mahichi

Skyrise Media Society