Letters That Hold a Life

Letters That Hold a Life is a podcast series released on October 10, 2025, the World Day Against the Death Penalty. Born from urgency and solidarity, this project brings to the world the unheard voices of women political prisoners on Iran’s death row — Verisheh Moradi, a women’s rights activist; Pakhshan Azizi, a social worker; and Sharifeh Mohammadi, a labour and syndicate activist — who, despite facing execution, have reclaimed their agency through the simple yet radical act of writing. From inside prison, their open letters travel beyond walls and censorship, defying silence and turning language into resistance.

Each episode reads from their letters and from messages written to them by former political prisoners, loved ones, and activists. Together, these words weave a story of courage, sisterhood, and collective care — a reminder that resistance is not only protest in the streets but also the quiet persistence of the written word.

Hosted by Mina Fakhravar, a feminist researcher and gender justice advocate, and Nasim Mogharab, a gender justice and anti-death penalty activist, co-founders of FARA – Feminist Voices Against Patriarchy, State Violence and Militarism, the podcast invites you to listen, reflect, and act to protect their lives.
Because these women’s stories are not theirs alone: they are the story of every woman who refuses to be erased, every voice that insists on life and freedom.