Marking the anniversary of two infamous political exterminations in Iran, the Organization of Iranian American Communities (OIAC) held a solemn and defiant rally on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol on Friday, April 18, reaffirming support for the Iranian people’s fight for democracy and freedom from all forms of dictatorship — both monarchical and theocratic.
The event commemorated the execution of four founding members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) on April 19, 1972 and the assassination of nine imprisoned dissidents, including both MEK and The Organization of Iranian People’s Fedai members, on April 19, 1975— atrocities carried out by the Shah’s secret police, SAVAK.
For >50 years, 2 dictatorial regimes imposed draconian laws & prayed on Iran's best & brightest. Yet today, images of the brave soles who sacrificed their life to sow & nurish the seeds of a #FreeIran remind us that darkness will soon end. @SpeakerJohnson @RepMcClintock… pic.twitter.com/yLBxFugWuA
— OIAC: Organization of Iranian American Communities (@OrgIAC) April 18, 2025
“For over 50 years, two dictatorial regimes imposed draconian laws and preyed on Iran’s best and brightest,” read one OIAC statement at the rally. “Yet today, images of the brave souls who sacrificed their lives to sow and nourish the seeds of a free Iran remind us that darkness will soon end.”
The rally featured a photo exhibition and tributes to the executed heroes — Ali Bakeri, Nasser Sadegh, Ali Mihan-Doust, and Mohammad Bazargani — all central figures in the MEK who were executed after enduring months of torture. Also remembered were the nine prisoners executed in 1975, including MEK leaders Kazem Zolanvar and Mostafa Javan Khoshdel, and Fedayeen figures such as Bijan Jazani and Hassan Zia-Zarifi, who were taken from Evin Prison and shot on the surrounding hills. SAVAK falsely claimed they were killed while trying to escape — a lie later dismantled by survivor testimony and confessions from regime operatives.
Steps from America's symbol of democracy, we remember the executions that occurred during former dictator Shah & continue today in Iran. We advocat a US policy that supports people's struggle to overthrow the clerical dictators in Iran.
@SpeakerJohnson @RepBrianMast pic.twitter.com/5bVAB4vw0I— OIAC: Organization of Iranian American Communities (@OrgIAC) April 18, 2025
“Steps from America’s symbol of democracy, we remember the executions that occurred during the former dictator Shah and continue today in Iran,” one speaker noted. “We advocate a U.S. policy that supports the people’s struggle to overthrow the clerical dictators in Iran.”
The significance of April 19 goes far beyond historical mourning. As speakers noted, these executions represent foundational moments of resistance, exposing the brutality and propaganda of the Shah’s regime — a legacy that the current religious dictatorship inherited and amplified. The rally emphasized that both the Shah and the clerics have used the same tools of violence, censorship, demonization, and deceit to crush dissent and sustain authoritarian power.
NOW on the Capitol Ground⬇️, we gather to affirm that the Iranian people will never accept single party tyranny, whether crowned or turbaned💥#No2ShahNo2Mullahs
@SpeakerJohnson @RepBrianMast @HouseGOP @HouseDemocrats @FoxNews #StopExecutionsInIran pic.twitter.com/DFzjxP1gNv— OIAC: Organization of Iranian American Communities (@OrgIAC) April 18, 2025
One placard read: “The Iranian people will never accept tyranny — whether crowned or turbaned.” That message echoed in the speeches, as the crowd condemned efforts to whitewash the Shah’s crimes or rehabilitate his former agents. Protesters also denounced Parviz Sabeti, the former SAVAK official implicated in the 1975 executions, for his recent public reemergence in support of the monarchist camp.
“Today’s revolution in Iran carries the banner of ‘No Shah, No Sheikh,’” organizers declared, “and the light of that vision was first lit in the prisons, the torture chambers, and the execution yards — by those who chose death over submission.”
Our photo exhibition, NOW on the Capitol Ground⬇️.The Iranian people will never accept tyranny, whether crowned or turbaned💥
##NO2ShahNO2Mullahs
@SpeakerJohnson @RepBrianMast @HouseGOP @HouseDemocrats pic.twitter.com/1VOMQbluap— OIAC: Organization of Iranian American Communities (@OrgIAC) April 18, 2025
The rally ended with chants of solidarity and renewed calls for a secular, democratic republic in Iran. Through remembrance and resistance, participants made clear that the struggle for freedom would not be silenced, and its martyrs would not be forgotten.