Nasrin Shojaee

Nasrin Shojai was executed at the age of 17 on August 4th, 1988, though her gravestone indicates October 2, 1988. She was born in 1970 to Yahya and Zeinab, Nasrin was the youngest in her Bakhtiari Lur family, with two older brothers, Mehran and Masoud.

Her family’s persecution by the Islamic regime began early, as they were followers of the Mojahedin Khalq (MKH). After her brothers were executed and her parents forced to flee the country under threat, Nasrin, at just 13, was left to live with her uncle.

Nasrin’s first encounter with the regime’s brutality occurred in 1981. At only 11 years old, she attended a peaceful demonstration on 20 June, which was violently crushed on Khomeini’s orders. Her 15-year-old brother, Mehran, was arrested alongside her 14-year-old cousin, Souke Zar, for their support of the Mojahedin. Both were executed just a few months later in October. Her other brother, Masoud, along with her uncle Ashkbous and cousin Kian, were also arrested. Masoud and Ashkbous were imprisoned in Isfahan’s Dastgard prison for a year before being forced to flee the country, where they were killed in clashes with Revolutionary Guards. Kian was executed as well.

In 1983, her parents, under continuous threat from the Ministry of Intelligence, were forced to leave Iran, leaving Nasrin behind, still a young girl in middle school. In 1985, Nasrin and several family members were arrested during a new wave of detentions targeting those with ties to the Mojahedin. Severely tortured and held in solitary confinement for months, Nasrin endured unimaginable suffering before being transferred to the general section of Isfahan’s Dastgard prison. She was released in 1986 but remained under constant surveillance.

Her brief taste of freedom ended in the spring of 1987 when Nasrin, along with more family members, was arrested again. This time, the torture worsened, and Nasrin, now just 17, was accused of collaborating with her family in supporting the MKH. In the summer of 1988, Khomeini issued a decree ordering the mass execution of political prisoners, and Nasrin’s fate was sealed. The notorious “Death Committee,” which included Ebrahim Raisi, began a brutal campaign in Isfahan. Nasrin was brought before the committee and, without a trial or any defense, Judge Abdollahi sentenced her to death.

Before her execution, Nasrin endured further unspeakable horrors. It is reported that Judge Abdollahi, regime guards, and clerics assaulted and gang raped her multiple times, leaving her unable to walk – following a twisted belief that virgins should not be executed. Nasrin, already battered from months of torture, was repeatedly assaulted, leaving her physically and psychologically shattered.

On August 4, 1988, in Isfahan’s Dastgard prison, Nasrin was taken to the gallows. Even in her final moments, the regime inflicted further cruelty, hanging her with the noose reversed to prolong her suffering. She was buried in Najafabad, Isfahan, her body laid to rest after a life defined by unimaginable pain.

Nasrin Shojaee’s name appears in the book “Crime Against Humanity,” alongside the names of 12 other family members murdered by the regime. She never knew the joy of childhood, her brief life consumed by arrests, torture, and tragedy. Her story, like so many others, must not be forgotten. Her sacrifice, like that of her family, stands as a testament to the enduring fight for justice in Iran.