A Historical Retrospective

To share historical memories we must first acknowledge the other individuals who were executed in Shiraz on June 16th and June 18th 1983 alongside our parents Enayat and Ezzat Eshraghi, and sister Roya Eshraghi.

We acknowledge the pain and void that so many of their families have endured. In addition to so many others that have lost their lives simply for their beliefs. We honour them all and recognise the injustice that they faced. It is also timely to recognise the longstanding struggle towards gender equality in Iran that so many face even to this day. 

The stories and quotations within this website about our family are reproduced with permission and told from a series of perspectives.

Background

  • Enayatullah (Enayat) Eshraghi was born in 1921 in Najafabad, a small village near the city of Esfahan. He had two brothers and two sisters, he was the fourth child in his family.

    Ezzat Janami was born in 1926 also in Najafabad. She had five bothers and two sisters. She was the youngest in her family.

    They married in 1947 and went on to have five children - Saeid, Nahid, Vahid, Roya and Rozita.

    Enayat worked for the National Oil Company and Ezzat was a homemaker. Due to Enayat’s position at the National Oil Company they spent time living in Bushehr, Kazeroon, Shiraz, Torbat-e Heydarieh, Mashad and once again Shiraz.

    For more memories about Enayat, Ezzat and Roya click here.

  • At 9pm on 25 November 1981 (3rd of Azar) whilst the family were at home, Revolutionary guards came to their home, took materials and they were told to report to the Prison the following day. They obliged and spent 70 hours undergoing interrogations. Their arrest related to Baha’i activities such as attending meetings and youth gatherings or hosting people at their home.

    For more information about their time in prison including letters to their family click here.

  • At about 8:30pm on the 29th of November 1982, three armed Revolutionary guards came to their house and starting searching the home.

    They searched the home and took books, pictures and family albums. They read names from a list including Enayatullah Eshraghi, Ezzat Janami Eshraghi and Roya Eshraghi.

    Their youngest daughter Rozita was not on the list and remained alone at their home until an aunt came to stay with her. It was discovered that about 45 other Baha’i’s were arrested in a similar manner on the same night. They were taken to Sepah prison.

    For the initial forty days of their imprisonment they were not permitted any visitation from family. They would later be moved to Adelabad prison.

    They spent seven months and one week in Prison. Their imprisonment related to being a Baha’i and being involved in Baha’i activities such as attending youth gatherings, meetings and providing marriage counselling to list a few. To read more about their time in prison click here.

  • On the 16th of June 1983 Enayat was executed alongside five other men in Chowgan Square, Shiraz. Two days later in that same location, Ezzat and her 23 year old daughter Roya were executed alongside eight other woman, many who were in their twenties and one as young as 17.

    They were not provided with legal counsel and faced many hours of interrogation and torture. Their bodies were not returned to their families and they were denied the right to a dignified burial. Following their execution the family home in Shiraz was seized and confiscated. No property rights were afforded to their heir and youngest daughter. The gravesite was subsequently demolished some years later.

    To read more click here.

The first thing I did when I heard the news of their execution was open the cage door of two finches I had and let them go free....I could no longer tolerate seeing any creature confined.
— Saeid Eshraghi

Enayat and Ezzat Eshraghi are survived by their four children Saeid, Nahid, Vahid and Rozita. They would have had eleven grandchildren and six great grandchildren (and counting).

Roya would have been an aunt to eleven neices and nephews.

Honouring details preserves first hand accounts of their time whilst in imprisonment up until their execution.

LEARN MORE

The Journal is a compilation of letters, diary entries, poetry, artistic tributes and more. It serves as a source of inspiration to honour them and their memories.

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