Mrs. Maryam Rajavi said that Marjan stood up for oppressed women in Iran.

Well-known Iranian artist, Marjan died recently in a Los Angeles hospital. She was born in 1948 as Shahla Safi Zamir and became a much-loved singer in her country of birth. After the 1979 Iranian revolution against the Shah, she was banned from singing and became involved with the resistance movement, supporting the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI / MEK Iran) until her death. She was thrown in jail together with her husband, Ferydoon Jourak, after their arrest for supporting the (PMOI / MEK Iran) in 1982. She left Iran after a 2-year prison sentence and eventually ended up settling in the U.S. The Washington Post published an article about Marjan after her death on June 5^th. The following is a summary of the published article.

Marjan was the stage name for Shahla Safi Zamir, born in Isfahan, Iran, to wealthy parents. Before the revolution that overthrew the Shah in 1979, Marjan had established herself as a well-known actress and singer. She acted in at least 30 Farsi language films during the two decades before the revolution and also was a very popular singer.

After the revolution, the new clerical regime made acting and singing forbidden. Marjan joined the opposition and was arrested twice, firstly in 1980, then 1982 for her support for the resistance. One of her songs in this period was known as Homeland: “My homeland, my home, I have no place but here, I have no future without you.”

The president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, said that Marjan stood up for oppressed women in Iran and those “who rose and fought the regime” and “are genuine representatives of the suffering of Iranian women and their passionate desire for liberation.” Marjan spent two years in prison after her arrest with her husband in 1982, 9 months of which were spent in solitary confinement. After her release, she expressed her support for imprisoned Iranian women and artists.

Marjan escaped from Iran in 2001 and was given political asylum in the U.S. in recognition of her prowess as an actress and singer.

She remained out of view of the public until 2005 when she reappeared at the DAR Constitution Hall in Washington where she sang songs of resistance before a crowd of exiled Iranians. The following verses were part of a song she sang at this gathering, aimed at the Iranian regime.

“My young branches have been wounded by axes

But, what will you do with the roots?

What will you do?”

She continued to make appearances in support of the Iranian resistance, writing rousing political anthems such as “We Will Build a Nation,” “We Must and We Can” and “Time to Overthrow.”

Most of her appearances were at political rallies in support of the NCRI in both the U.S. and Albania, where the NCRI is now based.

Some of the annual rallies in Paris where she performed were before an audience of 100,000. The Iranian regime tried to blow up one of these rallies in June 2028, but the attempt was stopped in time by French Belgian and German officials.

According to Maryam Rajavi of the NCRI, “Marjan’s songs, and her commitment to freedom and the people of Iran are inspiring to the young people of Iran and particularly to defiant young women.”

She will always be remembered for her reappearance in 2005 when she sang the following:

“Don’t think that I’ve been forgotten

I have been etched in history and memories

I’ve become so united with my people

That you’d think I’m their voice

Their voice

Their voice.”