A Melbourne-based Iranian woman says she fears her mother could be executed at any moment as tensions escalate in Iran following recent US-Israel strikes.
Nikoo Jalilvand Fard says her 50-year-old mother, Farhnaz Nikkhoo, has been detained for three years in Evin Prison, widely regarded as one of Iran’s most notorious detention centres. Nikkhoo was arrested in 2022 and accused of spying for Israel — allegations her daughter strongly denies.
Emotional farewell amid blackout
On Saturday night, amid widespread phone and internet disruptions across Iran, Jalilvand Fard received a rare voice message from her mother. In it, Nikkhoo appeared to signal a possible goodbye without stating so directly.
“The telephones might be disconnected. Anything could happen,” she said in the recording, adding that she had prayed for her daughter and entrusted her “to God’s protection.”
Jalilvand Fard described the call as heartbreaking. “She was thinking if anything happens to me, I’m leaving you to God,” she said, adding that the death penalty remains one of her greatest fears.
Allegations of torture
According to her daughter, Nikkhoo previously worked as a telecommunications manager in Iran and was detained while preparing to travel to Australia to visit family. She has allegedly been held in solitary confinement and subjected to both physical and psychological torture.
In a letter sent from prison two years ago, Nikkhoo described prolonged isolation, limited food and medical neglect. Jalilvand Fard claims her mother was pressured to confess to charges she denies.
Hope for political change
The recent killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has intensified political uncertainty in Iran. Jalilvand Fard hopes the upheaval could weaken the regime and pave the way for democratic reform.
She says she dreams of returning to Iran one day without fear. “There will be a day that I can go back without being afraid at the gates,” she said.
For now, she waits anxiously for news of her mother’s fate.