September 4, 2013
Noble people of Iran,
Honorable authorities of the Islamic Republic,
This is the sound of the pain carried by the mothers of this land. It is the sound of families bereaved with grief that has thousands of times died under the weight of their lost ones. But with disbelief every day, despite their wish for their loved ones to be alive again they have forgiveness in order to sooth the pain that has roots of injustice. There is no expectation of completely eradicating the suffering but just to ease the pain caused by injustice. The pain of losing a loved one, a child, young siblings who could today be a part of society and play a role in providing peace to their friends and loved ones, can never be quelled.
The families of victims of tyranny and injustice, along with those who have lost loved ones in the aftermath of other disasters have no refuge besides faith and God. But what is most agonizing is that one person, or a group that holds power that is used outside legal parameters and with no regard for the rights of others, takes the lives of human beings. The pain is immeasurable and lasts longer than the duration of history. As a group who has had our share of suffering by losing our loved ones, all of our efforts have been to stop the process that resulted in the loss of their lives in hopes that what happened to us is not repeated and does not happen to others. But alas this has not happened and it is evident that those responsible in perpetrating these crimes have no intention of stopping the process of crossing the red line when it comes to the lives of human beings.
On July 9, 1999 when Ezat Ebrahimnejad lost his life in that manner, maybe if there had been an investigation we would not be faced with having no news of Saeed Zeinali to this day. Perhaps if instead of using threats, constant intimidation and false promises to the family of Saeed Zeinali to keep them in the dark about his situation and whereabouts, no person with authority would feel his hands are open to take the life of Zahra Kazemi with such ease.
If the Kazemi family had been able to reach the relevant authorities, would the judiciary not have been proud of its actions? If Akbar Mohammadi’s voice asking for justice had been heard, wouldn’t it be likely that he would still be alive? If these issues had not been considered trivial and had been legally investigated, would it not be likely that the tragic disasters in the aftermath of the 2009 presidential elections would have been prevented? Was it not possible to prevent the loss of the Sohrabs and the Nedas during the June 15 and June 20 events? If the unjust confrontations that took place in the days after the election had been investigated, would the dreadful crimes that took pace in Kahrizak later not have been prevented? Was there no way to prevent the bloodshed of Ashura88? If the perpetrators of Ashura had been identified, would the tragedy of 25Bahman not been prevented? Which people dared kill Haleh Sahabi during the funeral of her father? Were they not the same people who impeded the human rights of her father Hoda Saber and refused to hear his voice? It is not long ago that Mr. Osanlou, political prisoner at Rajai Shahr prison lost his life. And about a year has gone by since the death of Sattar Beheshti while in detention. Despite relentless follow-up on the part of his lawyer and family, the perpetrators of this crime were handed a laughable charge of involuntary manslaughter. About 10 days have gone by since the killing of Baha’i citizen Attollah Rezvani in Bandar Abbas and apparently this does not stop the criminal methods.
As families who despite having paid a very heavy price while subdued by the judiciary, we warn that this process must at some point come to an end. Maybe someday when this trend is over, there will be hope of justice for families who have lost loved ones and those who were not even allowed to hold funeral services. And maybe those who are still looking for information about the lost blood of their children only to be confronted by the red line of the justice system can get some answers.
Despite enduring all these difficulties, with the help of God we feel the new spirit that is felt in our nation and see the clear horizons ahead for our youth. But we warn the judiciary and security authorities of the Islamic Republic that without respect for the most basic human rights of the people, the improvement of our nation both domestically or internationally will be nothing but an illusion.
Today is 27 days since jailed blogger and political activist Hossein Ronaghi launched a hunger strike and 16 days since his mother Zoleikha Mousavi launched a hunger strike in support of her ailing son. The worry for their dangerous physical condition has intensified.
Added to the health issues that this young man’s mother suffers stemming from her hunger strike, Hossein Ronaghi is inflicted with kidney disease, he has neurological disorders and gastrointestinal illness. The question arises about whether security and judicial officials are after repeating the disasters of the past? As the family of the wounded and those killed during the horrific events of the past years we put full responsibility for whatever happens to Hossein Ronaghi and his mother Zoleikha Mousavi on the head of the judiciary, the Tehran Prosecutor, and the officials of Evin prison. We also ask those in charge in the new government while following up on the situation of these two Iranian citizens, to sometimes also take a look at the injustices that took place in the past years. If this government acts accordingly, it will be honored to finally get this nation to the place it deserves by creating a steady state with hope and ambition for its youth.
In ending we respectfully request from dear Hossein to think of the people and the nation that still need him. We know. We know the mistreatment, oppression and lawlessness imposed on you and your family has caused you to take this path despite your illness and physical suffering. But again we repeat that you and people like you belong not only to yourselves and to your families. You are the future resources of this nation that can serve the people for years with your talents and your love for your country. For this reason we ask you wholeheartedly to end this hunger strike. The cries of your protest has reached the ears of all those who needed to hear it. Rest assured that you are not alone in this path. Until our last breathe and until we reach our goals, we will be by each other’s side.
From the families of martyrs:
Neda Agha Soltan
Sohrab Arabi
Sattar Beheshti
Ali Hassanpour
Keramatolah Zareiyan
Hoda Saber
Meysam Abedi
Shaharm Farajzadeh
Mohammad Kamrani
Mostafah Karim Beigi
Akbar Mohammadi
Mohammad Mokhtari
Ahmad Nejati Kargar
Javid Saeed Zeinali
***
Kaleme