Each night, they pull down a star from heavens to earth
And this sorrow stricken sky is teeming with stars
Hello, comrade! How should I envision you? For what crime should I visualize you? A frail lad hanging high up on the gallows, gleaming as the sun blossoms in the horizon? Or a child with bare feet amongst the downtrodden from the slums, yearning to be the glad tidings bearing a loaf of bread to his people’s empty tables? Continue reading “Farzad Kamangar’s Letter Mourning Ehsan Fatahian”
Dedicated to Niayesh and Shakiba Badaghi and all children whose parents are not by their side at this year’s Haft-Sin table.
I was listening to my cellmate’s lullabies; he was singing to his daughters, Paria and Zahra. In harmony with his heartbreaking lullaby, my other cellmate began to sob. Unconsciously, they made my tears run down too. It was the second time that he had been arrested. He was sentenced to one year in prison the first time, but then, he had to stay another ten years. His only joy and thrill was the fact that his daughters came to visit him on Mondays. Continue reading “Angels Laughing on Mondays”
Farzad Kamangar wrote the following piece in memory of a political prisoner from 1980’s. This political prisoner who suffered from terrible poor vision used a small piece of cardboard in place of each lens when his glasses broke during beatings and torture. This was the last image of him seen by his mother. The aforementioned political prisoner was subsequently murdered under torture and was buried in an unknown and unmarked grave. This piece has been dedicated by Farzad Kamangar to the mother of this political prisoner.
Continue reading “Future Belongs to the Fallen Buried Without a Shroud”
HRANA News Agency – Farzad Kamangar wrote the following letter to his pupils in Asfand 1386 [February/March 2008] while he was in Rajai Shahr prison.
Two years later, he was executed by the Islamic Republic of Iran on May 9, 2010. To pay homage to Farzad Kamangar and his everlasting legacy, a translation of this letter is being released as the anniversary of his exeuction approaches. Continue reading “To the Wind and the Sun, I Leave You”
The following are excerpts from the account, obtained by RFE/RL, of a 25-year-old female student in Tehran of the scattered protests that took place in Tehran on February 20.
The opposition had called for the rally to mark a week since the deaths of two students in February 14 clashes between opposition protesters and security forces in Tehran. Continue reading “‘They’ve Put Batons Instead Of Books In The Hands Of People’s Children’”
HRANA- The son of Anwar Hossein Panahi a Kurdish political prisoner has written a letter to human rights organizations regarding the plight of his father who was arrested for his political activities. Below are excerpts of his letter obtained by HRANA.
To the high ranking officials of the world, the UN Human Rights Council, and international human rights organizations.
You are all aware that my father has spent three years in prison without reason. We cannot even imagine what he has been through over the last three years. Never mind what my family has gone through.
HRANA- Majid Tavakoli, imprisoned student from Tehran’s Polytechnic University has written a letter on the eve of the anniversary of the attack on student dormitories on July 9, 1999.
In his letter received by HRANA, Majid Tavakoli writes, “The eleventh anniversary of July 9th has arrived, yet our pain still remains. When freedoms were threatened by the crimes of the chain murders and the shutting down of newspapers; once again university students rose up against authoritarianism but regrettably tragedy struck the university dormitory at the hands of criminals.” Continue reading “My Bitter Memories:A Letter From Majid Tavakoli on the Anniversary of July 9th”
Faced with undeniable evidence of a scandal, one solution is to blame others. But picking out a few expendable scapegoats from your own side – and punishing them – often works better. That is the tactic adopted by the Iranian regime in trying to shrug off revelations of atrocities in the Kahrizak detention centre. This week an Iranian military court convicted and sentenced to death two officials who had been accused of torturing and killing three protesters in the centre during the aftermath of last year’s disputed presidential election. Continue reading “Iran’s Guantánamo Bay: the cover-up won’t work”
In exclusive interviews with Rooz, Iranian refugees in the Iraqi Kurdistan reveal their desperate living conditions, uncertain fates, absence of security and unresponsiveness of the United Nations in processing their cases. Officials at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Erbil require applicants to “prove endangerment of life” as a condition for obtaining refugee status, stating, “Our budget and resources are limited and we cannot support all refugees one hundred percent.” Continue reading “Iranian Refugees In Iraq Face Uncertain Fate”
HRANA – Mr. Hamzeh Karami, a political activist and owner of “Jomhouriyat” website, has been sentenced to 11 years in prison and permanently banned from all government service by the Appellate Court. While on leave from prison, Security Forces exerted significant pressure on Mr. Karami to appear in a televised interview and speak against Mr. Hashemi Rafsanjani. Mr. Karami is currently detained in Section 7 of Evin Prison in Tehran.
Continue reading “A Report on the Condition of Hamzeh Karami, Imprisoned Political Activist”
