By Heshmat Tabarzadi
I am going back to the prison tomorrow. A year has passed since my prison recess. Based on my calculations, of the eight years prison verdict, still 4 years are remaining. I have already been 7 years of my life in prison and Every year since 1999, I have spent some time in prison. Today, the prosecutor office called and ordered me to report back to the Rajai-Shahr prison. As I have repeatedly mentioned, because of my mother’s situation, I had agreed to be freed with the condition of remaining silent, and I maintained my silence until a few days ago.
However, the situation of the people and my country is such that I could no longer keep quiet and therefore I broke my silence. During the one year that I was out of jail, I acquired a more accurate understanding of the conditions of the Iranian society. Unfortunately, the regime has brought the nation and the country to regression as the power struggle (within the regime) continues, and the regime is responsible for the current situation.
Some of the Iranian opposition has become attached to the president Rouhani’s government, claiming that they are worried about Iran and want to avoid Iran falling in the same paths as Syria and Libya. By doing so, they have tied their own fate to the fate of the Islamic Republic. The western powers hope to bring the regime to the international community and to force it to adhere to the international principals, including human rights. The economic situation of the regime is such that it has no choice but to enter in such direction. I do not consider it impossible for the regime to be forced to follow this path. Although the ruling oligarchy shows tenacity and will not easily give up, but with the Geneva talks, it has already taken the first step. A government that does not give in to the demands of its own people has no other option but to oblige to the will of foreign powers. That is why the ruling regime subscribes to no logic but force and oppression.
Meanwhile the primary task of us Iranians is to free ourselves from the current situation and to establish human rights and secular democracy in our country. However, the ruling oligarchy with all its power is trying to avoid this path, yet it has no choice but to consent to the internationally recognized rules of law.
I also have noticed that the secular democracy movement in Iran is rapidly growing. Despite the enforced limitations on me, many secular democrat organization and individuals have contacted me, which is a sign of the growth of this movement and their kind attention to this small soldier of freedom. I believe recalling me to the prison in because of the regime’s understanding of this growth, attention and perseverance.
I am deeply committed to this cause and ask the movement to step in the direction of the staged demands such as “No to Executions and Freedom of the political prisoners”. Naturally, avoiding conflicts with one another and agreeing on common demands are necessary pre-requisites for the staged and final victories. In order to rid ourselves…, this is a serious alternative for the Iranians. Join this movement.
I understand my presence outside the prison is to the advantage of the democracy seeking movement and also would have liked to be with my family, especially next to my elderly mother, a kind and courageous lioness, but being detained along with my comrades, in another trench of struggle is also comforting. Especially that after this new imprisonment, some hypocrites can no longer claim to the international community that after the emergence of President Hassan Rouhani, Iran's human rights situation has improved. Obviously, this is my wish and I know that the present pressures has forced the regime to a step-by-step retreat, But that time is yet to come.
Presently I am in perfect health, and as long as certain conditions are not imposed on me, I am not intending to resort to hunger strike. However, if anything happens to me, be aware that its responsibility directly lies with Khamenei himself and the rulers. Once again, I ask the respected lawyers to seriously consider and follow up with the complaint against Seyed Ali Khamenei that I filed in 2011 while in prison.
I understand that with the situation facing us, and the role that this soldier of freedom has assumed, I may face serious dangers and that my well-being will depend on the efforts of all the human rights defenders.
May the chains of tyranny break , Long Live Freedom and democracy
Heshmat Tabarzadi
Chairperson of the Iranian Democratic Front
Spokesperson for the Solidarity Movement for Democracy and Human Rights in Iran
January 5, 2014
I refused to report to the prison today
By Heshmat Tabarzadi
Dear Compatriots! Greetings.
As I announced yesterday, someone claiming to represent the prosecutor office called me and asked that I turn myself in at the Rajai-Shar prison by 10:00 am this morning. I was intending to return to the prison and announced my decision, but after requests by my family, especially my mother and my wife and advice by friends and those knowledgeable about legal matters, I reconsidered my decision and did not report to the prison. Especially that this summoning was done outside the legal frames and could have been issued to create an atmosphere of fear for my family as a form of oppression and bullying of the citizens, which I should react to by civil resistance.
I know that the ruling oligarchy, and the non-responsive powers within, will not leave the citizens alone and as one of the fundamentalist representative of the Islamic Republic parliament confessed, the non-independent judiciary has become a force serving the ruling tyranny, and in my view, this branch has been as a force to repress the citizens.
On the other hand, probably expecting the Rouhani government to implement his campaign promises and defend the citizen rights violation by the invaders of the nation’s rights and lack of silence and irresponsibility in systematic violation of human rights against the unaccountable powers is deemed useless. On this basis, I will be relying on own struggles as well as awareness of dear Iranians and the support of the individuals, human rights, political and social organizations. Therefore, I will respond proportionally to those who autonomously consider themselves righteous in violating the right of the others.
We know that this unaccountable power has turned Iran into a hell for the people and especially for political critics, human rights activists and other religious and social thinkers (Iran is perhaps ranked second in oppression after North Korea) and it has tried to publicly declare that the submission to the nuclear issues, does not necessarily mean giving up its systematic human rights violations.
We believe that they intend to increase the oppression in order to reduce my tolerance, until I either stay silent or escape the country. However, we think that this risky and dangerous phase shall also pass. As I have expressed before, a government which for its survival, needs the resort to the help of the major powers with submissions in the Geneva talks, cannot survive independently as it continues to systematically resort to gross violation of human rights. Although major powers give priority to their own interests, but the dominant mechanism in the current era requires them to apply inhibitory policies against those governments that violate human rights and international conventions.
Our present demands are: No to Executions, Freedom of All Political Prisoners and a deep concern for the economic conditions of the Iranian people. Outside or inside prison, we shall scream out these demands and call all the pro-democracy organizations and individuals to unite around these demands.
May the chains of tyranny break , Long Live Freedom and democracy
Heshmat Tabarzadi
Chairperson of the Iranian Democratic Front
Spokesperson for the Solidarity Movement for Democracy and Human Rights in Iran
January 6, 2014