What country is this?

What happened to us? What happened to our religion? Why am I afraid of the truth? We have said it for the past 2 months and they have been denying it the whole time. For the past 2 months we have brought them evidence and they have denied it. The crimes have been increasing over the past 2 months. We have said it over and over again and they have kept on denying it.

What country is this that the parliament’s spokesman congratulates one of the candidates on the afternoon of the election-day but now is denying it? What country is this that they take their former parliament’s spokesman on Friday prayers and treat him in the worst way possible? What country is this that the place of the judge and the defendant is exactly the opposite of what the people voted to see? What country is this that its president’s reason for introducing women for the cabinet is for other cabinet members to be polite? What country is this that two of its imams for Friday prayers address its former president and former parliament’s spokesman in a discourteous way?

Now we visit graves of unknown martyrs and we cry upon them, we do not even know their names, all we know is that they are martyrs of the past events taken place in Tehran during the 88 Elections. Those martyrs have been buried next to the martyrs of the 8 year war (the Iran-Iraq war). Did we really experience the martyrdom of our young once in the war so we can experience it once again in 88? It has been a long time that we have said it over and over again but all we hear is denial. Now that they have finally accepted the crimes made, we ask, is accepting it now not too late?

Shame on you whom have given your most terrible agents batons, chains and sticks to beat up this nation’s most gentle youths on the streets in front of their parents in a horrifying manner. Millions of people witnessed this tragedy, but who knows the condition of our young people in kahrizak. Shame on you whom at a time when the blood on your batons had not dried yet, you used it to rape prisoners. They have raped men and women, boys and girls in our prisons. Is this not the most horrifying crime possible?

We say they are torturing, you deny it. We say they are breaking the prisoners’ teeth, you deny it. We say they are killing people, you deny it. We say they are burring unknown graves, you deny it. We say they have intruded the prisoner’s dignity and humanity, you deny it. We say they are raping, you deny it again. So now I ask, do you know anything about the country you are governing? Do you know anything about the crimes made in the country you and your friends have no other competition in governing? Or is it that you have made it seem as if you have no idea of what is actually happening. Is there anyone out there who does not know how the people are doing?

Yes. They do not laugh anymore. They do not even sneer at you like they did before. People would not even make painful jokes about you and your supporters. What have you done with this nation? A nation that you always addressed as one which took pride in its martyrs and was always involved. That nation does not even sneer at you anymore. How much is this government risen up from a coup worth, that you have sacrificed yourself and the ruling system over it? Could you, for a second, put yourselves in the shoes of the mothers of the martyrs of 88? Would you have the endurance of losing a child? Can’t you here fatherless and motherless kids crying day and night?

We’ll still have other elections but ones without “Sohrab”, “Neda” will be in the cemetery, martyrs will be unknown, tortured ones will feel sore and the ones beaten will be bone broken. I have heard that you think of us as nonbelievers, well you are right, we do not believe in a god whom allows oppression or the raping of men and women, also we do not believe in a god whom would reward someone for killing innocent people. Our God is the one who is most gracious, most merciful and is always looking for excuses to give blessings. Our God is the one who said:

مَن قَتَلَ نَفْسًا بِغَيْرِ نَفْسٍ أَوْ فَسَادٍ فِي الأَرْضِ فَكَأَنَّمَا قَتَلَ النَّاسَ جَمِيعًا وَمَنْ أَحْيَاهَا فَكَأَنَّمَا أَحْيَا النَّاسَ جَمِيعًا وَلَقَدْ جَاء تْهُمْ رُسُلُنَا بِالبَيِّنَاتِ ثُمَّ إِنَّ كَثِيرًا مِّنْهُم بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ فِي الأَرْضِ َمُسْرِفُونَ

Anyone who slew a person, unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land, it would be as if he slew the whole people; and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people.

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Is this not violating people’s rights?

Many have not accepted the violations made and have turned a blind eye on the current events.

If we look back at the events that took place in the past two months we can see all kinds of violations made. The first one was made on the Election Day when they violated the people’s rights and after that it all took place in the streets. The Constitution clearly states all gathering van be made freely. It was in these past gatherings that we witnessed a breach of the people rights and of the Iranian Constitution.

Is giving permission to kill people not a violation? Has Basiji member not violated a woman’s right when slapping her in the face? Or when another member shoots towards the Iranian people? Is shooting straight at my fellow country-man’s heart not violating to his/her right?

What is a violation? Is taking away other people’s rights and oppressing them not the biggest violation of all? During these past two months all of the Iranian people’s rights have been violated. They violated the rights of Veterans (who fought for 8 years during the Iran-Iraq war) when they threw tear gases towards their veteran friends. They also violated the rights of martyrs when beating their families with batons at Behesht Zahra. Martyrs and Veterans also suffer from all the violations and are in support of the people. The same people who were next to the Veterans of war. The old and the young went to the Friday prayers so they could bleed in the place they pray. Is this not a violation?

When someone thinks he is above religion, has he not sinned? Someone who thinks of himself ahead of prophets and a person who has no respect for them isn’t he the person who has no knowledge of religion. Are these not violations to Islam.

Is arresting someone, taking off his/her clothes and then pouring cold water on them not a kind of abuse and violation. Is lying to a mother that her son is alive for 26 days and the giving her his corpse not a violation to a mother’s love?

Is killing a human being without protection not a violation to human rights? Again, what is a violation? Are the politicians really that blind to have not seen all these violations.

We can also see violations on TV when some prisoners present themselves without a lawyer and none of them with their families. They show fake trials on TV without pointing out these upsetting facts. Also blaming people not present in the trials. How about putting prisoners in solitary confinements for a very long time? Is that not a violation? Is keeping someone in prison without a lawyer and not letting their families visit them for 45 days not a violation?

People witnessed undeniable inhuman actions during the past two months. If they can do these things in front of the people then just imagine what horrible things they’re doing when no one’s watching. The Events in the past 2 months are not only a violation to the people but also to humanity itself. This violation was to all of us because we are all together.

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I Confess I Am Proud

I confess

I confess that I am the son of a prisoner, my father is a prisoner.

I confess, that I am not ashamed that my father is in prison. And I am proud of him

I confess, my father is not a thief, he is not a murderer, he is not a looter or a rioter.

He is one of the “Dirt & Dust” and a friend of the “Dirt & Dust”.

I confess, that my father disrupted the comfortable sleep of some people, and gave them nightmares.

Those same people who filled their own pockets by stealing the nation’s wealth and left people in nightmares.

I confess, my father is famous for his honesty. And I confess, his bravery has made life harder for the cowards in power in our time.

I confess, they kidnapped my father And broke his ribs.

I confess, they did not even take him to a hospital, and instead took him to solitary confinement.

I confess, that my father was denied the right to an attorney.

He was not even allowed to phone his daughter on Father’s Day.

I confess, that for weeks we had no word from him and even on my mother’s birthday we did not receive any news.

I confess,  that my mother spent her wedding anniversary in loneliness.

And I confess that this year, my father could not visit my martyred uncle’s grave because he was in jail.

I confess, Isa Saharkhiz is a soldier of war and a brother of a martyr.

I confess, he did not use his positions to gain money or power in this regime.

I confess, he has worked hard for years. either when he was an official in the Ministry of Culture or when he was the head of the news department in Islamic Republic News Agency or even when he was working for the IRNA office in the United Nations

I confess, my father works in a country where the representative of the judiciary system bit him!

I confess, in my country the person who bites gets a promotion and later becomes the head of the Intelligent Ministry

I confess, the wolves that are running the country now don’t even think the person who bites is rough enough so they put him aside and fire him.

I confess my dad’s greatest crime is being innocent.

I confess He is guilty of speaking justly.

I confess he has already expressed his views and beliefs before he was kidnapped and whatever they have him confess is a pure lie and not his opinion.

I confess , I am proud of having a father like him.

I confess that I wish maybe someday I can be just a little like him. That would be the greatest achievement of my life.

I confess, my dad and his friends were not only detained but tortured.

We confess, that we voted and they stole our votes.

We confess, that this was not an election, it was coup d’ etat.

We confess, n ocourt was assembled and what was shown on State TV was nothing but a movie of big lies.

We confess, that our brothers and sisters were not only tortured but they were raped in the worst possible way

We confess, Kahrizak was not a jail it was a place for torture and Rape.

We confess, Those who are running the country are far from being human.

We confess, that we are fighting together for our rights and we will not step down.

We confess, that the government is scared of us who are not afraid and standing together.

We confess, until our last drop of blood, we will fight for our absolute right to a free Iran

We confess, we believe in victory and getting back what is rightly ours

Chanting: “political prisoners must be freed”

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Principle & His Lovely Student

For better understanding the situation in Iran, it’s easier to look into a smaller society. Ahmadinejad said that his relationship with the leader, Khameneii, is like father and son.

Now if we imagine Ahmadinejad as a student in a school and the leader as the school’s principle the story will be like as the following:

One day a boy cheats on an exam at school, the teacher of the class sees him and shows him to the other teachers. The other students also know he’s not diligent. Before the teacher corrects the paper the news spreads that he’s got a full mark. This causes a commotion when the students were standing in line in the courtyard. Afraid of the commotion, the principle comes to the courtyard and tells the students that it’s true he likes that student more than others even the ones who’ve been working for the school for years. But a person who gets a full mark never cheats and that he’s one of the best students in the school and if anyone has a problem with that he’ll either expel him or he’ll lock him up in a place so no one can hear him.

The students who feel oppressed decide shouldn’t stay silent. They started reciting Quran at every lesson and they gather together to discuss what to do about the “good” student sitting quietly in the classroom with his friends taunting others and telling them to play football instead of rioting. All of the students, angry by this, gather in front of the principle’s office little did they know the office has been filled with cheaters, some even not belonging to the school carrying guns and starting to shoot the students. After a few students are killed, some of the teachers who’re on the principle’s side start to tell others that the shots had been fired by people outside the school. The students know this is a total lie so they still continue gathering at the principle’s office and still meeting with resistance and violence, sending some of the students to dungeons and treating them like animals. But the students are still standing and fighting for their rights each day more persistent. Meanwhile the “good” student grabs any opportunity to draw the attention to himself and ridicule the others, telling them they can’t do anything since he’s got a good friendship with the principle and that he’s like a father to him and he can do anything he likes. On the day of the rewarding ceremony when the “good” student wants to kiss the principle’s hand something hilarious happens, no one knows whether it’s because of the principle getting tired of the student or that the student sees himself in a higher place, but the student doesn’t kiss the hand and suffices to kissing his shoulder only.

In the meantime some of the best students, who were told what to say before and threatened to be thrown to the dungeons, are brought to the courtyard to speak. But the other students know about this and they know they’ve been told what to say.

Everybody knows they’re lying and since they’ve been to the dungeons they’ve even lost weight and they’re being told what to say. They’re true words are those they said before they were sent to the dungeons and tortured. The funny thing is 2 years ago one of the students told the others not to believe his words after he’s thrown in the dungeons.

But the students are not backing off because they should stand up for what they believe in and fight for their rights and they should make the teachers who’re backing the principle understand that this school filled with lies and deceit is going to close sooner or later and that they should join the students. The principle and his followers are shaking in a corner, realizing they don’t have a way out and that their time is over. The students want a principle whom they have chosen themselves sit in his rightful place, so each day they protest and shout slogans to the principle: “Be scared, be scared! We’re All together!”

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Martyrs Shiver..

These are painful days that we live in, days that have ushered in a new chapter into our history. These are days that bring novelty even to our eventful lives. These are days that bring new life to the meaning of sacrifice and unity against the malicious magic of those that bring contempt.

The great divide of the revolutionary veterans and the burgeoning youth that rose from the ashes has been fused and sown together. We have put on the same garment of our fathers and now follow their strides.

Dear Father:

For too long I have been wondering with an amber burn why I feel the pain of discrimination, oppression, and injustice on the shoulders of my nation. I knew that these pains are rooted in the selfishness and inadequacy of the regime that you have put sweat and time for to ameliorate before the revolution and gave everything else to uphold it after. I knew I had once reproached you for objecting to tyranny and had wished for more moderation. But I now know that we cannot afford to give a single moment of silence to oppression. I now understand the true implications of your past actions and that was to stand up against the theft of the ideals of the revolution. You have fought shoulder to shoulder alongside your brother and millions of your countrymen. Despite this, they have exchanged the spears of Saddam while still afresh with the blood and sacrifice of your brethren with their own to tear this country apart and have stolen the clothes of your fellow veterans and placed it on their enemies. You never could have imagined that these same jackals would be craving the remnants of your brother who had been returned after 11 long years. But you saw that they stole them and placed them on university grounds for their own purposes.

The generation that wanted to build another universe and human anew was lost and maimed in the revolution and the war and those that remained were sent to the pits of prison or dismissal. If they were the targets of marauding bullets yesterday, their spouses and children have become the target of the insult and bullets of hypocrites.

Today the dead are shivering in their resting places. They are churned with the agony of those that have joined them. Those that have been squandered by the minions of a petty regime. A regime that brings batons and teargas to their funerals. The shattering of my uncle’s chest by a tank shell seems pale to the sight of bullets landing on our young and old by assailants disguised as our countrymen. The same assailants who broke my father’s chest.

Today the dead are in pain. They are in pain to see the mother who buried her 12-year old son next to them. A mere child who lost his life for wanting to mourn and pray the many others who died before him. Today, the dead cry for Mousavi, Khatami, Karoubi, Abtahi, and thousands of others who are labeled as by hypocrites by no other than the true hypocrites themselves. They are in pain because of the courts of oppression that have been formed by the same hypocrites who suck the blood of the innocent like leeches.

It has been years since we have been inundated with news on Saddam’s prisons, Guantanamo Bay and Abu Gharib. But is there no one to see what is being done to our young and elders in Kahrizak and the atrocities that no pen can record? These atrocities make Saddam and Hitler as minute and tolerable.

Dear Father,

I was your son yesterday, but now I am a fellow combatant.

Dear Father, Dear Brother-in-arm,

I know that you cannot hear me, and that you are in a place where only God hear you and heal your wounds with the balms of faith. But I want you to know that your visions have been realized in full light.

Do you remember when you said that nowhere in this world will oppression last, for as long as there is a tyrant, there is the sorrowful moan of the oppressed? I wish you were amongst us today and saw for yourself that the moan of the subjugated is no longer irrelevant and has become a cry hammering on the statue of tyranny. It has become a cry that leaves no sleep for the tyrants and has bedazzled them into mistake after mistake. They know that they are alone now. If we had been scared for years, it is now their turn to taste fear. It is the cry of our subjugation that has shook the walls of time and rattled their deaf ears. It is our ferocious flood that has begun and will only become more ferocious until all of oppression has been cleaned and the oppressors drowned. The resonance of our shouts has forced them to hide behind masks and engulfed their existence with fear. To the mercenaries we say “Be afraid, we are all united.”

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Be Scared, be scared! We are All together!

A strange land my country is, a strange age my time is.

At this time, being in prison isn’t something to be ashamed of but it’s something to be proud of. It is most certainly not a proof of being guilty but a proof of believing in something. Someone who breaks the law is the one forcing it on other people and someone who is fighting for the law is the one behind the bars, tortured and murdered in the name of a non-existent law.

The government is so weakened by vengeance, hatred and above all egoistic acts that everything frightens and endangers its national security. So much that even the nightly chants of “Allaho Akbar”s shaken its base. I know that one day they will write in comedy books that These days were one of the most powerful days of the Islamic Republic and the commander of the army would say that their job is to prevent and crush the protests not to protect the people from attacks from the outside. They would even bring their subs to crush the protestors who are working for the west. Little do they know that we’re not working for “the west” neither are we aliens but people, your friends whom you’ve alienated with your tyranny and cruelty. It’s your fear and weakness to answer our shouts with bullets.  You even torture and capture the prisoners’ families. I pity you for your weakness, it shows that you know what you’ve done to the people and that you’re not standing on your solid ground.

You who let Sa’eed Asgar be free and imprison Sa’eed Hajjarian, should imprison us too since our way of thinking is more like Hajjarian and not like Asgar. You who have thrown our fathers, brothers and sister in jail, should make place for us too if this is justice.

Imprison us like you imprisoned the journalists since we WILL continue to spread the news of your tyranny to others until our last breath and others will take over and continue our fights. We will stand your beatings and tortures and our blood will carry our will.

Our place is with our brothers and sisters in prison because we’re against dictatorship, we are against the people who use their influence to give others the permission to brutally murder the peaceful protestors. We are against the IRIB for bribing the people by stealing american and european movies and showing them to prevent them from going out.

We deserve to be imprisoned and tortured because we’re after our rights, we’re after what our fathers were after 30 years ago. We’re after the ideals our fathers fought for 8 years to preserve… because we’re after freedom. Throw us in jail instead of our brothers and fathers, because they haven’t done anything except protect the “Islamic Republic of Iran” year after year. Imprison and torture us to ask you what happened the Islamic Republic. What it was and what it is now. We should all be killed and hanged because we want to choose not to have another choose for us.

We are also bound to the Islamic Republic as our fathers and brothers are and we are completely against Ahmadi Nejad’s government. We are, like Hajjarian, bound to the speeches of the Islamic Republic’s founder and we’re against the lies told to the people.

You can cuff us and break our legs, we will shout. You can shut our mouths but what are you going to do about our hearts that beat as one for our Iran? You can cut the stem but what are you going to do about the root? Throw us in prison but know that for each of us imprisoned there will be 10 more fighting in his place! At the end of the day not only your opponents aren’t lessened but you have added onto them! We are limitless, we are IRANIANS!

The blood-shedding of yours is the promise of freedom for us! We are sure you are afraid of losing your grip on this government, if you weren’t afraid you wouldn’t have acted against the people who only wanted re-counts of their votes like this! You wouldn’t have hit them with batons and you certainly wouldn’t have answered their silent protests with bullets and gun fire! You wouldn’t have thrown their fathers and sons into jail without the proof of crime! You’re just like a cat who’s been cornered and has no way out… you claw, scratch, growl at this country! But thank God you have no way to escape!

Be Scared, Be Scared… We are all TOGETHER!

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We Wont Be Silent – United4iran NYC

I am Mehdi Saharkhiz, Proud son of the journalist and political activist Isa Saharkhiz.  He is in jail for speaking his mind in opposition to the dictators that hijacked the elections in Iran. He was kidnapped in a way that his ribs were broken, he is kept in solitary confinement in an undisclosed location. My dad dedicated his life in order to depose the Shah and help with the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran—a republic that was supposed to be free and respect peoples’ votes, voices, and opinions. My father spent years fighting Saddam whom had illegally entered Iran’s sovereign land and imposed a war against the Iranian people. He fought alongside his brother, my uncle, Saeed who was eventually killed in the war, and millions of other brave Iranians. He fought for my rights. He fought for the rights of Iranians. They rewarded him by putting him behind bars in solitary confinement.

In his post-election press-conference, Ahmadinejad said “We have close to absolute freedom in Iran” and he called upon Western powers to learn from the democracy in Iran. He forgot to explain, however, how his democracy manifests itself.  He did not explain how his great vision of democracy includes breaking into an opposition publishing house, taking books and other materials and vandalizing the place.  Nowhere in his speech did he explain the freedom and democracy involved when four huge men walk up to a home and threatened to break in when the occupant, a terrified 19-year-old girl, says she is home alone.  Mr. Ahamdinejad, is this your democracy that destroyed my father’s publishing house?  Is this your freedom that terrorized my sister?  For them, I must not and cannot be silent.

Perhaps your so called “freedom” is clearly shown when a general warrant is only shown to a few of those arrested?  Or is it shown clearer still when they are arrested without warrant, without cause? When their only crime is standing up and speaking up in the name of true freedom and true democracy.  In the name of freedom and democracy, we must not be silent.

By now, we all know Neda.  The story and images of how she lived and how she was murdered. While Ahmadidnejad insists that the “foreign enemy” took aim at her heart and fired at her;  the private militia “Basij”  ID card of her killer has been confirmed by the Dr. who tried to help her as she took her last breath. The Basij are supposed to protect people but instead they are firing at defenseless freedom-seeking Iranians. If truly it was the foreigners who killed Neda, why then does the government force all mosques to cancel her funeral service?  For an INNOCENT soul, we must not be SILENT.

And what of Sohrab?  He was gone for 26 days; his mother begged the authorities to tell her about his son’s whereabouts. The attorney general’s office told her that her son is in Evin. After 26 days, Sohrab’s family was told that Sohrab had died. He was shot in the heart. He was later found alongside so many others who had been murdered.  He was the lucky one … because he was identified.  His family could at least know what had become of him.  What was HIS crime?  Was he also shot by foreigners?  If so, why were the attendees told to be silent or the funeral would be canceled?  In their name … in the name of Sohrab … we must never be silent.

Ahmadinejad, the price paid for your “absolute freedom” has been extremely high, and it keeps getting higher.  The list of people killed keeps getting longer.  Were they all killed by foreigners?  Aren’t you the one responsible for protecting our country from invaders, for keeping our borders safe?  How is it, then, that these foreigners can walk around our country holding guns?  No one in the world believes your lies anymore. We all know Iranians are being beaten and murdered under your orders and those that support you.  The only foreigners are the ones you trained (as confirmed by one of your commanders) and brought into Iran to be more ruthless than your homegrown thugs.

Tell me, has one of your children ever been hit with a baton?  Have they been arrested?  Tortured?  Have you felt the pain of a mother crying over her son’s body, or the tears of a father who will never see his daughter in a wedding gown?  For the tears, for the pain, for our fathers, mothers, and even YOUR children, we will never be silent.

I only feel your so-called freedom when I open a government-backed newspaper or watch the state TV.  Much like your government, they accuse anyone of absolutely anything based upon lies and fabrications, mostly in the name of religion.  They attack even the highest seats of government, including past Presidents and Prime Ministers.  This absolute freedom only extends to your supporters.  Any publications or media that has even the faintest scent of opposition will have their every line scrutinized by your censors, their pages torn or printed white.  If only these blank pages could be filled with the truth, with the tweets, emails and facebook posts from our people, the Iranian people could finally read the truth of what is going on in their own country.

Your puppet media can only come from someone with nothing better to do than to blame other countries for any and all of Iran’s ills.  The mark of a true dictator, trying to deflect criticism by blaming outside influences. However, I understand why you deny the most heinous dictators … you see too much of yourself in them.  In truth, though, you might have found a way to take heinous to an even deeper level. You have inflicted these atrocities on your own people, on your own religion.

Ahmadinejad, your claims of freedom are hollow. Just like your claim of the halo of light that was around you during your speech at the UN.  Iranians and the world sees you for what you are—a dictator—and you cannot lead a democracy as a dictator.  For any democracy, you need the people.  When you torture and kill the people, they will not be with you but will stand up and oppose you, and the only outcome is your downfall.  You and those who support you must step aside … like all the dictators before you, you WILL be swept away like “dirt and dust”. (Khas o Khashak))

Today millions of people all across the world stand by us. They stand with Iran and its people against murder, against oppression, and against dictatorship. Until my father is free, until my sister is no longer afraid, until all Iranians are FREE and can stand up with us in freedom and without fear, we will never be silent.  We are all together, and the “world is watching.”

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We Will Not Forget – Hunger Strike Day 3

Today is the last day of our Hunger Strike, But it’s not the last day of Iranians’ movement. That last day is when all Iranians reach their rightful rights. Today we return home but we will never forget Neda’s last looks. We will remember the photo of Sohrab and his Mom sitting on the sidewalk while both carrying a green shawl and a picture of Mir Hossein Mousavi. And most important of all his mother’s tears at her son’s funeral after 26 days of sorrow and heart-breaks.

We will never forget those who are still in prison, writers, journalists or politicians. We won’t forget a soul be it my father’s generation or mine.
Even though you broke my father’s ribs, you can never break the ribs of this movement, it is as solid as rock!

We won’t forget the sound of those tyrants’ bullets shooting toward those seeking stones to defend themselves. We are not dust and dirt. We are the people of Iran. We are not the audience of a football match. We are the actors of a documentary for Liberal Iranians.

We won’t forget the peaceful protest which started from the election boxes and when it witnessed the closed paths it found its way to alleys and streets and lastly it reached Azadi Square. I know there will be a day when we will celebrate our freedom at Azadi Square.

It is not important whom this goverment choses fot its position. it is important that we never forget this government has not legitimacy.

We have a very hard path in front of us, one that can’t be crossed alone. Each of us has the responsibility to be a media. We have to spread the news of gatherings and protests to our fellow Iranians.

If we have any martyrs we should make their name eternal in every media. We are all together and the world is watching.

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Sound of Freedom – Hunger Strike Day 2

Today at 4PM Tehran Standard Time, my father made contact with home and in a short conversation with my mom informed us that during his arrest few of his ribs were broken and now he’s in solitary prison under the watch of doctors. My father also wanted us not to be waiting for his release because he will remain in prison for a long time. If there is a lawyer present amongst you or if you know a Patriot Iranian lawyer, I beg of you to ask them to complain against Nokia since it was because of its products that the political activists and journalists were arrested.

Today is the second day that we have gathered here together, but it’s been 40 days since our votes were stolen. 38 days ago one of my closest friends, Mohammad Reza Jala’ii Pour, was arrested at the airport. Tehran-London flights have been taking place without delay but his freedom and release is still being delayed. Today, only 7 days remain to Neda’s 40th day of death but we still can hear her chants for freedom.

It’s been 9 days since Sohrab’s funeral but with how much difficulty was his body taken from these liars who were telling her mother for 26 days that he was in Evin Prison, while they had already killed him. But the tyrants should know that Sohrab will always be eternal and timeless to us! Today we still don’t know the name of that young 12-year-old martyr, he’s another “dirt and dust” to the oppressors but to each and every one of us Iranians he’s a brother or a son who’s been killed without a crime, an innocent.

Today the name of each person written behind me in red, will remain in our memories. Today green-wearers have put their lives before these names in green, so that we could live one day with freedom and in a country with an honest leader. I hope one day we can all celebrate our victory in a free Iran.

I don’t know how many days has passed since my father’s arrest, but each day I hear the sound of freedom more and more from within the people. Today “I” doesn’t have a meaning alone, today “you” is directed toward the dictators. Today we are all together and the world is watching us.

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Proud Iranian – Hunger Strike Day 1

When president khatami came to the UN and talked about dialogue among civilizations I was a proud Iranian. I was proud to be from a Nation that aims to bring people regardless of their affiliation and nationality.

Years later, from the same platform, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad came and addressed world leaders. While giving his speech, he was more focused on the hallow around him rather than delivering the message of the Iranian people. I was ashamed of having such a president.

Today again I’m a proud Iranian. Not because of what my father is doing, but I’m proud of all the Iranian Nation. The Naiton that my father Isa Saharkhiz, saeed Hajjarian, Mohammadreza jalaei pour a friend of mine and many many more have dedicated their lives to. Many people are on the list of prisoners that grows minute by minute. They’re not all politicians, journalists or writers, they’re not just the old generation or the new generation; they’re not young or old; they are the people of Iran.

My father dedicated his life to save this great nation. He lost a brother who was dear to his heart during the Iran-Iraq war. He is and always will be a dedicated journalist and politician. Today we are standing in front of the same UN building that my father spent four years away from his relatives and country giving and getting the News for the Iranian people. He fought for the freedom of speech and worked for the ministry of culture. He helped establish many many newspapers. He was himself the editor in chief of a newspaper that was shut down just like so many others.

Today we are all together for the efforts of such people. In prison or not they will never be silent. We will never be silent. We are all together and the world is watching.

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