A Sad Memoir from a Death Row Sunni Prisoner

HRANA News Agency – One of the fellow inmates of the six prisoners who were executed on Wednesday, March 4th, wrote a memoir about the last hours before execution of these prisoners as well as their charges and imprisonment situations for public enlightenment. He wrote “I would like to write a few sentences for my countrymen who may unjustly criticize us without proper reasoning. Hamed Ahmadi was not a member of Al-Qaeda. I am not a member of Al-Qaeda. We have emphasized many times and will do more: we are not providing moral and material support to al-Qaeda or other similar organizations. We are not an armed group. We did not commit any crime. If we were member of Al-Quada, we could have been easily exchanged with the members of the Revolutionary Guard and Basij. We are Shafei. Our only crime is our faith and religion, which are completely legal and peaceful. We, Sunnis, have paid high cost for peacefully defending our belief. Hamed Ahmadi also sacrificed his life in the same way.”

The following is a full text of this letter, a copy of which has been submitted to HRANA:

About half an hour before the officers show up, Hamed and Sediq were exercising and weight lifting using a couple of bags filled with concrete. Kamal had fallen asleep, and Jamshid was washing breakfast dishes. While Jahangir was filling up the thermos with tea for the breakfast, somebody shouted “the guards are coming.” Guards’ noise made us getting out of the ward; this time, however, the Guards were unusual. This time there was no sign of the barbarous guards who were coursing and forcing prisoners to get out of their rooms. Everybody was there, all heads of different sections and all officers of different shifts. I told my fellow inmates that these guards are different. A few of us sitting next to each other were analyzing this event. One said, “they are here to take away our cell phones, and they were mainly more experienced guards. They know how to search the ward.” Other prisoner said, “they came here yesterday to set fences in the wards; they may be here to start the work.” But, nobody knew about their wicked plan. They asked us to quietly leave the wards. We were all asked to stand by our rooms,  inspected and leave the ward for recess. Amirian (the local deputy head of the prison) said, “take warm clothing.” I said: “ what is going on? he is now concerned about us” We were searched one by one, from room to room. The inspections were serious. We were inspected individually, our rooms and ourselves. After the inspection, it took a few minutes for each person to get to the recess. It was the strangest inspection I had ever seen. Everybody was surprised! We were all thinking about this unexpected inspection. We suddenly thought may be they have come for those sentenced to death. They were 14 individuals, and 40 out of 80 prisoners had already finished the inspection. We started looking for the 14 prisoners sentenced to death. I was looking for Jamished. “were is Jamshid?” I asked one of the prisoners who had just joined us. He said “Jamishd was being inspect after me. One of the security forces asked him whether he was the leader or not? He should be out soon.” Jamshid, however, didn’t show up. I started looking for Farzad; but Farzad didn’t join us either. We were now sure that they had come for the death row prisoners.

It is hard to describe that moment. We were all very upset; everybody was thinking in a corner.  They had taken six of our friends. They also completely raided our rooms and taken away our hand-made exercise tools. They had even taken our personal belongings; it was very upsetting time! But nobody was thinking about the personal belongings; we were really worried for our six friends. We called their families. They said, “we have been asked to come for the last visit”. Now, we knew this was really serious!

Somebody said, “This is their revenge because of the recent failure in nuclear negotiations with western countries. They have always suppressed us in revenge for internal and international problems. We don’t know how can we change this situation.”

The families had arrived the prison, and somebody told they had the last visit with their loved ones in chain and handcuffed.  The last visit! The last visit!

It was hard to believe; the last visit?! Mahna had come a long way to have her last visit with her father, Hamed Ahmadi. What they could have told each other? Some other families had joined the families of prisoners outside in a very cold weather. Could there be any help? But, where? How? Who could save a prisoner and reach him to his family waiting outside the prison?

That night many friends and families contacted us and the families of the six prisoners. They were trying to get some news! Everybody was waiting until morning. There may be a miracle! I knew everybody was trying very hard, perhaps responding their consciences. But, they knew they couldn’t do anything.

We were all awake until morning! It was very sad night! Some were thinking in a corner; some were praying! We were trying to calm each other down. But, it was very difficult! we could only think of six hanging ropes and one of our friends hanging to each! This was indeed the worst torture of my life.

It was 4:00 AM! We were hopeless and stressed! Everybody was praying. I cannot forget the tears of my friends that night!

We were finally told that our friends had been executed! I could not believe it! Mahna could not see his dad anymore! Oh, my God! We were all crying. I could only think of Mahnd and  Hamed being very worried about her. Or, our other friend Kamal who was always worried for his old mother. A couple of nights ago, he called his mom, asking her not to come out of the house in cold winter! We also remembered our friends, Jamshid and Jahangir who were concerned about the difficult situations of their family. I also remembered my friend, Hadi Hosseini. He had a memory book that was filled with our hand notes. Three nights before the execution he was reading the book. He showed me my note and smiled! Hadi had epilepsy!

I also remembered my friend, Sadiq. I was always joking with him. One day, I purposely nocked him over the floor in a funny way; he said, “prison won’t kill anybody, it will drive one crazy! And you are crazy!” we laughed very hard! Sadiq had amnesia!

Hamed was calling Mahna everyday. She was asking for six hundred, three hundred Tooman every time. She only knew “six hundred, three hundred Tooman.” The last summer, he was taken for execution; thinking of his daughter Mahna, he had prayed until morning for the best destiny that God would want for him.

I would like to write a few sentences for my countrymen who may unjustly criticize us without proper reasoning. Hamed Ahmadi was not a member of Al-Qaeda. I am not a member of Al-Qaeda. We have emphasized many times and will do more: we are not providing moral and material support to al-Qaeda or other similar organizations. We are not an armed group. We have not committed any crime. If we were member of Al-Qaeda we could have been easily exchanged with the members of the Revolutionary Guard and Basij. We are Shafei. Our only crime is our faith and religion, which are completely legal and peaceful. We, Sunnis, have paid high cost for peacefully defending our belief. Hamed Ahmadi also sacrificed his life in the same way.

Was Kak-Ahmad Moftizadeh a member of Al-Qaeda? Were Kak-Farough Farsad, Mamousta Mohammad Rabei, or Molavi Nematollah Tohidi members of Al-Qaeda? No, they were not. We are not member of any terrorist group. Please read the following sentences from Hamed Ahmadi and judge for yourselves if he could be a member of Al-Qaeda! Could a member of Al-Qaeda write with these feelings about Atena? Could a member of Al-Qaeda become concerned about Atena’s situation like Ahmad?

“Hamed Ahmadi – Atena Daemi and Atena Farghdani are two Iranian girls who committed no crime other than being concerned and defending the homeless and poor Iranian children, who have nobody to defend them. Kids who may still be waiting for the kind aunts and caregivers to hug them and provide care for their injured hands and feet. Yes, their only crime is to defend the defenseless, young kids who live days and nights in danger in the streets of Iran without any support or shelter.  One of these girls has been disappeared and the other one is fighting for her life in the prison! Perhaps, only a prisoner like me understand their situations! I cannot understand how could they imprison them, while their actions not only are not crime but they are praised in Islam. I hope the government genuinely try to put an end to the worrying situations of these two kind angels!!”

We are also human beings like all of you; we had normal lives, work, and families like you. But, we ran into a storm of hatred that completely changed our lives. Since it is not clear if I will be alive tomorrow, I would like to write a couple of more sentences from the bottom of my heart. Hamed was recently convinced that he would not be executed, but we now know that it happened. Therefore, I cannot fool myself. There is nothing worse for a prisoner than having the hope to live long but eventually see the rope around his neck: My will is when I am executed my family avoid gathering in front of the prison. I want to die standing up. I don’t want my family to take any of my personal belongings. I want my family to leave them with my friends who have lived here with me for several years. I want to say good by to my friends relax and without fear. I want my mother to not cry because her tears will make my enemy happy. I want my family to be patient and abide my will. I want the Sunnis live in peace without suppression. There are lots to talk but little time and patience.

Editor of the Persian version: Farnaz Kamali; HRANA

Note: Considering the current authoritarian and distressing situation in Rajaee-shahr prsion, HRANA is not able to publicize the name of the author, who is one of the death row prisoners.

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