{"id":2412451,"date":"2007-12-13T15:31:29","date_gmt":"2007-12-13T08:31:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.stopchildexecutions.com\/scenewsarchive\/?p=2412451"},"modified":"2023-04-13T05:20:27","modified_gmt":"2023-04-13T05:20:27","slug":"a-call-from-prison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stopchildexecutions.com\/scenewsarchive\/2007\/12\/13\/a-call-from-prison\/","title":{"rendered":"A call from prison"},"content":{"rendered":"
By Ali Mahin-Torabi<\/a><\/strong> (sentenced to death at 16)                                                           <\/em> \u0641\u0627\u0631\u0633\u064a<\/b><\/font><\/a>
\nTRANSLATED BY AZARIN SADEGH<\/font><\/p>\n

<\/em><\/p>\n

Walls, only walls. I am surrounded by walls. I cannot forget any of the terrifying moments of these last few days. I don\u2019t want to think about how time is running out. Only a few more days…From the first day of my arrest, five years ago, until now, the sky is all I can see. During all these unbearable moments, I can only stare at the endless fences of my prison. I can only see its towers and its barbed-wires which pierce my heart. Do you hear the bleeding of my wounded heart? I am sick. I am cold. The essence of my youth has been shattered. Every moment of my tedious life is filled with rancor. I am tired. These repetitious days pull my existence apart. It\u2019s to live or to die \u2013 it\u2019s the only thing I can think of. The only thing that slowly destroys whatever is left of me. Every time I remember the pain that I am putting my parents through, I just want to die.
<\/em><\/p>\n

 
\nI have already written my will. I have accepted my destiny. But I am going to pray, before they put the noose around my neck. I am going to put my hand on the Koran<\/span><\/span> and I will pledge that I haven\u2019t killed Mazdak, my classmate and my friend. It is true that I had a knife in my hand, but I didn\u2019t kill him. The weakness of my defense and the lack of a complete examination of the evidence have brought me here, into  this hopeless situation. I have heard that Mazdak\u2019s mother has forgiven me, but I don\u2019t know why his father doesn\u2019t want me to live. I am trapped between life and death. During all these years the weight of the sin I haven\u2019t committed has been on my shoulders. I am tired. All days are all the same. I look at the sky and pray.
\n 
\nYesterday, someone showed me a copy of the Iran<\/span> Newspaper. It seems that now people are praying with me. I read every line and every word expressing the compassion of these ordinary people, and I cried. I felt relieved, as if I could see an approaching sunrise.
\nYes, my instincts tell me that at the end of this black night, a warm sun is going to shine in the sky. At the other side of my prison\u2019s high fences there is a mountain and the mountain watches over me. No, even closer! God has enveloped my heart. God is calling my name. I call him to prove my faith to him. To show him that I still do exist, as long as he is with me. I still believe that God, from behind the bars of my cell, is observing my frozen hands. I am not leaving. I can hear him. I still believe that my sole share of life shouldn\u2019t be living this way; living in a cage. I still believe that God is hearing my prayers. I truly believe it.
\n 
\nIt is fall and I have almost forgotten how the trees look now. I miss the free world. I miss the fall and every moment of my life is full of passion. But there is no more time left. I have to go. And I don\u2019t want to. Even my cellmates pity me and pray for me. The nightmare of death doesn\u2019t leave me alone, but for the past few days I just try to hide my agony. If on my day of execution, Mazdak\u2019s father forgives me, I promise I will be like a son to him
\n 
\nMy mother brought me a book of Hafez. \u201cMy Ali will survive,\u201d she said.  Now I dream of her and what she said every night.
\n 
\nI miss the smell of my home, the smell of my notepads and my books. If you found my computer notepad, please write on it: \u201cI wished I could have become an engineer.\u201d But I didn\u2019t. Today I opened my book of Hafez and made a wish. It said: \u201cI have vowed if one day my sorrow and unhappiness ends, I will sing and I will dance forever\u201d.
\n 
<\/em><\/p>\n

If I am forgiven, each cell of my body will celebrate the gift of life. But for now, destiny and the will of Mazdak\u2019s father and mother still own my youth.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Ali Mahin-Torabi<\/a><\/strong> (sentenced to death at 16)                                                           <\/em> \u0641\u0627\u0631\u0633\u064a<\/b><\/font><\/a>
\nTRANSLATED BY AZARIN SADEGH<\/font><\/p>\n

<\/em><\/p>\n

Walls, only walls. I am surrounded by walls. I cannot forget any of the terrifying moments of these last few days. I don\u2019t want to think about how time is running out. Only a few more days…From the first day of my arrest, five years ago, until now, the sky is all I can see. During all these unbearable moments, I can only stare at the endless fences of my prison. I can only see its towers and its barbed-wires which pierce my heart. Do you hear the bleeding of my wounded heart? I am sick. I am cold. The essence of my youth has been shattered. Every moment of my tedious life is filled with rancor. I am tired. These repetitious days pull my existence apart. It\u2019s to live or to die \u2013 it\u2019s the only thing I can think of. The only thing that slowly destroys whatever is left of me. Every time I remember the pain that I am putting my parents through, I just want to die.
<\/em><\/p>\n

 
\nI have already written my will. I have accepted my destiny. But I am going to pray, before they put the noose around my neck. I am going to put my hand on the Koran<\/span><\/span> and I will pledge that I haven\u2019t killed Mazdak, my classmate and my friend. It is true that I had a knife in my hand, but I didn\u2019t kill him. The weakness of my defense and the lack of a complete examination of the evidence have brought me here, into  this hopeless situation. I have heard that Mazdak\u2019s mother has forgiven me, but I don\u2019t know why his father doesn\u2019t want me to live. I am trapped between life and death. During all these years the weight of the sin I haven\u2019t committed has been on my shoulders. I am tired. All days are all the same. I look at the sky and pray.
\n 
\nYesterday, someone showed me a copy of the Iran<\/span> Newspaper. It seems that now people are praying with me. I read every line and every word expressing the compassion of these ordinary people, and I cried. I felt relieved, as if I could see an approaching sunrise.
\nYes, my instincts tell me that at the end of this black night, a warm sun is going to shine in the sky. At the other side of my prison\u2019s high fences there is a mountain and the mountain watches over me. No, even closer! God has enveloped my heart. God is calling my name. I call him to prove my faith to him. To show him that I still do exist, as long as he is with me. I still believe that God, from behind the bars of my cell, is observing my frozen hands. I am not leaving. I can hear him. I still believe that my sole share of life shouldn\u2019t be living this way; living in a cage. I still believe that God is hearing my prayers. I truly believe it.
\n 
\nIt is fall and I have almost forgotten how the trees look now. I miss the free world. I miss the fall and every moment of my life is full of passion. But there is no more time left. I have to go. And I don\u2019t want to. Even my cellmates pity me and pray for me. The nightmare of death doesn\u2019t leave me alone, but for the past few days I just try to hide my agony. If on my day of execution, Mazdak\u2019s father forgives me, I promise I will be like a son to him
\n 
\nMy mother brought me a book of Hafez. \u201cMy Ali will survive,\u201d she said.  Now I dream of her and what she said every night.
\n 
\nI miss the smell of my home, the smell of my notepads and my books. If you found my computer notepad, please write on it: \u201cI wished I could have become an engineer.\u201d But I didn\u2019t. Today I opened my book of Hafez and made a wish. It said: \u201cI have vowed if one day my sorrow and unhappiness ends, I will sing and I will dance forever\u201d.
\n 
<\/em><\/p>\n

If I am forgiven, each cell of my body will celebrate the gift of life. But for now, destiny and the will of Mazdak\u2019s father and mother still own my youth.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[39,13],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stopchildexecutions.com\/scenewsarchive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2412451"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stopchildexecutions.com\/scenewsarchive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stopchildexecutions.com\/scenewsarchive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stopchildexecutions.com\/scenewsarchive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stopchildexecutions.com\/scenewsarchive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2412451"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.stopchildexecutions.com\/scenewsarchive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2412451\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5196090,"href":"https:\/\/www.stopchildexecutions.com\/scenewsarchive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2412451\/revisions\/5196090"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stopchildexecutions.com\/scenewsarchive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2412451"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stopchildexecutions.com\/scenewsarchive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2412451"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stopchildexecutions.com\/scenewsarchive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2412451"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}