Tears and Rain on the Tomb Stone of Dr Zahra

Feminist School : With the arrival of festival of Breaking Fast it is also a remembrance for the family of Dr Zahra Bani Yaghoub on the anniversary of one year past from the death of their daughter.

One year has passed from the death of Zahra Bani Yaghoub the doctor who volunteered to go to one of the villages in Hamadan region to complete her doctorate. When she went to one of the parks in the region to meet with her fiancé, she was arrested and after a few days it was announced that she had committed suicide whilst in custody, a news that in no way could satisfy her family as they believe she was arrested illegally and was murdered in custody.

Wednesday October 1 2008 the biggest Moslem festival, Zahra’s family and friends gathered in the cemetery to pay their respects and mourn the death of the 27 year old Zahra. The Wednesday sky was cloudy and dark; Zahra’s mother whilst wearing her chador and as if she has hugged the tomb stone and is talking to her beloved daughter "Where are you my beloved doctor" what sort of festival was for you last year? Her voice kept echoing in the grave yard "Your place was with your friends and doctor friends not in the grave yard".

Zahra’s friends and university friends where sharing the saddest moments with tears by remembering their dear friend, they can not forget all Zahra’s hard work in the village as volunteer but now Zahra is not amongst them. As if the angry skies are gathering closer and darker, Rahim, Zahra’s only brother is standing in solitude with a distance from the other mourners and is remembering the past year without Zahra. Zahra’s mother is calling on Zahra’s younger brother Mahdi who died at the age of nine and hence this family is enduring another loss of their beloved, the tearful mother is looking at the colourful flowers on the grave is calling Zahra by saying "They have taken away the flower of my life" "Her father and I went to Hamadan to bring her home, but they gave us her body".

"There is no other happiness but the happiness of ones growing children to youth and no other sadness but the death of ones children" and as Zahra’s father listened to this, a broken man who kept repeating Zahra’s name, under the thunders rain.

As the rain washes the tomb stone Zahra’s mother spreads her arms and shouts "Please God bestow justice for the cruelty to my daughter"

Zahra’s father spoke to the members of the Mothers of the campaign for one million signatures and said"After one year of year we still have had no news on the murder of my daughter". One of the mothers questioned about the coroners report? According to Zahra’s family on the day of her burial Zahra had bloody nose and ear, something that the corners have said that it could be a blow to her brain and a request by the court to follow up. Zahra’s father stated "Mother! can you see what they have done to us? The Tehran’s coroner has even confirmed about kicking on my daughter’s skull and went on to say the people who have brought this misfortune up on us do not believe in God and don’t believe in the judgment day.

One of the case lawyers Abdolfatah Soltani has objected to Zahra committing suicide and also Shirin Ebadi and Mr Soltani have arranged coroner from criminal justice department to follow up the case and the lawyers have also proven that the cloth which they have insinuated Zahra committed suicide is too short to have any such effects.