The Land where my Parents were Killed

Shahrzadnews: Thirteen years after the murder of prominent nationalist Iranian politicians Parvaneh and Dariush Forouhar, German publishers have brought out a book by their daughter Parasto, The Land where my Parents were Killed.

In the foreword Parasto expresses mixed feelings about her birthplace. Her parents loved Iran, but were butchered to death by agents of the intelligence ministry. The book chronicles the long journey Parasto undertook to bring their murderers to justice. Even her attempts to hold annual memorial services for them were thwarted by the Iranian government. The book’s final chapter features a letter Parasto’s father wrote to her from his prison cell on her fourth birthday.

Parasto has been living in Germany for twenty years, and says she wrote her book in German in order to forge better links between the two peoples.

“This event has dominated my life over the past thirteen years. All my energy has been directed towards bringing my parents’ murderers to justice, and I wrote this book because I wanted the people of the country I live in to know about it.

“A memoir such as this is not written for people who have accompanied you on the journey. So I wrote it in German, recording my emotions in the language I think in. But one day I would like to write this book in Farsi too.

I have already written biographies of my parents in Farsi, and I hope they will soon be published. Then I will have time to write more about our family, and the emotional ups and downs we have gone through since the assassinations.”

Parastu_s-book

Working it out

Parasto has a deep cultural and social attachment to the German people, and wants them to know the sad story of her life. As one reads her book one senses the trauma that is still with her many years after her parents’ death.

“I have done my best to live my life alongside this torment. Though it was a burden to write the book, it has also had a positive effect on me, keeping my mind busy, keeping me active. I have tried to turn my negativity and bitterness into a cry of protest.”

Teenage children

Thirteen years of continuous efforts to bring her parents’ killers to justice, along with the ban on memorial services for them, have taken their toll on Parasto. At the time of the killing her two sons were in their early teens, so as well as dealing with her own trauma she had to contend with the psychological effect on them. Nor did her frequent futile trips to Iran to follow the murderers’ court cases make things easier for her.

Overcoming fears

In autumn 2010, on the thirteenth anniversary of the murders, Parasto made another ritual trip to Iran, despite the political situation in the country, which made her pursuit of the case even more dangerous.

“I feel threatened and scared whenever I go there. But I do not allow fear to affect my emotions or the decision-making process.

“Every year, on the anniversary of my parents’ murder, relatives erect a barrier around the house in which it happened. The atmosphere is terrifying. It’s impossible to be alone in the house.”