On Anniversary of Arrest Navid Khanjani Writes Note from Prison

By Navid Khanjani, Iranian activist held in Rajai Shahr Prison.
Translation Siavosh Jalili, Persian2English

March 1, 2013 | I’m looking at a photo from March 3, 2010 of me smiling when IRGC Intelligence agents were transferring me to Evin Prison. I stare at the photo and whisper a poem from [Ahmad] Shamloo:

Tomorrow, when I am swallowed by the feverish and bloody Earth,
Take down my photo from my home’s wall.
It is the image of a fool who,
while faced with darkness and defeats,
laughs at the chains and the hands in them.
Say, “Oh, anomalous photo, what are you laughing at?”
Then hang the photo once again–
upside down,
with the image facing the wall!

Three years ago, on March 3, 2010, I was arrested by the IRGC Intelligence unit and transferred to ward 2A [the ward is controlled and operated by the IRGC] of Evin Prison. Subsequently, I was sentenced to 12 years in prison.

In prison, as I review my charges, a smile– perhaps rooted in pain– appears on my face.

Accusations against me:

Founding a group for the defense of banned university students.
Sentence: 5 years in prison
Membership in human rights groups.
Sentence: 5 years in prison
Propaganda against the regime.
Sentence: 1 year in prison
Spreading lies with the intention of agitating the public’s mind.
Sentence: 1 year in prison
And, in the last days of my [temporary] release from prison, I was charged with aiding earthquake victims from Azerbaijan, Iran.

I don’t wish to discuss the ambiance outside prison. I will only note this verse that repeats in my head:

“Again, we are left with a city that has lost its beat.
All that is left are hyenas, wolves, and foxes.”

- Navid Khanjani
March 1, 2013
Ward 12, Rajai Shahr Prison (located in Karaj, Iran)