They EXECUTED Her: Shirin Alam Hooli

She was 28 years old; born in a village near a small town Maku. She was arrested two years ago; tortured; and sentenced to 2 years of prison for trying to leave the country illegally; and death for connections to PJAK. A few weeks ago; she wrote a letter. I wish I wasn't so late in translating it ... but I do now ... not because i am not depressed anymore; but just to tell you of the nature of the beast that's working hard to disintegrate my country, by targeting the ethnic minorities; stirring their justifiable hatred with unjustifiable executions, and fermenting violence, only to beget more violence ... The "ENEMY" of Iran is now wearing the cloak of the judiciary ...

Here's her letter:

My prison time has entered the third year; that is three years of suffering behind Evin bars, two years of which i spent in confusion, without a lawyer and without even a charge communicated. In those days of confusion, i spent bitter days in the hands of the IRGC and then interrogations of the 209 ward began. After the 209 interrogations, I was sent to the common women ward, where my frequent requests for a decision on my case were ignored until I was handed in an unjust death sentence.

Why have I been imprisoned; and why should I be executed? Is it because I am a Kurd? Then I tell you: I was born Kurd; and because of being Kurd I have suffered deprivation.

My language is Kurdish, a language with which I have grown up and formed bounds to my family, friends and acquaintances. But I am not permitted to speak my language, to read it, to be educated in it, not even to write it.

They tell me deny my Kurdish heritage, but if I do that I have denied my existence.

Honorable Judge, Mister interrogator!!

When you interrogated me, I could not even understand your language. I have learned Persian from friends in the two years I have been in jail. You interrogated and prosecuted me in your own language, when I didn't know what is happening and could not defend myself.

The tortures you did have become my nightmares; and my days are spent with the pains of torture. The blows to my head have damaged my skull. Some days, an unbearable headache attacks; they are so sever that I lose consciousness; become disoriented for hours and at the end when the pain becomes unbearable my nose bleeds until i slowly recover.

The other gift of [the interrogators] is weakness of my vision, which is worsening by day; and my request for glasses is still unanswered. When I walked into the prison, my hair was all black and now after three years they are turning gray.

I know you have not done this just to me and my family; but to all Kurdish children like Zeynab Jalalian, Rounak Saffarzadeh and .... The Kurd mothers' eyes are wet in desire of seeing their children again; they are constantly worried about what is to come; each telephone ring is the omen of their child's execution.

Today, (2-May-2010) after a long while I was taken for interrogation to 209; the baseless accusations repeated, and I was asked to cooperate to get my death sentence reduced. I don't know what cooperation means when I have no more information than I have already given them. They asked me to repeat what I had said before; which I didn't. The interrogator told me that they wanted to release me last year but because my family didn't cooperate my case has come this far. The interrogator himself confessed that I am just a ransom; kept until they get what they want or executed, but freedom, never.

Serkeftin [Victory]
Shirin Alam Hooli
3-5-2010

P.S. Here's an earlier letter of her description of prison treatment.

P. P. S: A Kurdish song by Mohsen Namjoo; entitled Shirin. Shirin in Persian means sweet; Shirin is the "Juliet" of Persian stories; she is the beloved of all: the lover of Cyrus for whom Farhad carved the mountain ... Bistoon ... the mounyain of love in Iran's Kurdistan ... the hanging of this woman is eating me up ...