Sad Story

A 27 year old Reyhaney Jabbari was
executed on Saturday October
25th by hanging in Iran seven
years after she killed a man that
she claimed had attempted To Molest
her. Before she was
killed, Reyhaney wrote a very
emotional letter to her mother,
asking that her organs be donated
to those who need them. See the
full text of the letter after the cut...
The full text of the letter was
translated by the National Council
of Resistance of Iran:
Dear Sholeh, today I learned that it
is now my turn to face Qisas (the
Iranian regime's law of retribution).


I am hurt as to why you did not
let me know yourself that I have
reached the last page of the book
of my life. Don’t you think that I
should know? You know how
ashamed I am that you are sad.
Why did you not take the chance
for me to kiss your hand and that
of dad?
The world allowed me to live for
19 years. That ominous night it
was I that should have been
killed. My body would have been
thrown in some corner of the city,
and after a few days, the police
would have taken you to the
coroner’s office to identify my
body and there you would also
learn that I had been Molested as
well. The murderer would have
never been found since we don’t
have their wealth and their power.
Then you would have continued
your life suffering and ashamed,
and a few years later you would
have died of this suffering and
that would have been that.
However, with that cursed blow
the story changed. My body was
not thrown aside, but into the
grave of Evin Prison and its
solitary wards, and now the
grave-like prison of Shahr-e Ray.
But give in to the fate and don’t
complain. You know better that
death is not the end of life.
You taught me that one comes to
this world to gain an experience
and learn a lesson and with each
birth a responsibility is put on
one’s shoulder. I learned that
sometimes one has to fight. I do
remember when you told me that
the carriage man protested the
man who was flogging me, but the
flogger hit the lash on his head
and face that ultimately led to his
death. You told me that for
creating a value one should
persevere even if one dies.
You taught us that as we go to
school one should be a lady in
face of the quarrels and
complaints. Do you remember
how much you underlined the way
we behave? Your experience was
incorrect. When this incident
happened, my teachings did not
help me. Being presented in court
made me appear as a cold-
blooded murderer and a ruthless
criminal. I shed no tears. I did not
beg. I did not cry my head off
since I trusted the law.
But I was charged with being
indifferent in face of a crime. You
see, I didn’t even kill the
mosquitoes and I threw away the
cockroaches by taking them by
their antennas. Now I have
become a premeditated murderer.
My treatment of the animals was
interpreted as being inclined to be
a boy and the judge didn’t even
trouble himself to look at the fact
that at the time of the incident I
had long and polished nails.
How optimistic was he who
expected justice from the judges!
He never questioned the fact that
my hands are not coarse like
those of a sportswoman,
especially a boxer. And this
country that you planted its love
in me never wanted me and no
one supported me when under the
blows of the interrogator I was
crying out and I was hearing the
most vulgar terms. When I shed
the last sign of beauty from
myself by shaving my hair I was
rewarded: 11 days in solitary.
Dear Sholeh, don’t cry for what
you are hearing. On the first day
that in the police office an old
unmarried agent hurt me for my
nails I understood that beauty is
not looked for in this era. The
beauty of looks, beauty of
thoughts and wishes, a beautiful
handwriting, beauty of the eyes
and vision, and even beauty of a
nice voice.
My dear mother, my ideology has
changed and you are not
responsible for it. My words are
unending and I gave it all to
someone so that when I am
executed without your presence
and knowledge, it would be given
to you. I left you much
handwritten material as my
heritage.
However, before my death I want
something from you, that you have
to provide for me with all your
might and in any way that you
can. In fact this is the only thing I
want from this world, this country
and you. I know you need time for
this. Therefore, I am telling you
part of my will sooner. Please
don’t cry and listen. I want you to
go to the court and tell them my
request. I cannot write such a
letter from inside the prison that
would be approved by the head of
prison; so once again you have to
suffer because of me. It is the
only thing that if even you beg for
it I would not become upset
although I have told you many
times not to beg to save me from
being executed.
My kind mother, dear Sholeh, the
one more dear to me than my life,
I don’t want to rot under the soil.
I don’t want my eye or my young
heart to turn into dust. Beg so that
it is arranged that as soon as I am
hanged my heart, kidney, eye,
bones and anything that can be
transplanted be taken away from
my body and given to someone
who needs them as a gift. I don’t
want the recipient know my name,
buy me a bouquet, or even pray
for me. I am telling you from the
bottom of my heart that I don’t
want to have a grave for you to
come and mourn there and suffer.
I don’t want you to wear black
clothing for me. Do your best to
forget my difficult days. Give me
to the wind to take away.
The world did not love us. It did
not want my fate. And now I am
giving in to it and embrace the
death. Because in the court of
God I will charge the inspectors, I
will charge inspector Shamlou, I
will charge judge, and the judges
of country’s Supreme Court that
beat me up when I was awake and
did not refrain from harassing me.
In the court of the creator I will
charge Dr. Farvandi, I will charge
Qassem Shabani and all those that
out of ignorance or with their lies
wronged me and trampled on my
rights and didn’t PAY heed to the
fact that sometimes what appears
as reality is different from it.
Dear soft-hearted Sholeh, in the
other world it is you and me who
are the accusers and others who
are the accused. Let’s see what
God wants. I wanted to embrace
you until I die. I love you.