Bijan Khajepour letter

          
          Siavash Rahbari
          From: Renee Redman
          Sent: Thursday, October 22, 2009 10:18AM
          To: Siavash Rahbari
          Subject: FW: LetterfromTehran (Khajehpour)
          Bizarre
          Renee C. Redman, Esq.
          Executive Director
          Iran Human Rights Documentation Center
          129 Church Street, Suite 304
          New Haven, CT 06510
          Tel: (203) 772 2218 ext. 215
          rredman@iranhrdc. org
          www. iranhrdc. org
          Original Message
          From: owner—gulf2000—list@columbia.edu [ mailto:owner—gulf2000—list@columbia.edu] On
          Behalf Of Gary G Sick
          Sent: Thursday, October 22, 2009 9:33 AM
          To: Gary G Sick
          Subject: Letter from Tehran (Khajehpour)
          Date: Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:38:49 +0330
          From: Bijan Khajehpour 
          Dear Friends across the World,
          As most of you know, I was released on 30 September after 96 days of detention in Evin
          prison by the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence. I was accused of “actions against
          national security” and have now been freed on bail. I will have to fight my case in
          court, while now trying to regain “normalcy” in my personal and professional life. It
          has been a difficult and challenging period, but it is over and it is time to get over
          the pain and to focus on positive thoughts.
          Well, yes, there are some positive aspects about Evin, for example that one develops a
          new relationship with time — busy work schedules lose their significance in life and one
          has all the time in the world to think, to read and to debate. I managed to read the
          Holy Quran back—to—back twice and the Nahjul—Balagheh (Imam Ali T s sermons) as well as
          many other books, including a couple of my own English books which my interrogators
          allowed me to take into the cell. Having studied the Quran, it is appropriate to share
          the following verse with you:
          “0 my Lord! Cause me to enter [ upon whatever I may do] in a manner, true and sincere, and
          cause me to leave [ it] in a manner true and sincere, and grant me, out of Thy grace,
          sustaining strength!” (17—80 Quran)
          Now, in truth and sincerity, I would like to share the following thoughts with you:
          1) First and foremost, I want to thank those friends who contributed courageously to the
          international campaign for my release. I was touched to learn about the many individuals
          and organizations who campaigned on my behalf. All your initiatives, prayers, energy and
          friendship gave my family and me the strength we needed to go through the ordeal;
          2) Despite all the sadness, I believe that we should not promote hatred and bitterness.
          Iran and Iranians need positive energies and constructive ideas to move forward and it is
          my personal determination to contribute to new ideas and actions that could reduce the
          potential of pain in future events. In the end, all actors in crises like this are human
          beings.
          Politicians, intelligence officers, intellectuals, protestors and all other actors have
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          acted based on their best judgments in a crisis situation. In these situations, some
          panic, some remain calm and the majority act in all the grey shades between the two —
          this time, we had too many actors who panicked. I have tried to remain calm and it is
          the best way to go through such an ordeal with a degree of sanity;
          3) As most of you would probably ask, let me also tell you this: I am fine. The
          conditions in detention were much better than imagined; in my case, there was no physical
          pressure and all basic needs were provided for
          — the real problems in detention are the concerns that one has about the people outside
          (especially immediate family) and also the fact that one does not know how long the
          process will take. Leaving me in the dark about the process was the main instrument of
          pressure against me, but very early in detention I promised myself not to allow the
          ordeal to break me and not to come out of detention a weaker person. Time will tell
          whether I have succeeded or not, though it may not be the end of the story for me.
          4) The intellectually intense encounters with my interrogators gave me the opportunity to
          familiarize myself with their worldview, their sensitivities and to see for myself the
          clashes that exist. In fact, my case is a microcosm of the Iranian story: A country of
          clashes in cultural values and intellectual perceptions. The well—intentioned acts of an
          independent citizen could in some cases be interpreted as complete opposites — this is
          how a patriot becomes a traitor. A cultural contribution to a conference or a book can
          be seen as espionage etc. etc.
          One learns in these interrogations that nothing is innocent — not even a virtual network
          among international experts. One could agree or disagree with that worldview, but I can
          tell you that it exists and that it is very powerful in the minds of many decision—
          makers.
          5) One of the good things about detention is that one finds the time and space to think
          and to identify one T s priorities in life. In Evin, I realized how important my immediate
          family is to me and how crucial it is to dedicate more time and attention to them. I
          also had a chance to review all my cultural and business activities and to set
          priorities.
          All these priorities will influence my future decisions and behavior — hopefully leading
          to a more balanced life and one that is viewed with less suspicion by the Ministry of
          Intelligence.
          The first priority for now is to get back to a new balance in my life. I will fight the
          court case with truth and sincerity and will move on. I know that I can count on your
          friendship in the future and I look forward to future communication with all of you.
          Thank you once again!
          Very warm wishes,
          Bijan Khajehpour
          Tehran
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