I ask you to support me and demand my freedom in any way that is possible for you. Don’t leave me, my wife and Nima alone! We need your support and assistance. Demand my freedom and also freedom for all other labor activists currently incarcerated especially Reza Shahabi, Mohammad Jarahi, and Shahrokh Zamani.
A letter from Behnam Ebrahimzadeh:
To: workers’ unions in Iran and around the world: Demand my freedom so I could be next to my sick child
My name is Behnam Ebrahimzadeh: a labor activist and a defender of Children’s rights. I am writing this letter addressed to Iranian labor syndicates, because I think, me and my family could rely on you for assistance during these difficult and critical times. More or less you are all fully aware of my predicament, by writing this letter I want all of you to not to leave us alone in the true sense of the word.
We belong to the same class and share the same destiny. You know the only reason I was arrested and tried in an unjust court was my activism in defense of workers and toilers’ rights, my opposition to child labor, and my defense of children’s rights I’m not the first person incarcerated because of these beliefs, neither the last. But as the father of a child who is stricken with cancer, and as someone who has been deprived of all his rights, my life has completely come apart.
I’m addressing you my fellow workers and conscious souls in the world: all of you who do not acceptinjustice. I have neither stolen millions of money from people, neither committed theft, murder, nor transgressed anyone’s rights. I have only advocated the most basic rights of all human beings living in this society. I have been found “guilty” like many of my fellow workers, only because of my defense of workers’ rights and sent to jail. My family needs their nightly bread, but their breadwinner is in jail. My only child is afflicted with Leukemia and his father is in jail. I cannot even spend time with my child in hospital. We workers are fully aware of all the hardship and difficulties we experience in our lives. But my situation is even worse. I cannot even look my child straight in his eyes. Today when I was taking him back to hospital he was overwhelmed with anxiety. He was worried whether I’ll be next to him, or whether I’ll be going back to jail. For those of you who are fathers it is not so hard to appreciate our predicament.
My child’s pain and suffering, his gradual destruction is annihilating me. I’m worried about him. At the same time I’m concerned that if I don’t return to jail and remain on his bedside, the security forces would invade my house and subject me to insults and abuse on his bedside and take me to jail. All the letter written so far by my son, Nima, or my wife Zobiedeh and myself have not been effective in granting me freedom, or at least leave me alone until his conditions improve.
Fellow workers and conscious souls! Noble people and defenders of human rights!
I ask you to support me and demand my freedom in any way that is possible for you. Don’t leave me, my wife and Nima alone! We need your support and assistance. Demand my freedom and also freedom for all other labor activists currently incarcerated especially Reza Shahabi, Mohammad Jarahi, and Shahrokh Zamani.*
Behnam Ebrahimzadeh
Labor activists and Children’s rights advocate
August 22, 2013
* Despite Behnam’s pleas and supports by many labour activists and organizations in Iran, Behnam was forced to return to Evin prison on Monday, August 26, 2013. Behnam Ebrahimzadeh Defence Committee reports on September 15, 2013 that after Behnam was transferred to prison from his temporary medical leave for his son, the prison authorities decided to open a new case against him for reporting to the prison a few days later than the deadline. More reports on this will appear on IASWI websites.