Delara Darabi's father seeks the world's assistance in saving his daughter's life

My daughter, Delara Darabi is accused of a murder she did not commit. Her kind heart led her to accept another’s sin and sully herself in this case. I defend her not because she is my daughter, but because it is defending the truth and the justice that is absent here. I want to see justice prevail, and now, it has been years that my Delara is the victim of those who know nothing about humanity or injustice.

I condemn this treatment of my daughter. I invite everyone who wishes to do so to come and examine this case file and my daughter’s conduct. Let the Islamic human rights organizations come to investigate from Palestine, Lebanon, or any other place that they accept. Let them come to see what they have done with my 17 year old child. Every day, they subject her to a new form of abuse. It has been three years now that she has spent in jail, and now she is 20 years old. Until she was 17, she had not known anything in life other than blessings and kindness. She knows nothing other than pens, books, music, and painting.

Three years ago, when I learned of the incident, I personally turned my daughter in to the authorities and the law; to the very law and judicial system that I now feel, with all of my existence, knows no justice.

Today, my child’s life is in danger not only because she has been sentenced to death, but also because of the treatment that she receives in Rasht’s prison. My child has the right not to be tortured, she has the right to be treated in accordance with civil standards. Yet, here, not even basic rights are observed. She does not receive adequate nutrition. We pay her expenses. Yet, they do not allow us to visit her. Just today that I write this, I and her mother and sisters went to see her, but they found an excuse not to allow us to see her.

I say place my beloved child in a steel cage and keep the key, but do not allow her spirit to be tormented like this. Allow us to protect her ourselves. Allow us to take her notebooks, pens, books, and food, and allow her to paint. She only knows books, notebooks, pens, and art supplies.

In this country where we breathe, there is no sign of justice and I have experienced no justice. I ask those who respect humanity, those with an informed conscience, to help us free Delara. Delara is only one example of thousands who, like Delara, are imprisoned.

My daughter’s life is in danger in prison. Time and time again, I have written letters requesting adequate conditions and standards. I have received negative answers and I have been insulted. I have requested that my daughter be transferred to another prison. Yet they do not pay any credence to this small request. Delara says "in this prison, the acts of walking, eating, painting, speaking, and sleeping by me incite insults and unspeakable reactions. Here, there is one toilet for 200 people, and our objections to these conditions are answered with punishment." Are these conditions tolerable for a 20 year old girl?

We are not allowed to take her any food, and during our last visit with Delara, she refrained from kissing her mother, saying that the place is full of germs and she could not bring herself to expose us to the diseases that she may have contracted. Seeing these conditions and hearing the news of inhumane treatment of my daughter has left me without sleep at night.
I, Delara Darabi’s father, have wasted three years of my life. I have abandoned my life and livelihood so that I can work on her case in search of justice, rights, and defense of humanity. Please help me, and help us, in our search. For here, there is no sign of justice or humanity.

Please sign the petition to save Delara Darabi's life:

www.petitiononline.com/DL2222/petition.html

www.SaveDelara.com

Photos from the rally for Delara Darabi in Poland organized by the SaveDelara campaign and Amnesty International

Last sunday, the folks at SaveDelara campaign and Amnesty International held a joint protest in front of the embassy of the Islamic Repbulic of Iran in Warsaw, Poland. The protest rally was an attempt to raise awareness for Delara Darabi, Reza Alinejad, and Malak Ghorbany, and to protest their pending executions.

You can see the rest of the photos here.

Amnesty International/SaveDelara Campaign Human Rights Bus

Here is a photo of the Amnesty International Human Rights Bus that joined forces with SaveDelara campaign this past weekend in Warsaw, Poland to protest human rights violations in Iran. You can see the poster bearing the photo of Delara on the window of the bus.

There should be a "Human Rights Bus" in every major city around the world until these atrocities become nonexistant.

SaveDelara Campaign and Amnesty International Join Forces in Europe

(1) The author of Delara's petition, Mani Azizzadeh, along with Amnesty International and another member of the SaveDelara campaign, Osborn Holmstrand, personally spoke with the ambassador of Iran in Sweden, Hassan Ghashghavi, handed him the signatures from Delara's petition, and secured his promise to personally deliver the signatures to Iran's chief judge, Ayatolllah Shahroudi. Let's see if Ghashghavi is really a man of his word or if he chooses to embarrass his country by going back on his word and not personally delivering the signatures to Shahroudi despite his promise. Hassan Ghashghavi

Mr. Ghashghavi: The world is watching you! (His email is ambassador@iran.se I think it'd be great if he got emails from all of us demanding that he follow through with his promise to deliver the signatures personally.)

(2) Krzysztof Pacyński of the SaveDelara campaign, who has set up a site in polish for her, joined forces with Amnesty International on the Human Rights Bus rally this past weekend in Poland. The bus stopped in front of the embassies of countries known for their violations of human rights, including that of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The windows were decorated with posters bearing Delara's photo and information. The rally was a great success in that it spread a great deal of awareness about Delara's case, as well as the cases of Reza Alinejad and Malak Ghorbany.

Let's keep up the good efforts and to pressure the officials in Iran to uphold the rights of Delara and other victims of human rights violations.

And do not forget to sign the petitions to save the lives of each of these victims individually:

· The direct link to the petition for Delara Darabi, teenage female artist facing imminent risk of execution for a crime she did not commit, is: http://www.petitiononline.com/DL2222/petition.html

· The direct link to the petition for Reza Alinejad, teenage male facing imminent risk of execution for killing his attacker in self defense, is: http://www.petitiononline.com/RezaA/petition.html

· The direct link to the petition for Malak Ghorbany , 35 year old mother of two facing execution by stoning for allegedly commiting the crime of adultery, is: http://www.petitiononline.com/Malak/petition.html

Prison -- A Poem By Delara Darabi

Click on the image to see a larger (and legible!) version. Hat-tip to the my good pal, Jo at www.SaveDelara.com for sending this. The image behind the poem is one of Delara's paintings.

Delara Darabi's lawyer files a plea to stop her execution

Yesterday, Delara's lawyer, Abdolsamad Khoramshahi filed a plea with Iran's head of judiciary, Ayatollah Hashemi Shahroudi, asking him to grant a stay of execution in Delara's case.

Apparently, these pleas have worked for some others in the past, including Kobra Rahmanpour. So we are hoping that the signatures on the petition, but more importantly the direct letters to the head of the judiciary, will continue to accumulate. We should put as much pressure on Shahroudi as possible so he respondes positively to Khoramshahi's plea.

If you guys have not already seen Delara's paintings, btw, I highly recommond them. Here is the link: http://www.savedelara.com/Delara_Paintings.html . It would be an absolute crime if this talented and gifted girl hangs. She has so much to offer this world. So let's make sure she goes on to live a productive and peaceful life.

Delara's Father Speaks to Human Rights Lawyer, Lily Mazahery

Lily Mazahery, the human rights lawyer who is leading the international effort to save the life of Delara Darabi, spoke to Delara's father today.

It is amazing that not only does the Iranian regime care little about the rights of women and girls, but they don't even care to grant a poor child a fair trial where evidence can actually be presented like a civil society!

Delara's father states that he wants to see justice served, which he believes can be achieved through a fair trial for his daughter. He explained that he himself had turned Delara in when he thougt that she had a role in Mahin’s murder. But he never thought that she would be labeled a murderer. Passionately emphasizing that Delara is not a murderer, Mr. Darabi stated that Delara has the innocence and purity of an 8 year old child. He went on to emphasize that the evidence in this case does not, in any way, support the court’s ruling. He explained that the lawyer who originally handled Delara’s case was entirely ineffective. The lawyer was not present during the hearing where Delara was found to be guilty, Mr. Darabi explained, and the same lawyer had told the Darabi family that he had spoken with the judge and that there was no need for them to go to the court that day because no hearing was to take place. It was not until Delara herself contacted her family to let them know that she was found guilty of murder that the Darabi learned about the summary trial and Delara’s sentence.

You can read all of Ms. Mazahery's conversation with Mr. Darabi here

Delara's Lawyer: confession is only worth anything when the confession matches the evidence!

The day after the idiots of Iran's so-called Supreme Court approved Delara Darabi's execution order, Mino Hemati of the SaveDelara campaign talked to Delara's lawyer, Abdolsamad Khoramshahi.

Also, there have been some reports that the head of the Communist Party in Europe, Mina Ahadi, has talked to the family of the victim, Mahin Darabi, and that her daughter has said that she does not want to see Delara executed! What a bunch of bull! I have personally read several letters and interviews, where the daugher has said that she wants to see Delara hanged. Give me a break! As if this Ahadi person, a known communist with a political agenda that could jeapordize this poor girl's life, can be trusted about anything. Remember when she had posted that Delara was to be executed in a month back in Feb/March sometime? She is a nut-job.

In any event, here is the rest of Mino Hemati's interview with Mr. Khoramshahi. I trust Ms. Hemati. I have absolutely NO trust in communists, including Mina Ahadi and her opportunist clan.