The Nobel People of Iran and the Honorable Sahabi Family:

After hearing the news of Ezzatollah Sahabi’s passing, we intended to issue a statement to express our condolences and to announce our sympathy and solidarity with you during this sorrowful time and for this enormous loss.However, before doing so, the government together with its conscienceless hired guns added to Sahabi family and our nation’s grief and delivered another blow at this figure that is barely alive but still standing.

Without mercy, they harassed a pacifist who wanted nothing but tranquility for her country.While she was innocently shedding tears for the loss of her father, they stole his lifeless body from her and disrupted the funeral.With brass knuckles, they punched her and kicked until she couldn’t bear it anymore.At the end, she regrettably succumbed to death.

With batons, they even attacked and beat those who had gone to her house to comfort the family and share their loss.After being subjected to profanity, defenseless but brave men and women were assaulted and arrested.As a result, once again, another blessing of the celestial Islamic Republic was on display for the world to see. As if the regime has forgotten its own prisons and dungeons, the Fars News Agency, Tabnak and other state media reported that Haleh Sahabi died of natural causes and declared that the opposition groups conspired against the regime while fully expecting her demise.

What have they gained this time as well except more scandals?They have achieved the same as they did before when they committed mass murders, assassinations and other numerous crimes in places such as Kahrizak Prison.

Yes, indeed.A revolution that triumphed with the blood of those who scarified themselves for it has now produced a regime that instead of bestowing gift of life upon this nation, now delivers death through and through by demanding more blood from this country’s beloved people.This didn’t happen overnight in one day, one month or one year; when the foundation is laid wrong, everything that follows will be flawed as well.

This is not the first and won’t be the last time that a family has lost a loved one simply because they dared to think differently in an atmosphere of oppression, pressure and imprisonment.

This is not the first and won’t be the last time that murderers steal the slain body of a loved one from his family and instead of expressing regret and sorrow, mobilize scores of hired guns to the funeral so that with batons and weapons, they can bring about another death.

A thief is a thief no matter what.He will steal small and big whenever he has an opportunity; this is his art.Not to mention that stealing people’s bread, votes and lives is nothing but pure evil.

Robbing someone of his life neither wipes away the memory of him nor eliminates his thoughts.Each time, those responsible for taking away a life will see defeat with their own eyes, but to no avail, they shall repeat the cycle of committing crimes since this is their profession.

For a government that oppresses its people and commits crimes only to prolong its grasp on power, nothing is more humiliating than the everlasting memory of our beloved fallen and their ideas lingering in our hearts.Similarly, nothing is more degrading for such rulers than the time when the saplings of thought flourish into life from new foliage every year in order to enshroud the tree of blood with blossoms.

It isn’t far; it won’t be long.That day will come, and this is our greatest comfort extended towards each other because:

Gone from me with the wind are countless flowers
I, the sorrow stricken one, shall forget no budding
I deem not the demise of any beloved

Mothers of Park Laleh
June 1, 2011