letter by Rayyan Hessami, Faran’s sisteR

The letter by Rayyan Hessami – Faran’s sister

A week had passed, and Artin did not say his mom’s name even once. When I told him on the phone that I am coming from Shiraz to go to visit Faran at Evin prison he said, “No! We will write a letter instead and send it to her!”

We arrived at the Evin prison’s waiting room at 11:30am on July 22nd. We were hoping to get a visit appointment that same day, but were not sure if we could get it. At about 20 minutes to 1 pm we were called to go through the entrance door of the meeting room.

Before that, Artin was holding me tightly and only occasionally lifting up his head from my shoulder and to ask why they had not called our name? (Note that this child is not even 3 years-old yet and even though he is always waiting for his mom, he does not usually mention her name.)

As we approached the door, Artin brought forth his small innocent hand to be stamped to enter the prison, and that was when the wall of my resistance collapsed and I moved into tears.

Mrs. Rahimian (Faran’s mother-in-law) explained to the shocked officer, who was stamping hands, that Artin is used to this from Rajayi-Shahr Prison (where he had gone several times to see his father) and he knows that they are going to stamp the palm of his little hands.

We went in. Faran was amongst the last prisoners who came. She ran towards Artin as if she did not see anyone else in the room except her little son, and Artin pulled out of my embrace and ran to his mom.

I wish I could upload for you that one-hour visit and all the feelings, like a short movie.
It was all tears and kisses and smiles that were exchanged between the mother and her little son. When Faran was trying to put Artin on the table in front of her, to, as she said, see him better, he was tightly attached to his mom like a kitten.

Amongst all our numerous questions and answers to Faran, she and her son were holding and kissing each other. When the kind and smiling officer warned that the time is over, Artin calmly kissed her mom and said goodbye to her, without even the slightest cry. What a great soul there is in that little body that even I, as his aunt, cannot fully comprehend.
Faran is in the same cell with other Bahai imprisoned women. We wish for authorities to agree with her freedom until Kamran (Faran’s husband) serves his four-year imprisonment. This way at least it would be less harmful for Artin.

Faran Hesami, a Bahai citizen who was previously sentenced to four years in prison, was arrested on Sunday, July 15, and transferred to Evin Prison to start serving her sentence.

Hesami was arrested when she went to Evin Prison’s Sentence Enforcement Unit to verify a power of attorney form belonging to her husband, Kamran Rahimian, who is already serving his four-year term at Rajaee Shahr Prison.

On January 3, Branch 15 of Tehran Revolutionary Court under Judge Salavati sentenced the couple who were both lecturers at the Bahai Institute for Higher Education (Bahai Online University), to four years in prison on charges of “membership in the Bahai community,” and “assembly and collusion with the intent to disrupt national security.”

—
Source: http://www.edu-right.net/articles/37-article/1043-rayyanletter-faran