1997: Faraj Sarkoohi

1997

Faraj Sarkoohi - Iran

Imprisoned

Faraj Sarkoohi was born in Shiraz, Iran in November 1947. He began to write essays and articles for opposition publications whilst a student. In 1969 he was arrested by the Shah's security forces and incarcerated for a year. In 1971 he was again arrested and received a fifteen year sentence, but was released after eight years, during the 1979 the Iranian revolution.

Sarkoohi co-founded the independent literary magazine Adineh in 1985. Exasperated with continued repression, in 1994 he became a key organizer of the Declaration of 134 Writers which called on the Iranian government to end censorship and respect the right to free speech. The following year his family fled to Germany while he stayed on in Iran. Another noted writer and organizer of the Declaration, Reza Baraheni recalls how the government responded quickly and harshly. "We were bombarded by the government press as spies... they called us 'cafe-dwelling guerrillas'... and broadcasted a prime-time television show called "The Identity" where all of [the Declaration's organizers] were called traitors," he said.

Things got worse. Many signatories of the Declaration were arrested and a spate of murders of several of the writers followed. A 2006 report by Article 19 states the dead as: Ahmad Mir-Alai, writer and translator was found in an alley. He reportedly died of a heart attack. Ghaffar Hosseini, poet and translator, was found bloody and dead in his home. His death too was blamed on a heart attack. Ghazaleh Alizadeh, a renowned story writer, was found dead a long way from her home. She allegedly committed suicide. Ebrahim Zalzadeh, a publisher, was kidnapped after publishing and defending the manifesto. His mutilated body was found in a wasteland. Chilling to note is that in her book Iran Awakening, Shirin Ebadi writes of one the popular methods of assassination used at this time - targets were injected with potassium to produce seemingly natural heart attacks. (Article 19 - Censorship in Iran) In 1998, two other writers were among further political killings: Mohammad Mokhtari, a poet, member of Kanoon and Declaration of 134 Writers signatory; and Mohammad Pouyandeh, an essayist, translator of French literature and also a member of Kanoon.

So, when in November 1996, Sarkhooi did not arrive in Hamburg after supposedly boarding a flight from Tehran, there were fears for the worse. Initially Iranian officials claimed he had boarded the flight and witnesses claim to have seen him at Tehran airport escorted by an official. Yet nothing more was heard until a month later, in December when, mysteriously, Sarkhooi appeared at Tehran airport, telling the press that he had indeed gone to Germany, and had returned after receiving assurances from the authorities that he would be safe. However, he subsequently smuggled out a letter detailing his forty-eight day ordeal. In the letter he wrote that he had been interrogated, tortured and threatened with execution. He was then re-arrested and after an original announcement that he would face charges of espionage, Sarkoohi was convicted of spreading illegal propaganda and sentenced to a year's imprisonment.

He was released on 28 January 1998 and in May allowed to re-join his family in Germany where he continues to live in exile.

Writing Sample:

Open Letter from Faraj Sarkoohi, January 3, 1997

Today is the 14th of Dey. I, Farraj Sarkuhi, am writing this note in great haste in the hope that one day someone or some people will read it so that Iranian and international public opinion and especially my loved ones-- Farideh, Arash, and Bahar--w ill learn of the terrifying experiences I have had. Perhaps this note will never reach anyone. But I am hopeful that someone will read it and after my arrest or death, will publish it so that there will be a document, a testament to the pain and suffering that I have experienced.

I don't know how long I have. I await imminent arrest or an incident whereby I will be murdered and my death will be presented as a suicide. Torture, prison, and death await me. In this note, I will try only to write what has happened although I wish I c ould also explain my situation. Perhaps people can somewhat understand my situation after reading this note. I fell victim to a plan that the Ministry of Information of Iran devised and executed and still is in the process of fulfilling. I don't know what will follow next. I will write about everything that has happened until now.

I was arrested on the 13th of Aban in the Mehrabad Airport and held in one of the secret prisons of the Ministry of Information until the 30th of Azar. Gradually, it became apparent that preparations for this complicated plan had been made long befo re. Before my arrest on the 13th of Aban, some things had happened that everybody more or less has heard about .... the Armenian trip..., the attack on Mansour's Kushan's house on the evening when a few writers including myself signed the draft of the mandate of the writers association; the incident at the German cultural attache Gertz's dinner party ; and my two-day arrest and detainment in Shahrivar 1375 (two days after the Kushan house attack). I will explain the last two incidents in more detail, since as I found out later, they were the initial steps of a larger scenario and are directly related to my arrest on the 13th of Aban and my 47 day detainment.

To read the letter in full click here