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Today I kept hearing everyone talking about Roxana Saberi’s lecture at UCLA Royce Hall on campus; there were flyers about the event everywhere. I had received the Facebook invitation a couple of days in advance and I was among the students who were anticipating the evening. It was almost seven o’clock in the evening when I left Powell Library and I approached Royce Hall. I took my seat. As memories of my life in Iran were about to surface, a colorful cast stepped out in neat costumes and my attention was instantaneously diverted. Amidst the colorful cast, Ms. Rudi Bakhtiar made her way to the stage.
Following Ms. Bakhtiar’s opening remarks about the event, the audience was honored to hear from Dr. Firuz Kazemzadeh, a professor emeritus of history at Yale University. During his speech, Dr. Kazemzadeh talked about the significance of being able to freely practice one’s religion without any restriction. "The struggle for religious freedom, like the struggle for the abolition of slavery or the exploitation of child labor, will be a long and difficult one, but the principles embodied in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights will triumph and the Commission will contribute to their eventual triumph," Dr. Kazemzadeh said.
Following Dr. Kazemzadeh, Mr. Iraj Kamalabadi, brother of Fariba Kamalabadi and one of the seven imprisoned Baha’i leaders in Iran, started speaking up on behalf of his sister and other Baha’i leaders. Mr. Kamalabadi commenced by talking about how Baha’i leaders were arrested in Iran. In the mid-1980s, the government ordered that Baha’i Spiritual Assemblies should be dissolved,” said Iraj. “Because the Baha’is are obedient to the laws of the countries where they live, the community dissolved all its institutions at the local and national level. An informal association was then established, with the consent of the authorities, called the Yaran [in Persian, meaning “Friends”], to administer the basic needs of the Baha’i community. The seven leaders arrested in March and May were the Yaran.” Mr. Kamalabadi hopes that international pressure will one day save not only his sister, but the other detainees as well, from the fate of the National Spiritual Assemblies of the Baha’is of Iran.
Before Roxana, made her way to the stage, the audience was delighted to hear one of the very well known singers, Farshid Amin. He chanted his two new songs entitled “Freedom” and “Pray with Me.”
Next, Roxana Saberi stepped to the podium to deliver her convocation address. She conveyed intensity and delivered each statement with insurmountable conviction and passion. Her display of energy and emotion made each word delivered resonate across the room. Roxana shared her stories and experiences in prison in Iran. From North Dakota, she found herself behind the cells of Evin Prison where she met Mrs. Mahvash Sabet along with Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi, the two Baha’i leaders who have been imprisoned since 2008. As Roxana described them, they are very strong, inspirational women from whom we can learn much from their great courage.
She commenced her speech by talking about her childhood and her life before going to Iran. She spoke of the life she experienced behind the cells of Evin Prison, being interrogated day after day, going on a two-week hunger strike and no one knowing where she was.
In order to learn Farsi and become a foreign news correspondent, Roxana moved to Iran, the country of her father. After working as a journalist for National Public Radio and BBC, for six years, Roxana was arrested by the Iranian government and was sent to Evin Prison, solely because of false accusation of spying.
"They kept saying 'Cooperate. Cooperate and you'll be fine. If not, we'll have to keep you here longer,’" Roxana said. "I learned later that their definition of 'cooperate' was to confess that I was a spy for America, and specifically that the book that I was writing about Iranian society, they claimed, was a cover for spying for America." Roxana described how the Iranian government had political motifs for these accusations. They wanted the world to see her as an example and they wanted to send a message to other journalists who had the same aims as Roxana. They wanted to show their authority and scare people who had dual citizenship.
She remarked that psychological pressure was one of the reasons she falsely confessed that she was a spy. Yet, since she “felt horrible,” she recanted her statement. In addition to the story of her imprisonment, Roxana also talked about Ms. Kamalabadi and Ms. Sabet. “When I had first met them, I was surprised; I didn’t know how people could've survived so long in one little cell. Mahvash had been in solitary confinement for six months, and I had been going crazy after two weeks. Fariba had been in solitary confinement for four months. Yet, they both had not seen their lawyers. And from them, I learned many lessons of strength,” Roxana recalled.
“I hope that through my story and the story of my cellmates, people can see that so many innocent people are behind bars in Iran while the real criminals are in power,” Roxana ended.
The audience quickly rose to their feet and applauded with all their will. The encounter with Roxana had been only too short. Yet, her message had clearly moved her audience.
I wonder why people like Roxana Saberi or Ms. Kamalabadi should be imprisoned just because they seek freedom. Is it too much to ask to freely express one’s self or to freely practice one’s religion?
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