A Request
In the name of God, the Compassionate and Merciful
To the honorable presence of Ayatollah Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Muslims around the world
After greetings and respect
On Wednesday, the 30th of Khordad 1397 [June 20, 2018], I was taken from prison to court in prison clothes, with handcuffs and shackles. This time, the charge against me was the questions I had asked you in my previous letter. The judge explained to me that these questions had caused public anxiety, especially among the youth and adolescents, concerning the leadership and the regime.
Dear Leader, if by raising these questions, I have indeed caused public anxiety, especially among the youth and adolescents, and if I have made a mistake or caused problems, I apologize to you.
I wish I could solve this problem myself. Now, having published these questions, the situation has reached a point where this problem can only be resolved by you. You can illuminate public thoughts, especially those of the youth and adolescents, by giving clear answers to these questions.
The judge in my case was of the opinion that, because of the numerous cases I have due to my letters and writings, and especially because of the questions I asked the leadership in the previous letter, I might remain in prison for the rest of my life.
In this session, the judge told me:
Last year in Dey month [December-January], security forces had arrested four women and brought them before me. Their charge was that they had stood together in a street in Isfahan, holding a referendum placard in their hands, taken a picture, and published it in cyberspace.
He said that during the interrogations, when I asked the women who had encouraged them to do this, it became clear that they had positively responded to Mohammad Mahdavifar’s call for demanding a referendum. Eventually, the court sentenced each of these women to one year in prison, totaling four years of imprisonment.
The judge believed that by calling for a referendum, I had caused difficulties for them.
My dear Leader, I request that you, using your governance authority, show Islamic compassion towards the citizens who, last Dey, in various cities of Iran, like Isfahan and Golpayegan, were sentenced to long imprisonments for responding affirmatively to my call for a referendum. Please reduce the rest of these citizens’ sentences and add to my imprisonment, especially the women whose predicament was explained to me in detail by the respected judge.
This is because they likely have responsibilities as mothers, and their children cannot bear the distance from their mothers and are filled with anxiety and concern.
Yours sincerely, Mohammad Mahdavifar
Deminer and diver of the Iran-Iraq war
Isfahan Central Prison
Wednesday, the 30th of Khordad 1397 [June 20, 2018]