The same night  human rights activist and blogger Shiva Nazar Ahari went to Qom (a few days ago) with the families of a number of political prisoners to attend Ayatollah Montazeri’s burial ceremony, she was arrested and transferred to Evin prison.

Shiva’s parents pleaded for their 26 year-old daughter’s innocence in a letter to her interrogator.

Their letter to the Expert Intelligence Ministry reads:

Respected Expert of the Intelligence Ministry

This is what Shiva Nazar Ahari’s mother and father would like to say to you

We wish we could talk to you face to face, but since that is not possible, we will tell you what we have to say through this letter. Maybe one day, as a result of this letter, we will be able to talk to you face to face about the pains of being separated from out daughter.

You must remember very well that our daughter was under arrest by the Intelligence Ministry for 102 days. 30 of those days she was in solitary confinement. She was released from Evin prison on a 200 million Toman (approximately 200,000 USD) bail less than three months ago and now she has been arrested again by you. Shiva, like many others, was on her way to Qom with the intention of attending the burial ceremony of Ayatollah Montazeri. Is this the reason for her second arrest? Didn’t so many of other citizens attend this ceremony? Were they all arrested?

Mr. Alavi, as parents of Shiva, our first question to you is this: If our daughter was to get arrested less than three months after her release, then why was she released at all? We want to know what happened in these three months that despite the heavy bail and despite the fact that her court date is approaching, you decide to take her back to prison and solitary confinement?

As far as we understand from our daughter’s writings and activities, she has not done anything except some human rights activities. In her attempts to realize this goal, she does her best to defend every religion and ideology. Is it a crime to defend human rights?

Respected expert of Ministry of Intelligence, in the meeting that we had 63 days after my daughter’s first arrest, you told me (Shiva’s mother) that you have a daughter about the same age as Shiva. I wonder, if your daughter was in the same situation, would you have treated her the same way as you are treating Shiva today? Have you ever even for a second looked at Shiva like your own daughter?

There is a lot we would like to say to you, but we don’t think it is possible to say them all in this letter. But we want you to put yourself in our place for just one second and imagine that you are Shiva’s father and your daughter has been separated from you for the second time. How would you feel then? You know that Shiva is in solitary confinement now. Even if you provide her with the best conditions you cannot ignore the pains of staying in solitary confinement. With this second arrest, Shiva might lose her job and education, which she had tried so hard to attain.

Believe us, our daughter has no intention other than defending humans. Please consider this and review her file with the utmost fairness and humanity.

Shahrzad Karimian – Nazar Ahari (Shiva’s parents)

Translated by Persian2English