‎

Saman Rasoulpour

Woman activist and a member of the One Million Signatures Campaign to Change ‎Discriminatory Laws, Roonak Safazadeh, has been now detained for 13 days. "Roonak" is a ‎Kurdish word that means "light" and "brightness." The mother of this 21-year-old activist, ‎Shahnaz Ahmadi, tells Rooz: "Our life without Roonak is dead and dark." Meanwhile, 600 ‎human rights activist have signed a letter asking for the immediate release of Roonak Safazadeh. ‎Below is an excerpt from Ms. Ahmadi's exclusive interview with Rooz. ‎

Rooz (R): What is the latest news on Roonak's condition?‎

Shahnaz Ahmadi (SA): Unfortunately, we have no news from her. We went to the court asking ‎them to allow me to meet my daughter. They said it is not possible. Then I said at least let me ‎talk to her on the phone. They told me to go home and said she would call me, but 13 days have ‎passed and we have not heard from her. Whenever I say I am worried about my daughter they ‎say ‘go home, your daughter is in good condition.’ I really don't know if my daughter is all ‎right, I am worried. ‎

R: Do they tell you why they won't allow you to meet her?‎

SA: They don't say anything. I'm afraid something bad has already happened to her. This is my ‎biggest fear. If someone wants to help us I ask them to help before it is too late. Roonak needs ‎this help. Help us while she is alive. ‎

R: Is it hard for you to be away from Roonak?‎

SA: Thousands of curses and misfortunes have befallen us. My kids are going crazy. We have ‎experienced many hardships in our lifetime, but none has been more deadly and intolerable than ‎Roonak's imprisonment. My mother has become completely paralyzed. Roonak's brothers and ‎sisters cry all the time. There is nothing that we can do. Our life without Roonak is dead and ‎dark. We ask God to protect her. ‎

R: Do you know what Roonak's goal was and what she was fighting for?‎

SA: She worked for women's rights. If we gave her 5,000 rials on any day she would spend it ‎on the needy. She helped village kids. She traveled to villages and tutored college bound kids ‎for no charge. ‎

R: How do you feel as a mother whose child is in prison? ‎

SA: I am a mother; I don't want my child to be sad for a minute. My daughter has a big soul but ‎her body is weak, because of all her work. Maybe she is happy and I know that right now her ‎only sadness is to be away from her family. I am very, very sad but she may be happy to be in ‎prison to pursue her dream. ‎

R: What do you request from human rights defenders?‎

SA: I beg you to do whatever you can for Roonak and people like her. I even ask the ‎government to aid in her release and freedom because she has done nothing other than ‎humanitarian work and helping others. She always said that it was her humanitarian duty to ‎defend the rights of women and other minorities. ‎