Future Belongs to the Fallen

Letter from Farzad Kamangar on anniversary of his execution

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Future Belongs to the Fallen
by LalehGillani
03-May-2011
 

Farzad Kamangar wrote the following piece in memory of a political prisoner from 1980’s. This political prisoner who suffered from terrible poor vision used a small piece of cardboard in place of each lens when his glasses broke during beatings and torture. This was the last image of him seen by his mother. The aforementioned political prisoner was subsequently murdered under torture and was buried in an unknown and unmarked grave. This piece has been dedicated by Farzad Kamangar to the mother of this political prisoner:

Prison is the tale of body and lash, fist and captivity, rope and neck, fire and skin, lead and heart. Prison is a melody to keep alive hope; prison is a pane to a glistening future.

First Image – Santiago, Chile:
A tormentor is crushing his prisoner’s hands so that he doesn’t play the guitar or compose songs and lullabies for Chilean children, but he sings without pause:

Come, come, come
Come; we hurl down the road spread ahead
Another future is about to evolve

Years later, the headlines in Chilean newspapers read, “Rest Peacefully; Dictator Died.”
And the guitarist adorns the pages of a poet’s collected works, and people adore the master verse in their poet’s masterpiece.

Second Image – Soviet Prisons – Stalin:
Beria passes judgment, murders, hacks into pieces and exiles anyone who believes differently.

Several decades later!

A youngster at school reads his country’s contemporary history, and by hearing Beria’s name, he spits on the floor. Another youngster angrily tears the pages of his book apart.

Third Image – 1980’s – Iraq:
A caravan of women, girls, children, the young and the old are moved towards the vast deserts of Nugra Salman for genocide. A child clenches her doll tighter to her chest and counts the stars with eyes wide open while she is buried under piles of dirt. A girl commits suicide before her honor is stained under Ali Hassan Majid’s brazen gaze.

In the third act, my little sisters without a bridal gown, innocent and pure, with the sun shining down on their coffins, return to their birth place.

A child in Halabja boldly urinates on Saddam’s picture and statue.
A young Shi'a during the dictator’s execution howls, “Go to hell.”
And a Kurd steps into Baghdad’s castles and ridicules Saddam.

Fourth Image – Diyarbakir Prison, Turkey – 1980’s:
The General rapes the family of a prisoner in order to break his resistance, and to keep Nowruz alive, a prisoner sets himself ablaze to become eternal in the flames of Nowruz.

During Nowruz 2009, the children of Diyarbakir in every corner of their neighborhoods daringly chant, “The General is a coward.” A crowd of millions gather around Nowruz’s bonfire, the same flames that the General thought extinguished.

Last Image - 1980’s Evin Prison – Tehran:
A prisoner with broken eyeglasses heads to see his mother for the last time so that he can carry her image with him to his grave. A few weeks later, his clothing and glasses are delivered to his mother.

Years later, another prisoner from Evin writes to his fiancé, and the girl reads the letter to her grandmother while the old woman holds the broken eyeglasses in her hands. The girl reads:

Anywhere in the world, let them remain unknown in broken tombs, without gravestones or crosses. Let them become one with the soil; let a free cypress whose roots run deep in their hearts and its branches soar high in the sky be their mark.

Let them remain unknown. “Future belongs to the fallen buried without a shroud.”

Farzad Kamangar
Evin Prison
Ordibehesht 1389 [April – May 2010]

Translated by Laleh Gillani
The original Farsi letter can be found at: //www.farzadkamangar.org/index.php?option=com...

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Roozbeh_Gilani

فراخوان جمعی از فعالین سیاسی اجتماعی شهر کامیاران

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در بخشی از فراخوان مذکور آمده است که: "از مردم انقلابی و زحمتکش کامیاران و نهادها و سازمان های سیاسی درخواست داریم در سالیاد جانباختن معلم انقلابی "فرزاد کمانگر"، چهارراه اصلی این شهر را به نام وی نام گذاری نمایند."

 

شنبه   17  اردیبهشت  ماه   1390 _  7  مه 2011


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Roozbeh_Gilani

درخواست پیگرد بین المللی عاملان کشتار جانباختگان روز 19 اردیبهشت

Roozbeh_Gilani
Sat May 07, 2011 06:12 PM PDT

درخواست پیگرد بین المللی عاملان کشتار جانباختگان روز 19 اردیبهشت  

دبیرخانه مجموعه فعالان حقوق بشر در ایران، با صدور اطلاعیه ای خواستار تشکیل پرونده علیه آمران و عاملان قتل زندانی سیاسی فرزاد کمانگر و یارانش در سطح بین المللی گردید.

در بخش هایی از اطلاعیه مذکور آمده است: "در چگونگی اجرای احکام زندانیان سیاسی جانباخته در روز 19 اردیبهشت ماه سال گذشته گستره‌ای از نقض حقوق انسانی را شاهد بودیم، از عصر روز ۱۸ اردیبهشت ماه تلفن‌ های زندان اوین قطع و ۵ زندانی مورد اشاره پس از سال‌ ها تحمل مرارت و شرایط دشوار زندان های مختلف، در حالی که می‌ توانست به لحاظ حقوقی رسیدگی به پروند‌ها ادامه پیدا کند، بدون اطلاع از قصد اجرای حکم، بدون امکان دیدار با خانواد‌ها یا حضور وکلا یا حتی نگارش وصیت نامه به سلول ‌های انفرادی بند ۲۴۰ منتقل شده و سحرگاه روز ۱۹ اردیبهشت به صورت عجولانه ‌ای در محوطه پارکینگ زندان اوین به چوبه اعدام سپرده شدند. بر این اساس در اولین سالگرد جانباختن زندانیان سیاسی روز ۱۹ اردیبهشت سال 1388 ضمن بزرگداشت یاد و خاطره این قربانیان خواستار پیگیرد بین المللی و مجازات عاملان شکنجه زندانیان مورد اشاره و مجریان اعدام آنان می باشیم."

شنبه   17  اردیبهشت  ماه   1390 _  7  مه 2011


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LalehGillani

The Images

by LalehGillani on Thu May 05, 2011 11:10 AM PDT

Alx1711 asked, “Where are the images? There is only 1 image in this post!”

The images were in Farzad’s head, but through these words, he passed them down to us to safeguard and to ponder upon.

Farzad wrote this piece when he was locked up in Evin prison. It was there that he articulated the images gathered in his head from years or even decades ago. Some atrocities were witnessed by him; the rest are written in history books or passed down by word of mouth.

Each image’s message, however, remains loud and clear: Future belongs to the fallen buried without a shroud…


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alx1711

where are the images? there

by alx1711 on Thu May 05, 2011 06:10 AM PDT

where are the images? there is only 1 image in this post!


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LalehGillani

Translations of Farzad Kamangar's Letters

by LalehGillani on Wed May 04, 2011 11:12 AM PDT

Almost a year ago, after Farzad’s execution, many of his letters were being translated into English. Unfortunately, the majority of the translations were and still remain poor and inaccurate. What can I say? It was only with the best of intentions…

Lately, two of his letters were translated again with special attention to stay faithful to his words and message. Both translations can be found at the following links:

Future Belongs to the Fallen Buried Without a Shroud
To the Wind and the Sun, I Leave You


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LalehGillani

The Coordinating Committee to Commemorate Farzad Kamangar

by LalehGillani on Wed May 04, 2011 10:45 AM PDT

The Campaign to Save Farzad Kamangar was initially formed as a collaborating effort amongst the Human Rights Activists in Iran, his family and his attorney. For a few years, this Campaign served as the coordinating body to organize protests and efforts to save the life of an erudite teacher. After Farzad’s unjust execution, the Campaign was redefined and transformed into a memorial tribute to his everlasting legacy.

Now, at the onset of the first anniversary of an execution that ended the life of a righteous teacher, a group consisting of Farzad Kamangar’s family members and human rights activists and organizations has assumed the responsibility to bring together programs planned for this day.

Everyone wishing to collaborate with and contribute to this Campaign may contact us by sending an email to 19ordibehesht@farzadkamangar.org or visit the web site dedicated to Farzad Kamangar’s legacy at www.farzadkamangar.org.


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Siavash300

It is sad story. Hope to see Iran without execution

by Siavash300 on Tue May 03, 2011 11:47 PM PDT

I can feel the deep sorrow for those mothers who lost their loved ones by the hands of  these barbaric, savage Islamic monsters. I feel those mother's pain.

 What is hurting our nation are the existance of traitors in our society. The ones who sell their people and their country for a few bucks they receive from these stinky mullahs. That is shame. That is shame to call these bastards Iranians or my country man. Margetan bad.


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yolanda

..........

by yolanda on Tue May 03, 2011 10:24 PM PDT

Kamangar wrote this letter to his students 2 years ago:

//persian2english.com/?p=10389

"We longed for a different Norooz that would bring a pair of new shoes, a nice outfit, and a tablecloth full of sweets and candies to us all.

I wish it was possible to revise once again our Kurdish alphabet in secret, away from the furious glance of the school president and could sing poems and songs for each other in our native language and could hold hands together and dance and dance and again dance.

I wish I could once again be the goalkeeper of the first year elementary school boys who dream of becoming Ronaldo so they can score a goal to beat their teacher."

*********************************

The small consolation is that Wikipedia has an entry for Kamangar....he will always live in our hearts!


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Roozbeh_Gilani

"Be strong Comrades"

by Roozbeh_Gilani on Tue May 03, 2011 09:16 PM PDT

A part of Kamangar's letter "Be Strong Comrades":

"Is it possible to carry the heavy burden of being a teacher and be responsible for spreading the seeds of knowledge and still be silent? Is it possible to see the lumps in the throats of the students and witness their thin and malnourished faces and keep quiet? Is it possible to be in the year of no justice and fairness and fail to teach the H for Hope and E for Equality, even if such teachings land you in Evin prison or result in your death?"

The teacher and his students:

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pek8TLzeN-U

 We shall never forget Farzad, we shall never forgive his murderers.....

"Personal business must yield to collective interest."


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amirparvizforsecularmonarchy

After the Accusations made against the Shah for Torturing ...

by amirparvizforsecularmonarchy on Tue May 03, 2011 05:31 PM PDT

I wonder how many people honestly feel remorse for portraying the Shah as a despot that routinely ordered the torture and killing of inocent people.

Kamangar and thousands like him met their fate as a result of Jimmy Carters hypocrisy on human rights.

The Shah in an interview acknowledged, that torturing was unlawful and not permitted in Iran under his rule, he also acknowledged that a few rare cases had occured, but that he had only discovered these actions from reports of foreign intelligence services spying on Iran.

The reason Foreign Intelligences reported, rare torture abuses to the Shah is because they knew he and his team were 100% against such activities and would put an end to it.  Irans record under the Shah was far far better in terms of human rights than those of the USA under any president since his time.  Abu Graib is just one incident there are many many more.

I think it's time for Iranians that see what they created, those that have the freedom to not waste their time and start defending the truth and the Character of the late Shah, so Iranians one day will be able to act based on the Truth, not what the media says.

To those who love Iranians and have always Loved Iranians and dedicated their live to the Freedom of Iranians.

Javid Shah!


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Mash Ghasem

Farzad lives!

by Mash Ghasem on Tue May 03, 2011 05:06 PM PDT

To the loving memory of Farzad, Shirin, Farhad, Mehdi and Ali. They live in our hearts.

از این فرهاد کش فریاد!

Joe Hill

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2OivplOBq8

 

Takes more than guns to kill a man....

 

Farzad Kamangar Presente!


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yolanda

.......

by yolanda on Tue May 03, 2011 03:13 PM PDT

Kamangar is the inspiration for all the teachers in the world!

Thank you for translating his missive!

I bookmarked some of his letters to his students!

It is sad that good people got jailed or executed in Iran!


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