Iranians pour in to save Ali Mahin-Torabi from government execution

BY BEN MADADI, (based on an Article in Iran newspaper )                                                 فارسي

The publication of the life story and the horrible fate of Ali Mahin Torabi , the young Iranian boy who is awaiting execution, on a national Iranian newspaper has attracted the compassion and sorrow of a very large number of ordinary Iranians who have joined ranks to try to save Ali from execution. Ali is hoping for the pardon of the parents of the victim, Mazdak Khodadadian, in order to be saved from hanging. This is how the Iranian judicial system works: death sentence is issued  even when the accused’s age is under 18, therefore a child and a person without a mature thinking and rationality. 

The events that led to the death of Mazdak have already been well documented  and Ali has denied to have committed the crime when he was 16, which is 5 years ago, and he has been in jail ever since.

Ever since the publication of Ali’s case in IRAN newspaper , the reaction of thousands of Iranians, from ordinary people, parents, doctors, engineers, clerics, family of the Iran-Iraq war martyrs, to Ali’s schoolmates and teachers, to radio and TV announcers and news reporters from all over the country have been over-whelming. So far Mazdak’s mother is reported to have forgiven Ali, but Mazdak’s father has not expressed any change in his stance. People have been asking for contact information of Mazdak’s father to try to convince him to save the young Ali from being hanged.

People are willing to do whatever they can to seek the mercy of Mazdak’s parents so that Ali can be saved. Ms Taheri, the mother and sole care-taker of her little son and daughter called the newspaper hotline th an emotional voice while crying that “if deceased Mazdak’s parents accept to forgive Ali I am ready to be executed on his behalf.”. Another mother, Fatemeh Silakhori, whose three sons were killed in the Iran-Iraq war while defending their country also contacted the newspaper and expressing her deepest sympathy asking for mercy from Mazdak’s parents. Another caller was a middle-aged man who offered his KIA automobile which is the his only asset which he uses to earn a living for his wife and children. Hamid Borbor, a film director, thanked Iran newspaper for their hotline initiative and offered to write a script about the case and make it into a film if Ali is saved, and begged Mazdak’s parents not to let more blood to be wasted. Many other families of the war martyrs, film directors, important entrepreneurs and members of Iran’s bazaar from all the corners of the country have offered their help to save Ali.

In violation of Iran’s written commitment to the United Nations “Convention on the right of the child” Iran’s judiciary have sentenced Ali to death. People seem to have given up on Iran’s leaders and judiciary and as the minutes go by and less time is left to save Ali , people are praying to hear one single word from Ali’s father: Forgiveness.