ARMENIAN ACTIVIST INNOCENTLY JAILED IN IRAN FOR POLITICS
HULIQ
ian-activist-innocently-jailed-iran-politics
March 18 2009
SC
Silva Harotonian, an Iranian citizen of Armenian descent, recently
held a modest role with a humanitarian organization working to improve
child and maternal health in Iran. Her work and life were interrupted
on June 26, 2008 when she was detained by Iranian authorities and
charged with participating in an effort to overthrow the Iranian
government through a "soft revolution." On January 19, 2009, she was
sentenced to three years in jail.
Silva is an Iranian citizen of Armenian descent. She attended the
University of Azad in Tehran, studying Armenian literature. Since then,
she has enjoyed a relatively simple life: she loves to help others,
enjoys art and movies, has worked in a variety of administrative jobs
and as a teacher at the Armenian School of Literature. As an active
member of the communities she lived in, Silva also volunteered on
Fridays, her days off, to teach Armenian literature to students who
were not enrolled in the school. Silva is patriotic toward her home
country of Iran, and was proud to be recognized for assisting in
organizing Armenian-Iranian celebrations supporting the establishment
of Iran’s Islamic government. One of Silva’s colleagues fondly
remembers that Silva was proud of her Iranian origins and introduced
the people she worked with to Iranian food, music and culture.
Silva enjoys a deep connection to our family’s Armenian roots. When
her father passed away from cancer in 2000, Silva stepped into his
shoes and became the breadwinner of the family, supporting and caring
for her mother. She recently moved from Iran to Armenia, where her
new job with IREX was based. A faithful Christian who worked for the
Armenian Prelacy in Tehran, Silva had limited life experience, but
appreciated the opportunities presented by her new job. The program
she worked on could help make a difference in the lives of mothers
and children seeking healthcare in Iran. These goals resonated with
the humanitarian in Silva. Her position with IREX provided the unique
opportunity to serve others in a meaningful way while improving her
homeland Iran. Her job assignments were relatively straightforward
and her intentions to do a good job were strong.
Silva is by no means a political activist. Neither Silva, nor her
employer IREX, intended to wrong Iran. There was no secret agenda. If
you knew Silva–her smile, her gentle soul, her kind ways–you would
understand how this situation breaks our hearts.
Silva’s mother has been staying in Iran since Silva’s arrest so she can
visit the prison and see her daughter once a week. Already very ill,
the past seven months have taken a significant toll on her health and
well being. She continues to hope that our pleas for Silva’s release
will be granted.
Please help us strengthen our appeal. Please lend your voice,
and the voices of your family members and friends, to our cause by
clicking here.
Read quotes from friends and colleagues:
"Although Silva made the move to Armenia, she made a point to
introduce Iran to everyone around her and ensure she not forget
her origins. It seems like it was only yesterday that Silva invited
many of her friends and colleagues to her home to celebrate Iranian
New Year. She introduced us all to Iranian food, Iranian music, and
Iranian culture. We miss her honesty, her smile, and her devotion to
her friends and family." – IREX colleague
"Knowing Silva for many years, I can summarize her as a person who is:
loving and caring, very enthusiastic about whatever she does at the
time, full of love for writing and reading world literature, filled
with emotions and understanding, shy to the extent that she seldom
reads her writings to even close friends, and hopelessly romantic! She
is a friend who shares the good times and helps you out by listening
during the bad times. However she is not too good in being on time
and when she says she’ll be there in half an hour, it may take her
an hour!( not always though!):))" – Celine, Silva’s childhood friend
From: Baghdasarian