Bashir is 6. His mother is in prison since October. His father is waiting for a knock to the door to tell him he too must go to prison. Which will leave Bashir alone.
Bashir lives in Iran. His parents Azita and Payman were sentenced to four and five years in prison respectively for the the “crime” of teaching young Iranian Baha’is deprived by the Iranian government of higher education. Since his mother was sent to prison in October, Bashir has already joined the ranks of the children of the more than 800 prisoners of conscience in Iran who have been similarly deprived of one or both parents. These prisoners of conscience – human rights defenders, journalists, Baha’is, Sufis, Christians, children’s advocates and the like – are in prison simply because of their religion or belief. If his father is summoned to serve his sentence, six year old Bashir will be alone in the world without either of his parents.
His mother and father have tried to convince the authorities to at least let them serve their sentences separately so that Bashir is not parentless.
“Our parents are old and cannot take care of him, so we are very worried about Bashir’s future.” Azita
It is widely acknowledged by the UN, international governments and human rights agencies that the c.100 Bahá’í prisoners currently incarcerated in Iran are in prison simply because of their religion. In common with many of their fellow prisoners of conscience, Bashir’s parents are motivated by a desire to make Iran a safe and happy place for all its citizens – including their own children.