10/11/2009

From Grieving Mother to Murderer

I am appalled with Behnoud’s execution. There is no way anyone can convince me that this child did not have the potential to rehabilitate. I am mother to two young men. I can tell you beyond the shadow of a doubt that a seventeen year old boy is a child. Behnoud was a child offender and still a child when he was executed after spending four years in jail and walking up to the noose six times. My mother’s heart says that to me.
The victim, Ehsan, was also a child. My heart wept for his mother who saw her son off one day and never saw him alive again. I cannot begin to imagine what pain and agony she must have gone through over the past four years. The worst thing anyone could have done for Ehsan’s mother was to let her decide the life and death of her son’s murderer, Behnoud. As if dealing with the immense loss is not bad enough for a grieving mother, she has had to continually search her soul for forgiveness for Behnoud. As it turned out, she could not find it.
I feel so sad for Ehsan’s mother. She will never be whole again. She is now a murderer herself. True, the law won’t come after her and she can live just like any other citizen for the rest of her life. But I am a mother and I know that by choosing revenge over forgiveness, Ehsan’s mother has forever put herself in the solitary confinement of loss, grief, shame, and remorse. Whereas up until yesterday Ehsan’s family had been affected with the unimaginable grief of a child’s loss, starting today they will have to carry the burden of having taken another person’s life. Ehsan’s mother will soon know, if not already, that Behnoud’s death is not going to bring Ehsan back, nor make her cope with his loss any better. I can only imagine that that family is now completely destroyed.
Death penalty is inhumane and Qisas Laws are savage. My heart weeps for Ehsan and Behnoud. My heart weeps for Iran.

2 comments:

علی said...

Nazi jaan,

You said it in the most beautiful way one could say.

Ehsan's family are a group of murderers now. But it wasn't their fault to make such a barbaric decision; the barbaric law let them do that.

When someone commits murder, specially in such a young age, is a thoughtless, mindless action, but when the whole judiciary system takes someone's life like this, is thoughtful and mindful, and this is really bothering.

I personally believe if Behound belonged to one of the privileged families, this wouldn't happen to him anyways. He had two major counts of crime, one killing , and the other one being born in an unknown family without any social status. If he was son of one of these Mullahs, or had a relative in the government, this would never happened to him. This makes it even more painful for me.

Oh my God..I can't even think of it..that law allows a grieving mother to turn into a disgusting murderer..what a fate..

Nazy said...

Salam Ali Jan, welcome back!

I have to agree with you about Behnoud's socio-economic disadvantage inside the Iranian Judiciary.

But Behnoud's case received tremendous publicity worldwide, focusing a lot of eyes on the execution of minors in Iran.

I actually think that prisoners such as Delara and Behnoud were executed to discourage human rights organizations outside Iran from pursuing similar cases. Much like the rest of Iranian system, there is no will nor interest in Iranian Judiciary to change and to reform.

It is heartwrenching whichever way you look at it Ali Jan. Rest in peace Behnoud and Ehsan.