Reza Fani Yazdi is a human rights activist, writer and former political prisoner but this recounting of his story is remarkable precisely because it is, in many ways, a common-or-garden ‘how I met my wife’ story 
. There is something wonderfully and touchingly ordinary about him and his story. Boy meets girl. Boy loves girl. Boy kisses girl for the first time in an interrogation centre…
But there is something very unusual about Reza Fani Yazdi – even more unusual than the backdrop of his love story with his wife, Sohaila Vahdati – and that is his clarity about who he is and what he believes. He has come upon this knowledge in the most difficult way imaginable but he has come upon it nevertheless.
Throughout all his time in prison he never gave in. Never gave up. Torture, imprisonment, terror – nothing worked to make him give up the fight. As he says himself, “Basically, you think, ‘If I break, if I give up, I have lost my dignity. I have lost my existence. Who am I going to be after that?’”
He obviously knew if he lost himself he’d have nothing but it still must have taken enormous courage to make such sacrifices.
[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/33864823 w=500&h=281]
______________________________________________________________________________________________
http://www.iranian.com/main/2011/nov/reza-fani-yazdi-angels-iran
http://freetobelieveblog.wordpress.com/2012/04/16/love-and-freedom/
http://www.ohchr.org/en/issues/Pages/WhatareHumanRights.aspx
The wonder of it. Humans can SURVIVE. I admire this man greatly.
I admire him too – and the capacity of humans to overcome such adversity.
What a powerful story. Thank you for sharing this.
What a powerful story. Thank you for sharing this.
Glad you liked it – it is very moving.
A remarkable Man and a remarkable story… This is why this world needs to change.. so that nothing like this can keep happening to another Human Soul.. My Thoughts and prayers are always being sent to all parts of the world where they are fighting for the basic Freedoms you and I take for granted..
Great Post. Blessings. ~Sue
That’s a very good use of your thoughts and prayers. He is a very remarkable man.
A remarkable Man and a remarkable story… This is why this world needs to change.. so that nothing like this can keep happening to another Human Soul.. My Thoughts and prayers are always being sent to all parts of the world where they are fighting for the basic Freedoms you and I take for granted..
Great Post. Blessings. ~Sue
What a powerful piece and a reminder that the human spirit is both remarkable and resilient… TY! Yeah, I’m doing better with the replies. 😉
By the way, I updated my latest post, here is the new link: http://eof737.wordpress.com/2012/04/18/memories-of-moments-in-bliss/ TY! 🙂
It really is very powerful. Glad you enjoyed it and very nice post by the way!
So full of beauty and tenderness.
I love their voices for some reason.
So full of beauty and tenderness.
What an enormous gift to the rest of us that Reza conducted himself as an Angel of Iran! Bless you for sharing this outstanding example of the priceless self-knowledge of Reza–and what it took to maintain that and come out victoriously.
Glad you enjoyed it. He is amazing.