Niki Tehranchi

This blog is in response to Ms. Nazy Kaviani's blog asking people to contribute writings with the theme "Iran, a reflection" and starting with the words "Everyone knows."

Everyone knows Neda’s name today and now Sohrab’s name too, slowly but surely, although he has not been treated with the same amount of fervor in the media or public opinion, at least not yet.

Everyone still remembers Ahmad Batebi and his infamous photograph holding his classmate’s bloody T-shirt the last time we had such a loud protest against the IRI’s abusive and unethical practices.

Everyone is still outraged at the memory of the brutal murder of the Forouhars.

Everyone surely recollects the cowardly, despicable assassination of one of our greatest artists and humanitarians Fereydoun Farrokhzad.

And shortly before him, the killing of Shapour Bakhtiar.

As I think and sigh over all these names that everyone knows, I also think of the many many more that everyone may not know, but who have also perished unjustly.

For their beliefs, for their cause, for their party, for their individuality, for their gender, for their religion, for their family, for their comrades, for their classmates, or simply perhaps because they were at the wrong place at the wrong time.

I look at my son and shudder and selfishly hope and pray his name will never be the one that everyone knows.