The Cost of 'No!'

The cost of dissent, of rejecting the status quo, of believing in change, of opposing and raising a voice of protest; sometimes this cost is equivalent to a human life, and at other times it manifests as the deprivation of a mother in prison from hearing the voices of her young children... Civil and political activity in Iran has not been without its troubles for many years. From death and imprisonment to house arrest, beatings, exile, and social and even familial deprivations, these can all be costs of saying 'no.' One of the latest examples of paying this cost can be found in Narges Mohammadi; the Vice President of the Iranian Human Rights Defenders Association, sentenced to a total of 16 years in prison for her civil activities, who has faced deteriorating health and muscle paralysis attacks while in prison for several years. Narges Mohammadi has been on a hunger strike for about 10 days now. The reason: deprivation from hearing the voices of her young children. This week, the Sixth Hour program hosted someone whose family has paid a heavy price for 'protest'; Taghi Rahmani, the father of those young children and the husband of Narges Mohammadi. Mr. Rahmani, a national-religious activist, spent a third of his life in Iran during the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s behind bars until he finally left Iran for Paris in late 2011. He was a guest on Radio Farda's Sixth Hour to discuss with Radio Farda's audience the costs and benefits of saying 'no.'