Then They Came for Me_ A Family's Story of Love, Captivity, and Survival - Maziar Bahari [147]
The main joy of writing this book was feeling Baba Akbar’s and Maryam’s presence next to me. Khayli delam baraatoon tang shodeh. The support that Mohammad, Khaled, and Iran give to me every day means so much to me. Moloojoon’s detailed memory surprises me; many of the historical details about my family came out of long interviews with Moloojoon. Each conversation made me love her even more for her patience, perseverance, and strength. Khayli khayli doostetoon daaram.
Paola and I were finally married in June 2010, more than a year after our lives were rudely interrupted. I had never expected that I’d be holding my baby at my wedding, but on that day I was so happy that Marianna was there to witness Paola and me celebrating the end of a dark chapter of our lives together.
Paola’s campaign was, of course, the main reason that I was released, but her sharp criticism and attention to details were also integral in giving the book its current shape. I’m so sorry for my knee-jerk reactions to your criticisms. I love you very much, Mrs. Bahari!
Who’s Who
Mohammad Ali Abtahi (b. 1958): reformist cleric and former vice president of Iran; adviser to presidential candidate Mehdi Karroubi during the 2009 election.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (b. 1956): current president of Iran; former mayor of Tehran (2004–05) and former governor of Ardabil Province (1993–97).
Feizollah Arabsorkhi (b. 1952): reformist politician; a founding member of the reformist party Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization (MIRO).
Mohammad Atrianfar (b. 1953): newspaper publisher and reformist politician; former intelligence official.
Mehdi Karroubi (b. 1937): a leader of the opposition and the head of the National Trust Party; former speaker of parliament (1989–92 and 2000–04).
Ali Hosseini Khamenei (b. 1939): current supreme leader of Iran; former president (1981–89). One of the leaders of the 1979 Islamic Revolution and an adviser to Ruhollah Khomeini.
Mohammad Khatami (b. 1943): one of the main opposition leaders; former president of Iran (1997–2005).
Ruhollah Khomeini (1902–1989): leader of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Sadegh Mahsouli (b. 1959): current minister of welfare and social security; minister of interior during the 2009 presidential election; former Revolutionary Guards commander and one of the wealthiest men in Iran.
Hossein Ali Montazeri (1922–2009): the highest-ranking critic of the Islamic regime among Iran’s Shia clerics; an acolyte of Ruhollah Khomeini and his heir apparent (1979–88).
Judge Saeed Mortazavi (b. 1967): general prosecutor of Tehran (2003–09). As a judge (1997–2003), he was responsible for sentencing scores of journalists and human-rights activists and shutting down dozens of newspapers.
Mir Hossein Mousavi (b. 1942): an opposition leader and the main reformist presidential candidate during the 2009 election; former prime minister of Iran (1981–89).
Behzad Nabavi (b. 1941): reformist politician; a founding member of the reformist party Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization (MIRO); former deputy speaker of parliament (2000–04) and minister of industries (1985–89).
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (1919–1980): the last shah of Iran (1941–79).
Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani (b. 1934): former president of Iran (1989–97); former speaker of the Majlis (1980–89). One of the leaders of the 1979 Islamic Revolution and an adviser to Ruhollah Khomeini.
Mehdi Hashemi Rafsanjani (b. 1969): the fourth child of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. Mehdi was part of a reformists’ committee to prevent fraud in the 2009 elections and bankrolled at least one anti-Ahmadinejad website before the election.
Massoud Rajavi (b. 1948): the leader of the Mujahideen Khalq Organization (MKO) since the 1970s.
Mohsen Rezaei (b. 1954): current secretary of the Expediency Council; a presidential candidate during the 2009 election; former chief commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (1981–97).
Reza Shah (1878–1944): father of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and shah of Iran (1925–41).
Mohsen Safaei Farahani (b. 1946): reformist politician; founding