In 2010, Samieh Hezari made a terrible mistake, for which she paid dearly. She flew from her adopted home of Ireland to her birthplace in Iran to visit relatives, so her 14-month-old daughter, Rojha, could meet her father (to whom Hezari was never officially wed). A two-week vacation became a five-year nightmare when the unstable and abusive father refused to allow his daughter to leave the country. Along the way, Hezari faced the threat of being stoned to death after the child’s father accused her of adultery, and was swindled out of money saved to gain freedom for her and her child. Hezari reveals all in Trapped in Iran: A Mother’s Desperate Journey to Freedom, written with Kaylene Peterson (Indiana Univ. Press, Aug.). She is speaking at the BEA Select program at the Uptown Stage, today, 2:30 p.m. Immediately following, she is signing galleys, 3–3:30 p.m., at booth 941. Samieh’s young daughters will both attend BEA with her.
When you were trapped in Iran, did you have any support?
Not really, no. My family was very annoyed at me that I had returned to Iran with Rojha. They had warned me that Farzad could not be trusted, but Farzad had remarried and I felt he had moved on from me. In not heeding their warning, I had ended up in the predicament I was in, and they constantly reminded me of it. I already hated myself for what I had done and did not need further criticism, so I kept to myself a lot.
Why did you have to get out before your daughter turned seven?
At the age of 7, by law, the father is allowed to take sole custody of his child if he wants to. I knew that although Farzad did not care for Rojha, he wanted to punish me, and taking Rojha would have been the most devastating blow he could deal me. I never doubted he would go for custody, knowing that he had done exactly that to punish his first wife.
When your daughter’s father accused you of adultery, how real was the threat of stoning to death?
I thought maybe this was just another of Farzad’s threats. However, when my lawyer informed me that I may have to leave Iran in a hurry at a moment’s notice and would not be able to take Rojha with me, the fear came back worse than before. My lawyer told me she was in negotiations with Farzad’s lawyer to try and delay the process, so Farzad was serious about his act. He wanted me dead.
How is Rojha doing?
Rojha is seven now, and leading a happy life in Ireland. She is in school and has a lot of friends. She is upset that she cannot see her grandparents and her uncle Sasan, who she is very fond of. She is not very fond of the cold Irish weather.
How do you explain to her the events in Iran and her father’s behavior?
Rojha is a bright and intuitive child. She knew I was very unhappy in Iran, having witnessed me crying many times. She witnessed Farzad’s angry outbursts and was scared of him. She still gets upset talking about him and refers to him as “Monster man.” She considers my other daughter’s father as her dad, who is very kind and treats her like his own child. These days there is no need to mention Farzad, so we don’t talk about him. We focus now on her new life in Ireland, and when she grows up she wants to be a singer, like Katy Perry, or a doctor.
This article appeared in the May 12, 2016 edition of PW BEA Show Daily.
