Dr. Haleh Esfandiari shared the story of her time spent in an Iranian prison to a captive audience of students and community members at Boston College last week.
Esfandiari, the director of the Middle East Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, was invited to speak at the college on Sept. 30 as part of a book tour for her book, "My Prison, My Home."
The government arrested Esfandiari on May 8, 2007, after trying to apply for a new passport to leave the country. Her passport was stolen from her on the way to the airport.
"I had been going back to Iran regularly for 14 years without any problems," Esfandiari said. "I'll never forget the face of the man who robbed me."
Esfandiari spent three months in solitary confinement in Iran's infamous Evin Prison. The government held her on false charges of conspiracy to start a revolution against the current regime.
"When they put me in my cell, I heard the door click shut," Esfandiari said. "To the guard, it probably sounded like a normal click. But to me, the click resounded like thunder."
For the next three months, Esfandiari spoke to no one except the guard and interrogators. However, she persevered, spending her time reading books from the prison library and composing stories for her grandchildren.
"I decided very early on that I was not going to succumb to this fate," she said as her eyes filled with tears. "I never showed them my emotion, not like I am now. If I did cry, it was in the shower or in bed."
Esfandiari's freedom came as unexpectedly as her arrest, she said. She was released on Aug. 21, 2007, but was not able to leave Iran until September.
"I got on the plane, and we were waiting for the plane to take off," she said. "I heard the airplane door click shut, and I knew that this time it was a sign of my freedom."
Students seemed to sympathize with Esfandiari,
"My dad is Iranian, and I feel very connected to Iran and what's going on over there," Boston College senior Nader Khorassani said. "It's very upsetting and sad to see things like this happening. Hopefully by talking about them, we will be able to change things."
Boston College senior Julian Kiani, whose father is also Iranian, agreed that discussing what is happening in Iran is vital.
"A lot of things are happening in Iran that don't surface, so to see this discussed in a public forum is really great," Kiani said. "It's very unique to get a woman's perspective on the issues."
Boston resident Jaleh, who asked to be identified only by her first name because she has family in prison in Iran, said it is important to hear the stories of those who have survived prison and torture in Iran because that is what advocates change.
"I had family who were tortured and killed because of religious beliefs and friends in prison because they are academics," Jaleh said. "Most of them are women, and all are advocates for women's rights."
Jaleh said that as an Iranian woman, she was proud to hear Esfandiari's story of survival.
"I call women like her lionesses," she said. "To see her up-close is an absolute privilege."