Omid Memorial
The men and women whose stories you can read on this page are now all citizens of a silent city named Omid ("hope" in Persian). There, victims of persecution have found a common life whose substance is memory.
Omid's citizens were of varying social origins, nationalities, and religions; they held diverse, and often opposing, opinions and ideologies. Despite the differences in their personality, spirit, and moral fiber, they are all united in Omid by their natural rights and their humanity. What makes them fellow citizens is the fact that one day each of them was unfairly and arbitrarily deprived of his or her life. At that moment, while the world watched the unspeakable happen, an individual destiny was shattered, a family was destroyed, and an indescribable suffering was inflicted.
Mohammad (Sohrab) Habibi…
In his last defense in court stated: “We Baha’is are not political by any means, and have no direct or indirect relations with any government in the world, and there is no evidence against us [to that effect].
Seyedeh Tayebeh Hojati…
Ms. Hojati was 24, resided in Tehran. She continued her education in prison until she was graduated from high school and even enrolled at a university.
Shahpur Jalili Kohneh Shahri…
After finishing high school, and with the universities closed for the Cultural Revolution, Shahpur and a cousin moved to Tabriz, against parents’ wishes, to study Marx and learn lathe work.