2024-07-15
40 分钟Anoosheh Ashoori was visiting Iran when he was snatched off the street by security forces. He was falsely accused of espionage, and spent years in one of the country's toughest prisons. For a long time, he didn't know why he'd been targeted. Anoosheh was a British-Iranian dual national, but he'd worked a career as an engineer, and had no links to intelligence services. Gradually, as his incarceration wore on, he realised he'd become a pawn in a game of global politics. Presenter: Mobeen Azhar Producer: Harry Graham Editor: Andrea Kennedy Get in touch: liveslessordinary@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp: 0044 330 678 2784
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Available now on the documentary from the BBC World Service.
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Listen now by searching for the documentary wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
When you are here with a heavy sentence on you, it is as if you have died.
But you are not completely detached from this world.
This is the voice of Anoushe Ashouri speaking from inside prison in Iran.
He's been jailed for espionage charges that were unfounded and untrue.
This place is sometimes called the land of the living dead, with many walking aimlessly back and forth, day after day, month after month and year after year, continuously asking themselves, what have I done to deserve this?
He's not sure how long he'll be locked up, but hope keeps him alive.
That same hope also makes him vulnerable to disappointment and the crushing lows that come with it.
He finds ways to cope.
Art, poetry, and the rich intellect of fellow prisoners.
But every year that passes is another year spent apart from the family he loves so dearly.
I only live with the memories of my wife, my kids.
By the time I am out of this circle of hands after 10 years, I may be too old for them to recognize me when we pass by each other if we are not told that we are related.
This is the Lives Less Ordinary podcast from the BBC World Service.
I'm Mubin Azhar.