As I sit at the dining room table to eat turkey I don’t think about how thankful I am. The way I see it I am thankful everyday for being fortunate to live under a roof and to have a family that cares about me. Instead i think about my people in Iran who on this day live in solitude. From citizens living in homes to those trapped in Evin a population is living under military order. As a nice breast of turkey and mashed potatoes lay on my plate covered in gravy I understand today in Iran a prisoner is given a boot to the face as his or her dinner.  

 

  I think about the three hikers who have been detained for months. Their families leaving a chair vacant at the table to have their loved ones be there in spirit. On the other side of the world the three hikers stare at the walls of silence as they sit there in solace. The growling of their stomachs express hunger and frustration. I think about my good friend Mehdi Saharkhiz’s father Isa who sits in his cell with broken ribs with not a single soul willing to help. His son miles away cannot even get in touch with his father to wish him a happy thanksgiving.

 

  To all the political prisoners in Iran who are spending their time in solitude on a day where we are supposed to be thankful. I am thankful for seeing such brave souls stand up to government tyranny. It is because of your sacrifice that one day the walls of dictatorship will be destroyed. As you are inside behind bars on the outside we continue were you left off and lord willing when you are released you will join the masses in celebration. Happy thanksgiving to you the journalist, the political prisoner, or the wrongfully accused in Iran.