page 8
daily nebraskan
thursday, may 1 1980
Biun excerpt
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Continued from Page 1
I asked my dear friend, BashJr Ahmad from Afghan
istan to write down for me a beautiful poem from one of
his favorite poets (possibly Hafez):
' 'When I saw her hair on my shoulder
I felt that my normally sensible heart was going crazy
When she looked at me with a smile
I saw my hands on her shoulders
When I pressed my lips on hers
I saw that she was going crazy too
I saw taverns in her eyes
And I saw the waitress and the glasses. . .
. . .This is the way to stay young and happy-dreaming,
parties.
Bui all I said here was just a dream. "
Feb. 20, 1980
As usual I woke up early this morning. I am sick and
tired of the monotonous life In the hospital. But having
hope one day to go back to dear Iran , and pay a bit of my
duty to my country keeps me alive.
There was not much to do till 10:30. One of the nurses
called, "Bijan, telephone for you." I didn't expect a
phone call at this time of day. I thought that the caller
might be my lawyer or that German family which has
been struggling so hard to get me set free.
It was Mr. Griggs. I was surprised, since my attorney
had been Mr. Holthaus, and it was supposed that if the
case went to court, then Mr. Griggs would be my lawyer.
Anyway Mr. Griggs is a black man, who cooperated
relatively well with me this first two weeks after I was
arrested. Mr. Griggs immediately told me, "Bijan, you're
supposed to go on trial." I wasn't surprised because I
knew that they would do it sooner or later. This was the
only way left for them to keep me here, since I had ful
filled all their demands with the cooperation of the con
sulate of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Chicago, the
Iranian Embassy in Washington, D.C., and the Ministry
of Foreign Offices in Iran, and otherwise they would
have had to send me back to Iran. The only way left
for them to keep me here would be to put me on trial.
Mr. Griggs told me that my court proceedings had been
arranged for this afternoon. I got ready very quickly.
It was as if my sixth sense was telling me that the
American pigs were coming to handcuff me. At the same
time I got a phone call from Pennsylvania. Then I washed
my hair and I was called, "Bijan you'd better hurry up.
They have come for you." I saw two pigs waiting for me
in the hall. I was told to pick up my stuff because I
wouldn't be coming back here and I would be taken to
jail. So I got ready immediately. A nurse helped me. I
picked up everything within two or three minutes. I want
ed to comb my hair but one of those pigs told me, ,4Since
no one will see you in the jail you don't need to comb."
They handcuffed my hands behind me and took me to
the jail. While I was in the back of the car, which was
separated from the front seat with a screen, I could hear
the two agents (cops) chatting together. When we arrived
at the prison they put me against the wall with my hands
touching the wall and inspected me. Then after asking me
some questions they took me to a small room, and a few
minutes later they put me in a cell. And in this way I be
came incarcerated. This dark cell had a light even weaker
than a sleeping light. There was also a toilet in that cell. I
was there for about 20 minutes when someone came and
told me to go with him. They took me for finger printing
of five pages of both hands and also each finger separate
ly. Then they put a number on my chest and took two
pictures, one from the front and the other from the side.
They took me back to the cell. Ten minutes later they
took me back to the previous room again. There, I saw a
skinny man with a wicked face who told me he was a
lawyer.
I said, "I have my own attorney." He told me back,
"Don't talk to anyone except me and your lawyer." I was
returned to the cell. Fifteen minutes later the agent (man
in charge) opened the cell's door, and took me to a room.
This room was separated from another room with a glass.
A lady sitting in the next room pointed and indicated to
me to pick up an earphone. She asked me several
sssv
I
questions and wrote the answers down on paper. Then she
left. Meanwhile three big (hulking) . young men were
brought into the room. They were talking loudly and
laughing grotesquely. I sat in a corner of the room. One of
them asked me. "Hey man, what's your charge?" I said "I
don't know." Anyway three minutes later I was brought
back to the cell again. I was there for a while until the
man in charge came again and took me with him, this
time, in order to go to court. They handcuffed me with
two other Americans. Also, two other prisoners were
handcuffed together. Four ladies, also prisoners, joined us
in the hall, and the boys told me that they were
prostitutes. We were taken upstairs with an elevator, and
then put into a car. On the way the girls were laughing
using profanity and joking with the agents (police). They
took the girls with them and left me and the two
Americans in a room with other prisoners until they
wanted us.
We were waiting there for a while until an agent came
and took one of the two men. Not too much later he
came back and took me to the court. The man in charge
had made a mistake and it wasn't my turn yet. I was taken
back to the room and the American boys were taken. I
was alone until the man in charge came and took me to an
area called the court. I asked, "Where is my attorney?"
The skinny man I talked to earlier this morning intro
duced himself as my attorney and said, "Your lawyer
cannot come this morning. I will represent you instead of
him." He knew nothing about the report, the charges, or
my case.
The judge was sitting there and seemed to be leaning
back proudly.
When they read him the case the judge ordered that I
be held under a $25,000 bond, of which I should have to
pay 10 percent, which makes $2,500 to be released. One
of the men standing next to me pointed to the judge and
the judge and all those around him and the attorney went
away to a room except for a man at the end of the hall
sitting on a chair. My lawyer told me to wait until he
gets back.
When they left for negotiation they took me to the
waiting room. It took but two minutes before they
came after me and I went in front of the judge, and he
said that the bond is $50,000 and they agreed to put me
in jail but the judge said that I could go to the hospital
if I wanted to, until TAiesday,Feb. 26 when I return.
Anyway, hospital was better than prison, so I chose
the hospital.
Official : Postage rate
raise would hurt UNL
The possible five-cent increase for first class mailing
rates recently requested by the U.S. Postal Service would
tremendously raise costs for university institutions,
according to Dick Schenaman , manager of the UNL Postal
Service.
The increase, which would raise the price of mailing a
first-class letter from the present 15 cents to 20 cents,
would cost the UNL Postal Service roughly $30,000 in the
coming year, Schenaman said.
"About a half million is spent from the postal budget
each year, but the increase would be substantial," he said.
Questioned as to probable means of handling the
increase, Schenaman said that the Postal Service might ask
for an increase in its budget or mail more third -class
letters.
"Maybe we will just have to start mailing letters
sooner," he said. "No one will know definitely until the
Legislature meets again."
The original request for the increase was blamed
on inflation, and Postmaster General William F. Bolger
said the Postal Service will need new revenue by next
February or March because of repidly raising labor and
energy costs.
Before approval, the jate request must be reviewed by
the Postal Rate Commission and the Postal Service board.
The new rates would take effect early next year.
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