May 14 marks 7 years in prison for the 7 Baha’i leaders in Iran. In honor of these prisoners of conscience, a campaign #7Bahais7years is telling their stories. You can read profiles of the seven leaders here. You can read the full Twitter story of Saeid Rezaie below…

What is written on the walls of the heart of a prisoner of conscience? Let’s imagine…

My name is Saeid Rezaie and I’ve been in jail 7 years for being a Baha’i.

Like my dear friend, Mavash, I like to write. My mind takes me deep into the mysteries of God & faith. But I have practical feet…

I have earned a living through carpentry & agriculture. Never forget this precious Earth that gives us so many gifts.

I’ve been given many gifts in life: my wife, two daughters, and young son. My children are my teachers, always helping others.

In prison, the mind can still soar free…

But if the body is sick, the mind feels trapped. I have been sick a long time. Hope shrinks.

The doctors call it “heart failure.” But it is not my heart that has failed. It is the system…

Why keep good people behind bars?

We live in a land of fear. Let us purge our hearts of fear, Iran!

Let us open our minds and see truth in its many, wonderful forms.

I am back in prison again. My heart strains to beat, my lungs struggle to breathe…

I remember my days in Kerman, the bright sun, the smell of wood as I shingled a roof…

The air was so good, not this tinned prison stench.

Baha’is seek to serve our country & planet. Yet after 7 years, our voices are trapped, our capacities caged.

I want to build a house for all to pray in, with a garden for children to run and play in…

Free me and I will water the roses of this garden with my own hands.

This story is inspired by the life of Saeid Rezaie.