First Grain of Sand — Page 93
SOVIET PRESSURE INTENSIFIES 77 sneak glances at me without my noticing and then would leave. Once an officer entered while I was making a statement and then himself spoke to the State Prosecutor in Russian. I asked the trans- lator what they had said to one another, and the translator told me the officer said that I seemed young and appeared to only be in my teens. In response, the prosecutor warned not to be fooled by my young age because I was very clever as well as a scholar. It is noteworthy to realize the full method that was being used to create a narrative about me. On the one hand, the State Prosecutor would take me from my cell to the interrogation cen- tre for these regular sessions so I can directly answer his questions, but it would not end there. When I would be sent back to my cell, the government's spy, Abdul Qadir, would try to show kindness and ask about my interrogation experience that day. Then Abdul Qadir would be called the next morning to report what he learned from me based on what I would say to him. They would then mix his provocative words with my words to advance their narrative. One time, Abdul Qadir asked me if I was aware who this State Prosecutor was. He claimed that the prosecutor was one of the great young Muslim scholars among the Tatars [a term used to describe all Turkic peoples who lived within the Soviet empire] who had joined the Communist government as their State Prosecutor. He told me that of all the prosecutors, this man is the most skilled at debating and discovering hidden matters. And apparently, before interrogating me with his questions, he would solicit advice and questions from a jury of Russian officials. When he did not know how to follow up my answers, he would seek counsel from these Russian officials regarding what he should ask next.