I asked Ben Baz a few questions.

What was your year in prison like? Were you able to read? Could you get books and other reading materials you wanted? Were other prisoners hostile to you?

Ben Baz: It was like hell, I was too much discriminated against by prisoners, that’s because I committed an unforgivable crime as they think. Islam says that apostasy is an unforgivable sin and deserves beheading.

How can you live a full year with people full of hatred towards you?

I was not able to read because they are afraid to bring undesirable books. Once I pushed them hard to bring any book and the officer persuaded me to read the Quran for a whole month to allow me to bring in one book.

I was forced at times to pretend that I am a Muslim again in order not to get killed or sued again inside prison from those criminals. This was a big hardship.

They want to destroy your mind, your spirit, your world-view. Being jailed for a long time will destroy your life.

Ben Baz: Well too many plans. But I need a safer place actually to accomplish some of them. Basically I want to talk more freely without fears of arrest and jail. I want bigger channels that will accept what I say. I love to work in this field as a writer and translator. I hope I can study law one day to put theory into practice.

Is there anything allies in the rest of the world can do to help you?

Ben Baz: Anyone can contact me on twitter: @benbazaziz or Facebook to know the whole story. All I need really is making people aware of how those laws are used to shut our mouths up. I need to deliver many messages which I cant say now.

I can say now that I was arrested for talking about secularism and making some sarcasm about fundamentalists. is this a crime? Please check the papers of my trial to know.

Is there anything you would like to tell people about life in a repressive theocracy?

Ben Baz: It’s like you are not living if you have a different opinion. and you are not welcome to the majority of people. You feel so limited: afraid of jail or being killed or at least discriminated against. People around you lose their humanity. Those regimes usually are full of corruption. They have unlimited powers and people should obey them as Islam says.