Khairy Al-Hallaq is a dangerous criminal sentenced to death. He spends the remainder of his life in prison waiting for the moment of execution of the sentence, and hides from everyone the secret that prompted him to commit his crime. A secret that might lighten his sentence, or save his life. When he enters the political prisoner ward, the criminal changes his convictions and reconsiders his life, thus dying a different person.
This “sermon” delves into the Turkish community of killers and criminals, to depict the prisoners’ diaries and their struggles in the cells, but it also carries a political and humanitarian dimension by criticizing the death penalty, and the societies’ attempt to purify themselves by choosing a scapegoat on whom to comment their crimes and corruption, and celebrate the joy of ending his life.
The sernama is usually a book that accurately describes a specific type of public celebration, but the sernama of Aziz Nessin conveys the facts and details of the execution of a “criminal” who lost his right to change.
