Letter from Political Prisoner Reza Mohammadhosseini to Princess Noor Pahlavi
From Behind the Walls of Ghezel Hesar: A Call for Freedom, Life, and Human Dignity
Reza Mohammadhosseini, a monarchist political prisoner, in a letter addressed to Princess Noor Pahlavi from Ghezel Hesar Prison in Alborz Province — expressing gratitude for her efforts to defend human rights and carry the voice of Iranians to the world — described the state of human rights violations in Iran’s prisons.
Mr. Mohammadhosseini wrote in the letter:
“From behind the cold, high walls of Ghezel Hesar Prison — where for years I have watched the sky through the bars — the words of Princess Noor Pahlavi reached me from thousands of kilometers away; yet they were so bound to the pain, the suffering, and the aspirations of the people of Iran that it was as if they had risen from these very cells.
In an age when repression has taken aim at the truth and tyranny strives to silence the voice of freedom, every word that defends human dignity, the right to life, and the freedom of nations shines like a light in the heart of darkness — a light that reminds us that no prison, no oppressor, and no power can wrest the dream of freedom from the heart of a nation.”
Calling for the release of political prisoners, he added:
“I write these lines from inside a prison — from a place where many human beings are held captive solely for the crime of thinking, writing, protesting, and demanding their human rights. Women and men deprived of freedom not for committing any crime, but for their loyalty to the truth and their love of the homeland. The years in prison have taught me that walls may confine the human body, but they can never chain the mind. A person can be taken far from home and family, but hope cannot be taken from their heart. Hope is the very force that today lives in the hearts of millions of Iranians — hope for a free, just, and humane tomorrow.”
Referring to the widespread executions by the Islamic Republic, Reza Mohammadhosseini also said:
“Iran today is wounded — wounded by repression, discrimination, poverty, injustice, and violence. Wounded by the tears of mothers who for years have awaited the freedom of their children. Wounded by families who have lived the nightmare of arrest and imprisonment, and wounded by the gallows ropes that have taken the lives of this land’s children and left the nation’s heart in mourning. Today the Islamic Republic has not only held thousands of political, ideological, and civil prisoners in chains, but — by crushing freedoms, spreading poverty, instilling fear, and stripping the people of their fundamental rights — has also taken the Iranian nation hostage. This hostage-taking is not confined to the prisons alone; it runs through the daily lives of millions of Iranians — a people deprived of the right to choose, freedom of expression, a say in their own destiny, and the prospect of a worthy future.”
This monarchist political prisoner cited Princess Noor Pahlavi’s Oslo speech as a reminder of the truth that “the voice of the people of Iran is still being heard; that the struggle for freedom, justice, and human rights knows no borders; and that the awakened consciences of the world must decide whether to stand with the people of Iran, or alongside governments whose hands are stained with the repression, imprisonment, and blood of protesting citizens.”
He called upon “world public opinion, the free media, human rights institutions, and all free-spirited people” not to “forget the people of Iran and its political prisoners,” adding: “Silence in the face of human suffering is never neutrality. Today, more than ever, Iran needs global solidarity in defense of human dignity.”
Stressing that “despite all the pressures, the deprivations, and the long years of imprisonment” he still holds “faith in a bright future,” Reza Mohammadhosseini expressed hope for the release of political prisoners and the return of millions of Iranians from exile to the homeland; and noting that “no geographical distance has been able to erase their love of the homeland from their hearts,” he added: “Iran will be not a land of forced migration, but a safe home for all its children — a home in which freedom, justice, human dignity, and equal opportunity become the foundation of national solidarity and the flourishing of the country.”
This political prisoner emphasized:
“From behind these walls, I still believe in the breaking of that dawn — a dawn when Iran will be a land of freedom, life, and human dignity; a dawn in which no individual or government can hold a nation’s destiny hostage, and the will of the people governs the future of their country.”
Reza Mohammadhosseini emphasized:
“I am grateful to Princess Noor Pahlavi for carrying the voice of the voiceless people of Iran to the ears of the world, and for reminding us that the struggle for freedom, justice, and human rights is still alive.”