In a letter to her family on the Persian New Year, Maryam Akbari Monfared reiterated her faith in the spring of freedom. This is the 8th year she is spending Nowruz behind bars. In part of her letter, she wrote:
“Spring is the symbol of change and transformation… Every spring, despite the Islamic regime’s efforts to upset everyone’s happiness, I begin Nowruz with the scent of violets and with the faith in a better future… One thing and only one thing gives me hope and soothes me and that is the hopeful prospect of end of oppression and establishment of freedom.
“I have spent all these days and years with your memory in my mind… But I am confident that spring brings the tiding of change. It is the time for becoming new. It is the time for doing away with darkness and the time for shining of the sun.
“Here in Evin, we see the signs of this spring… We can feel the scent of spring in Evin and I am sure that this beautiful spring will one day grow and embrace all our homeland. The spring of freedom is on her way… Spring will come. It will pass through the barbed wires and land in our homeland.”
