Manouchehr Fallah, a death-row political prisoner, writes a letter filled with love to his only daughter, Asal, on her sixteenth birthday.
In this deeply emotional message, he speaks of the hardships of captivity and the shadow of his impending execution, a letter that is not only a testament to suffering but also a legacy of resilience and hope.
My Dearest Asal,
One day, the sun of freedom will rise over this land, a dawn that demands a heavy price. This time, fate has chosen me to pay for it. But remember, hope never dies, and one day, our homeland will break free from the chains of oppression and tyranny.
Asal, my beloved daughter,
The day you first opened your eyes to this world; it was as if the entire universe became brighter for me.
Your first cries, your innocent laughter, the moment you first spoke and called me “Baba,” your first steps, even your falls, became the very meaning of my existence. Every moment with you rekindled hope and love in my heart.
Now, you have grown. You stand on the threshold of a new world, while our homeland is trapped in a bitter and endless winter. And I…
I wait for you from behind these cold prison bars in Lakan.
My dear daughter,
I know this question has crossed your mind many times: Why my father? What has he done to deserve prison?
Asal, my love, they have imprisoned me for a crime I never committed. I have never stolen from the people, never plundered wealth, never taken bread from the tables of the hungry. I have not stolen oil fields, nor have I sat on a judge’s bench to issue unjust verdicts. My only crime was to raise my voice against poverty, inequality, and injustice, to refuse to stay silent in the face of so much cruelty. But in my struggle, I have never caused harm to anyone, nor have I used violence.
And now, on the eve of your birthday, Judge Mohammad Ali Darvish Goftar has informed me of my death sentence, perhaps hoping to break my spirit. But he does not know that the path I have chosen was not learned from books, but from life itself, from the suffering of my people. Poverty and injustice have been my teachers, and now that this awareness has taken root in my soul, I consider silence a sin I cannot bear.
My dearest Asal,
One day, the sun of freedom will shine upon our land, but only when its price has been paid. This time, that price is mine to bear. But know this, hope never dies, and one day, our homeland will be free from the grip of tyranny.
My one and only, my sweet Asal, Happy Birthday.
February 8, 2025
What You Need to Know About Political Prisoner, Manouchehr Fallah
Political prisoner Manouchehr Fallah was arrested on June 17, 2023. Despite a bail order issued by the investigator after his interrogation, judicial authorities and officials at Lakan Prison in Rasht refused to finalize his release.
The Revolutionary Court of Rasht sentenced him to 22 months and 17 days in prison on charges of “insulting Ali Khamenei and propaganda against the regime.”
On December 11, 2024, Fallah was tried again, this time by Branch 2 of the Revolutionary Court of Rasht, via video conference. The new charge against him was “waging war against God (Moharebeh) through actions against national security”, related to allegations of damaging judiciary buildings and IRGC intelligence offices in Gilan province.
Throughout the legal proceedings, he was denied access to a lawyer, and judicial officials prevented legal representatives from entering the case to defend him.
On Sunday, February 2, 2025, Fallah’s lawyers were officially informed of his death sentence.
