Empress Farah Pahlavi's birthday: 27 political prisoners in Iran send greetings

On the eve of 14 October, the birthday of Empress Farah Pahlavi, a group of political prisoners inside Iran congratulated her in a published message. The message, released on Monday 12 October 2026, carries the signatures of 27 political prisoners, who express the wish to celebrate with the Empress one day in a free and prosperous Iran.

In the message, the political prisoners link Empress Farah Pahlavi's name to Iranian culture, the safeguarding of the national heritage and love for the homeland. They write of Iran's hard present and say that their belief in freedom, human dignity and a brighter future has kept them steadfast. The signatories also voice their hope for an Iran in which no one is imprisoned for their thoughts and beliefs.

Signatories of the political prisoners' message

Behfar Lalehzari, Arian Gholami, Hojatollah Rafei, Morsal Ketabi, Kazem Alinejad Baranlou, Aliasghar Hassanirad, Azad Peykarifar, Mojtaba Delavar, Morteza Faghanpour, Masoud Eslaminasab, Azadeh Peykari, Ali Jahanian, Fereshteh Souri, Reza Behrouz Moradi, Souri Chegini Babaei, Meysam Mohammadi, Hassan Qurannevis, Sohrab Hassankhani, Mojtaba Ebrahimi, Ehsan Ghadiri, Milad Hasanloui, Mohsen Khanmohammadi, Afshar Monesi, Yashar Ghazaei, Ali Maghsoudjoo, Mohammad Soltani and Mehdi Savar Olya are the signatories of this message. The text does not name the prisons where they are held.

The message comes as pressure on political prisoners in Iran continues and, according to HRANA, the Islamic Republic has executed at least 2,003 people over the past year.

Message from the Organization of Iranian Women

The board of the Organization of Iranian Women also congratulated Empress Farah Pahlavi on her birthday in a separate message. The signatories, Homa Ehsan, Rozita Manteghi, Faranak Minaei, Fariba Mozhdehnia, Fereshteh Teyfouri, Nadia Irandokht and Parvaneh Farid, described the Empress as part of the collective memory of many Iranians and a symbol of the dignity of Iranian women, and recalled her support for art and culture, her attention to the status of women and her care for children. They expressed their hope for a free Iran whose young people can talk about their history and culture without fear.

Empress Farah Pahlavi, the mother of Prince Reza Pahlavi, was born in Tehran on 14 October 1938.

27 political prisoners from inside Iran wished Empress Farah Pahlavi a celebration in a free Iran.