My dear Radvin,

Today is your birthday, the first anniversary of your life. I will always be grateful to Bahá’u’lláh for blessing your mother, me, and our family with your precious existence. Your presence is filled with love, kindness, and purity.

Today marks the ninety-second day that I have been unjustly imprisoned because of my belief in the Bahá’í Faith and my efforts to contribute to the progress of my homeland, the sacred land of Iran. During these days, I have often thought about how you might one day look back on this period.

Sadly, throughout these ninety-two days, I have been unable to fulfil my responsibilities as your father, and for that I feel deeply sorry.

While I was held in the Ministry of Intelligence detention center, the interrogators described me as a heartless father, claiming that by remaining steadfast in the path of Bahá’u’lláh I was harming you and neglecting my wife and child. Although their words did not influence me, I often wondered how my beloved Radvin would view these days in the future. Would you see them as part of your own journey of material and spiritual growth, or would you regard your father's absence as a failure on his part and a source of pain to yourself?

During my detention, one of my cellmates told me that one day Radvin would be proud of his father for remaining steadfast in the path of truth and for the sake of his country. At the time, I thought he was simply trying to encourage me. But when I was transferred from the detention center to the quarantine ward of Adelabad Prison, I was welcomed on my very first night by dozens of former cellmates. Their reception astonished both me and the other prisoners. Later, I realized that the reason for their warm welcome and the joy in their eyes was that they considered perseverance in the pursuit of noble ideals, truth, and the advancement of our beloved Iran to be something worthy of admiration and respect

The goal of all of us Iranians is the progress, advancement, and prosperity of our beloved country. A bright future awaits Iran, but the future is not something we discover—it is something we build. Building that future requires sacrifice. Every Iranian contributes in some way to its construction: some with their lives, some with their possessions, some through imprisonment, and others through service and constructive perseverance.

But you, my dear son, have already paid your share of that cost. For ninety-two days, you have been deprived of your father's presence and have been unable to benefit from his companionship and role in your growth and development.

I often think of the heroes of the Bahá’í Faith and of Iran—men and women who, like me, had spouses and children whom they loved dearly, yet whose commitment to truth and justice did not allow them to place personal and family interests above their principles.

The comfort we enjoy today is the result of the sacrifices made by the heroes of previous generations, the great figures of Iran's history. Yet every age requires its own acts of sacrifice and selflessness, and this is why I chose this path. Throughout this choice, I have constantly thought about you and wondered what you might one day say to your father. Will you praise this choice or criticize it? Perhaps your own choices will be different. But I honour those who came before me for their steadfastness, because through their sacrifices we have gained a deeper understanding of spiritual truths. For this reason, the image of these champions of justice has become firmly engraved in my mind.

My dear Radvin, on your birthday I pray that you will continue to grow intellectually, physically, and spiritually; that you may become a true servant of humanity; and that your life may be filled with joy and happiness. I hope that, through the grace of Bahá’u’lláh, you will one day experience the blessings of justice in our sacred homeland of Iran, and that all the days of your life will be filled with happiness and service to humankind.

Happy birthday, my beloved son, Radvin. I love you.

Papa Pejman

24 Khordad 1405 (14 June 2026)

Quarantine Ward, Adelabad Prison, Shiraz