David De Hannay

03/20/2026

Nowruz Means “New Day”
Happy Nowruz, the Persian New Year—a civilization that existed long before Jesus, Zarathustra born 1700 BCE
when Persia had Zarathustra, the prophet of light.
I may not be alive much longer, but this is my message to Persians: I came near the border to express my sympathy. Worse than dying in war is being insulted because of the land where you were born. I witnessed how a student from Columbia University, an Irish-American woman, insulted the Persian language and called it a “terrorist language.” This is the reality of what I see from parts of the American fake left ( Fascist Democrats )today.
No nation, no language, and no people should be reduced to such ignorance.
I hope that one day Iran will be free and rise again. I wish for a free Iran, liberated from Islamism.
As Sadegh Hedayat said, “All the misfortunes of Iran began with Abrahamic religions.”
With hope for the uprooting of Islam from Iran.
The Persian Calendar and Nowruz
Nowruz marks the first day of spring and the renewal of nature. It has been celebrated for over 3,000 years, tracing back to ancient Persia and the Zoroastrian tradition. The holiday coincides with the vernal equinox, when day and night are equal, symbolizing the triumph of light over darkness.
The Solar Hijri calendar, used in Persia for centuries, is one of the most precise solar calendars in history. It tracks the sun’s movement and the seasons, helping with agriculture, governance, and religious ceremonies. The calendar reflects ancient Persia’s astronomical knowledge and cultural sophistication.
During Nowruz, families set up the Haft-Seen table, which includes seven items starting with the Persian letter “S” (س). Each represents an aspect of life: rebirth, health, prosperity, love, patience, wisdom, and beauty. This practice connects modern celebrations to thousands of years of Persian heritage, honoring history, culture, and the enduring spirit of the Persian people

03/17/2026

I wrote this short note based on my memories of Evin political prison and my own experiences. The first time I heard about Evin was when I was 9 years old, after my father was arrested and accused of being a CIA agent. Years later, in 2012, I was taken to Evin myself.
I will write my full memories in detail. Anyone who dismisses this as AI can look at my photography work from 2003, as well as my documents with the United Nations and Homeland Security, which confirm my background as a political activist.
Those who falsely called me CIA in the United States have committed slander, especially given their connections with the Iranian regime. Sooner or later, justice will be served.
For now, this is my blog https://substack.com/home/post/p-190789259?fbclid=IwdGRjcAQmTMxjbGNrBCZMxWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHu-yC1BeTuEcH3DpqWWMXvvS_SY9LTmOvDggHXbQs8Vb8S3vLwD3Y64SLZDh_aem_Qj9n46P0gMTXAkow236NwA

I was in the political jail that Alcatraz compared to that is a picnic.

03/15/2026

“I am going to a war zone now as a U.S. citizen. If I am killed, this is my testimony. My ashes should be taken to Père Lachaise Cemetery.
I am a former political prisoner in Iran. I worked as a photographer in Iran from 1999 until 2012, and I also worked for news agencies. Several of my projects were banned and erased.
The most painful event in my life happened in New York City, when I was attacked by wh**es. One of them stole my hard drive and erased my Iran photography archive. The attack was managed by an Irish-Canadian gay man who supported the Islamist regime in Iran, and his role should be exposed publicly.
The question remains: how could the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other security agencies fail to stop this, and why has the U.S. justice system not sent these people to prison?”

03/08/2026

The people who attacked me were IRGC Terrorist group wh**es. Mentally, physically, and politically—whether in Iran or in New York—the root is the same. Several times I have been attacked including threats with weapons, as well as slander and lies

03/08/2026

On this day they call International Women’s Day, we should remember that every day should be a day to honor women—not just one.
Today we especially remember the women of Iran, who live in constant struggle and have endured one of the longest battles against an oppressive Islamist regime. Many Iranian women have lost their lives simply for refusing the compulsory hijab and for demanding their basic rights and dignity. Iranian women have shown remarkable wisdom, courage, and determination.
A couple of years ago, the Woman, Life, Freedom movement became one of the most powerful movements in the Middle East and one of the most inspiring movements in the world. It showed the courage of Iranian women and how their struggle for freedom can resonate far beyond Iran’s borders.
Women around the world stand in solidarity with them as they continue to fight for their fundamental freedoms. We hope to see a free Iran, where women can live with dignity, equality, and freedom.
People often ask me why I fought for the people of Iran, why I damaged my whole life because of politics, and why I did not simply stay in Europe. My honest answer is that I always had doubts.
But during the years I worked as a photographer in Iran—from 1999 until 2012—I witnessed something I could never ignore. I saw women who had no voice. One of my main photographic projects focused on women, trying to show their lives and their reality to the world. At that time, I even proposed to European television networks a documentary project about the history of women in Iran and how they gradually became oppressed and treated as slaves under Islamism.
My first confrontation with the regime happened when I was very young. When I was about 15 years old, during one of my travels, I saw three members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps arresting a woman in the street simply because of her makeup. As a teenager who practiced martial arts, I reacted instinctively and physically confronted them. Looking back, it almost feels like the strange and wild story of a teenage street fighter—but it was also one of the moments that shaped my life.
Years later, when I was imprisoned in Evin Prison, I witnessed a much darker reality. Compared to that place, even Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary might feel like paradise. While I was there, I heard the voices of women being tortured by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Those sounds stay with you forever.
Because of those memories, this is not a day I can remain silent. Some voices were taken away, and the least we can do is remember them and continue speaking about their struggle

03/01/2026

Amid genocide in Iran by the Islamic regime, U.S. citizen and former political prisoner David De Hannay is shot in New York City by a regime supporter, while he marches through the streets to force the world to confront its silence

03/01/2026

If you didn’t pray for, cry for, post about, or even acknowledge the 35,000 regular Iranian citizens slaughtered in the streets last month while fighting for their freedom — don’t say a word about what’s happening today.
Free Iran.

03/01/2026

As a former political prisoner in Iran, this is an amazing moment to witness the possible shutdown of the Iranian regime. Special thanks from the majority of the Iranian people to the United States

02/21/2026

This performance with balloons in front of corrupted United Nations is dedicated to the memory of more than 30,000 Iranians killed under Islamism.
Over 300,000 have been injured.
More than 20,000 have been arrested in the last month alone.
These are not numbers. They are human beings.
They are students, workers, artists, mothers, fathers — lives erased.
And while Iranians bleed in the streets, many loud political voices in New York remain silent. The same activists who speak passionately about justice in every other conflict suddenly lose their voices when it comes to Iran. Even figures like Zohran Mamdani, celebrated by segments of the American left, are rarely heard defending the Iranian people with the same urgency.
Silence in the face of repression is not neutrality. It is moral failure.
I am Iranian.
I speak for those inside Iran who cannot speak freely.
I do not want non-Iranians — especially those who were silent during massacres — speaking on behalf of my people.
Do not erase our suffering to protect your ideology.
Do not reduce our pain to fit your narrative.
Many Iranians inside the country feel abandoned by the world. When international institutions fail, when the United Nations issues statements but real protection never comes, people begin to ask: who will stand with us?
This is not about political branding.
This is not about left or right.
This is about survival.
This is about dignity.
This is about freedom from Islamism.
If you marched under “No War” but ignored the war already being waged against unarmed Iranian civilians, reflect on that silence. Human rights are not selective. Freedom is not selective.
And if anyone asks, “Who gave permission for the world to act?”
I answer this: the blood of 30,000 innocent Iranians is reason enough for the world to stop ignoring us.
We are not asking for revenge.
We are demanding justice.
We are demanding that Islamism no longer hold our country hostage.
Islamism must leave Iran.
The Iranian people must determine their own future.
And the world must stop pretending neutrality while a nation suffers.
History will remember who stood with the victims — and who stayed silent.
I refuse to be silent

02/12/2026

I photographed bodies—naked bodies, women and men—and painted on bodies. I didn’t expect the barbaric reactions of some disturbed people in the USA , seems this society is similar to Radical countries

02/06/2026

Behind the Scenes of JLG in NYC — a fictional film about Jean Luc Godard ! written and directed by me, currently in the editing stage.
Recently, a pig from Hollywood made a nonsensical film about the French New Wave. He doesn’t understand its aesthetics at all.
Godard is not a style to imitate — he is a rupture. Even over 90% of the French public never truly understood his cinema. How could Hollywood