Tehran, Iran — December 2011

On 14 December 2011, while Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was serving as President of Iran, hundreds of people from across the country travelled to Tehran carrying handwritten hopes rather than political demands.

Near Pasteur Street, within walking distance of the Presidential Office but outside the heavily secured government zone, professional petition writers sat on the pavement writing letters for those who could not write well themselves. Many of their clients were elderly, poorly educated, or illiterate. Others, despite having university degrees, had nowhere else to turn.

People dictated stories of poverty, unemployment, illness, debt, and desperation. The petition writers transformed these spoken accounts into formal letters addressed to the President, asking for financial assistance, employment, medical support, or simply the opportunity to rebuild their lives.

Each petition represented a deeply personal appeal. These letters were written only a short distance from some of the most heavily guarded political institutions in Iran, including the Presidential Office, the Guardian Council, and other government compounds. Yet the voices recorded on these pages belonged to ordinary citizens whose daily struggles remained largely invisible.

One of the petitions photographed during this project belonged to Alireza Azizi, a 37-year-old unemployed man with a Bachelor's degree in Communication Studies. He described himself as married, living with diabetes, paying rent despite having no income, and unable to open a restaurant even after spending his savings to obtain a business licence. In his letter, he appealed directly to the President for an interest-free loan that would allow him to start a small business and support his family.

Excerpt from the petition

To the Honourable President of the Islamic Republic of Iran

Peace be upon you.

Respectfully, I would like to submit the following.

My name is Alireza Azizi. I am the son of a disabled war veteran (6% disability), who has since passed away. To this day, I have not received any government assistance or benefits.

I am 37 years old, currently unemployed, and have no source of income. I am in severe financial hardship. I am married, rent my home, and suffer from diabetes.

I hold a Bachelor's degree in Communication Studies, but because of my age, everywhere I apply for work I am turned away. I currently pay 200,000 Tomans per month in rent.

I also obtained a licence to operate a restaurant. However, because I have no capital of my own, I have been unable to rent suitable premises and start the business. I spent 3 million Tomans obtaining this licence, but its legal validity has now expired.

As a result, I remain unemployed and without any income.

Therefore, I humbly ask the Honourable President, for the sake of God, to kindly approve an interest-free loan so that I may start a business and provide for my family's living expenses.

With respect and gratitude.

Petition writers were professional scribes who wrote formal letters on behalf of citizens who were unable to write or needed assistance in preparing official requests to government authorities.

These photographs were taken in Tehran on 14 December 2011. A selection from this documentary project was also published in the nationwide Iranian newspaper Mardomsalari.