Conference in the municipality of the 5th arrondissement of Paris:…

Maryam Rajavi: From prison to the streets, our lives are a constant resistance

Madam Mayor,
Elected representatives,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Dear friends,
I would like to express my gratitude to Mayor Florence Berthout for organizing this exhibition in solidarity with the Iranian resistance. Since tomorrow is International Workers’ Day, I would first like to greet the workers and laborers in Iran who are fighting against the religious dictatorship in Iran, despite their living conditions below the “death line”. Here, in the 5th district of Paris, the freedom-loving French have not forgotten them. They support them with the historic motto of their nation: Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. I would also like to express my appreciation to all who have gathered here to express their support for our shared values ​​of republicanism and democracy, in particular the principles of equality and the separation of religion and state.
This is especially important as the religious dictatorship in Iran has escalated repression and executions, with numerous prisoners currently on death row.

Call to abolish the death penalty

Three days ago, I issued an appeal to international organizations, urging them to intervene to save the lives of political prisoners Reza Rasaei and Habib Deris, and to overturn the unjust death sentence of Toomaj Salehi, a popular singer, to undo. In just eleven days, the regime executed 49 prisoners. These statements represent the flip side of the brutal oppression of women, as attempts to curb the crises engulfing the regime.
This misogynistic regime has been waging war against the Iranian people for more than forty years. Sexual violence, torture and executions have become a daily reality for Iranians. Tens of thousands of women have suffered torture and executions over the years 30,000 political prisoners who were massacred in 1988 only. 1,500 young in November 2019 protesters, and during the 2022 uprising750 demonstrators were killed by the Iranian religious dictatorship. Despite these atrocities, the regime has failed to suppress the steadfast spirit of the Iranian people.
Here we are a stone’s throw from the resistance fighters of the Panthéon: from Jean Moulin to Missak Manouchian and his companions. As President Macron said: “They dreamed of freedom with guns in hand.”
Although this courageous resistance is part of France’s history, it is an ongoing reality for us. From prisons to the streets, the Iranian people continue to resist the mullahs’ regime.

National resistance against the mullahs

I would like to emphasize the courage of the young girls and boys, members of the resistance units, who are constantly fighting the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) under the battle cry: “Women-Resistance-Freedom!”
The clerical regime systematically oppresses women to subjugate the entire Iranian society. However, the Iranian people and their resistance have steadfastly responded with the resounding rejection expressed in their motto: “No to the compulsory veil, no to compulsory religion and no to compulsory government.”
After four decades of constant trials and tribulations, women have emerged as the driving force of the resistance. The People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI), the central organization of the resistance, is led by an all-women Central Council.
Today, the regime is no longer just faced with sporadic protests, but with an entire nation in resistance. This reality has prompted the regime to launch a disinformation campaign against our movement, including organizing a trial in absentia of a hundred members of the resistance.
Through these tactics, the regime is laying the groundwork for the physical elimination of our members, especially those living in Europe, especially in Ashraf 3 in Albania.
This is reminiscent of the heroic resistance fighters of L’Affiche Rouge in France, who tried to “condemn the executioners again through slander of propaganda.”
The propaganda that aims to convince foreign parties that there is no alternative to this regime and that the Iranian people are left with a false division: either the mullahs or a return to the era of the Shah. This story provides a pretext for those who advocate appeasing the regime, a policy that endangers peace and security in the Middle East and beyond.

The responsibility of the international community

To prevent its overthrow, the regime is fanning the flames of war in the region, causing death and suffering among innocent people. As long as the head of the snake remains in Tehran, the world will never escape the impasse of war. The solution lies in the overthrow of the regime in Tehran by the Iranian people and their organized resistance.
The alternative presented by the National Council of Resistance from Iran advocates a democratic republic based on the principles of free elections, the separation of religion and state, gender equality, the abolition of the death penalty and peaceful coexistence with all nations.
The question is: how can states and the international community effectively support this struggle? It is in everyone’s interest to recognize the struggle of the Iranian people and their resistance against tyranny, and to designate the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) as a terrorist organization.
Last week, the European Parliament called for this designation in a new resolution.
It is time for Western governments to decide whether they stand with the Iranian people and their struggle for freedom, or with the clerical regime that depends on war, massacres and terrorism. They will be held accountable by history.

Thank you.