Addressing a conference at the Italian Parliament

Maryam Rajavi: The Italian Senate’s majority support for the Iranian uprising and Resistance and rejection of all forms of dictatorship, including both monarchical and religious regimes

At a meeting at the Parliament of Italy on Wednesday, April 12, 2023, a group of senators, including Senator Terzi and Senator Scurria, presented a joint declaration by the majority of the Italian Senate that supports the Iranian uprising and Resistance and the rejection of all forms of monarchical and religious dictatorships.
A number of senators and members of the Italian Parliament expounded on the declaration.
Maryam Rajavi joined and addressed the conference online. Following is the text of her remarks:

Dear friends, honorable Italian lawmakers,
I want to express my gratitude for your attention to the Iranian people’s fight for freedom and democracy. Thankfully, Italian society and its elected representatives have been aware of the Iranian issue for a long time.
Our countries have a long history of cooperation and exchange in cultural, scientific, and economic fields. However, the prolonged reign of two dictatorships – one monarchical and the other religious – has kept our nation mired in backwardness.
In 1979, the Iranian people revolted to establish freedom and democracy, but the mullahs hijacked the revolution. They used the immense energy released by the revolution to foment war, terrorism, and destruction.
The clerical regime’s history is characterized by state terrorism, chaos in the region, and occupation of some countries. The repression of the Iranian people has reached catastrophic levels, with the execution of over 120,000 of the regime’s opponents and the imposition of discriminatory policies against women.

A regime in a deadly impasse

Over the past five months, the Iranian regime has been carrying out a premeditated plan to target girls’ schools with chemical attacks. These poisonings are intended to intimidate women and girls and discourage them from participating in the anti-regime uprisings, where they have played a leading role.
So far, the regime’s horrific attacks have targeted at least 505 schools in 109 cities, and amid the regrettable international silence, they claim victims daily.

It should be noted that this persecution, in essence, attempts to find an escape from the deadly impasse inside the country.
The series of uprisings in recent years escalated into the widespread and powerful uprising in September 2022, marking a turning point in the fate of the religious dictatorship. And it exposed to the world the fragility and vulnerability of the regime, which we have been emphasizing for years.

A 50 percent inflation rate, a 50 percent budget deficit, the free fall of the country’s official currency value, increasing unemployment, systemic government corruption, and an almost paralyzed economy continue to persist. However, beyond these factors, the regime’s fragility stems from its confrontation with a fiercely rebellious society that seeks to overthrow it.
To understand the current situation in Iran, it is essential to pay attention to the regime’s widespread arrests. In March, the mullahs’ Judiciary Chief, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, announced that over 22,000 people arrested during the uprising had been released. It is undeniable that, in an effort to quell the uprising, the regime has arrested tens of thousands of people.
However, this massive crackdown has been unable to silence the protest movement, which continues to be a nightmare for the regime. Two weeks ago, the commander of the Anti-Riot Units announced that the regime was increasing its forces to contain the uprising in 400 cities.

The National Council of Resistance of Iran, a democratic alternative

Why have the clerics been unable to suppress the uprisings? It is because they are facing an explosive society where people are unwilling to tolerate the status quo.
However, this discontent is not shapeless or spontaneous. The organized network of the People’s Mojahedin (PMOI) in various provinces, with its combat-ready units operating as Resistance Units, is playing a significant role in organizing the uprising and maintaining its continuity.
In the six months after the beginning of the uprising, more than 3,600 PMOI supporters were arrested or disappeared. However, these arrests could not limit the scope of activity and growth of the Resistance Units.
The responsibility for advancing the uprising, complemented by broad social, political, and international activities, lies with the democratic alternative, namely the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI).

The NCRI includes groups and individuals with diverse political and ideological leanings.
This coalition, which was founded 42 years ago to overthrow the regime, is pursuing an Iran that has been freed from past tyrannies, such as monarchy, and present religious tyranny, to build a future based on the people’s sovereignty. A democratic republic that is distinguished by several fundamental principles: separation of religion and state, gender equality, autonomy for nationalities, abolition of the death penalty, and a non-nuclear Iran.
According to the NCRI’s program, a provisional government will be formed after the overthrow of the clerical regime, for a maximum of six months, for the peaceful transfer of power to the people’s representatives. Its main task is to hold free elections to form the Constituent Assembly.

The Constituent Assembly has two critical duties: first, to form a new provisional government based on the people’s vote and second, to draft a constitution for the new republic.
In addition to the Iranian people, the NCRI’s program enjoys remarkable popularity among people’s elected representatives in the United States and European countries.

European and American representatives support Iranian people’s Resistance

The joint declaration of the Italian Senate majority is a significant show of support for the Iranian people’s Resistance and their efforts to reject all forms of dictatorship, including both monarchical and religious regimes, and establish a democratic republic.
I would like to express my appreciation to Senators Terzi and Scurria for sponsoring this initiative.
Based on the experience of the past several decades, the Iranian people and Resistance consider the Italian parliament and Senate, and the freedom-loving and honorable lawmakers, among their best friends.
The majority of the US Congress have also cosponsored a resolution supporting the Iranian people’s struggle against the Shah and the mullahs, as well as the Resistance’s Ten Point Plan to establish a democratic republic based on the separation of religion and state.
Additionally, last December, 125 members of the Belgian Parliament, and last March, 250 members of the UK Houses of Commons and Lords issued similar declarations.

Therefore, it is time for Western governments to fundamentally reassess their Iran policies and stand in solidarity with the Iranian people. The great Iran uprising has irreversibly changed the conditions of Iranian society and the status of the regime. The Iranian people’s determination to achieve freedom and democracy cannot be suppressed.
The clerical regime is unable to maintain its rule in the face of the tide of uprisings.
The world community, including Italy, cannot deal with the religious dictatorship ruling Iran with their previous assessments and approach. This is not only against the interests of the Iranian people, who seek to overthrow this regime, but against global peace and security that are threatened by this regime.

During the 2009 uprising, Italy’s embassy in Tehran provided refuge to protesters fleeing from the IRGC.
Now, the people of Iran are hoping that Italy will take a stronger stance against the regime. This time, they expect Italy to declare the IRGC a terrorist organization and cease all trade with the regime. Trading with the Iranian regime means trading with the IRGC and supplying fuel to the machinery of repression, terrorism, and warmongering.
Therefore, it is time for Italy to acknowledge the legitimacy and necessity of the Iranian people’s struggle to overthrow the regime and recognize the legitimacy of the struggle of Iran’s courageous youth against the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC).
Thank you all very much.