Meeting with the French Parliamentary Committee for a Democratic Iran

Maryam Rajavi: The Iran uprising has entered its 40th day

Maryam Rajavi participated in a meeting of the Parliamentary Committee for a Democratic Iran (CPID) held at the National Assembly of France, and attended by a number of French MPs and personalities on Tuesday, October 25, 2022.
Members of Parliament, Ms. Cécile Rilhac, President of CPID, three vice-presidents of the Committee, André Chassaigne, president of the Democratic and Republican Left group-NUPES, Philippe Gosselin, secretary of the French National Assembly, and Mr. Hervé Saulignac were in attendance.
Other MPs participating in the meeting included Mr. Olivier Marleix, President of the Republicans group, Caroline Yadan, Constance Le Grip, Claire Guichard, and Benoit Bordat. Eight parliamentary advisors also attended the meeting.
Judge François Colcombet, a former member of parliament, and Mr. Jean-François Legaret, the former Mayor of the First District of Paris and President of the International Institute of Les lumières de Paris, also participated in this meeting.
In her remarks to the committee, Maryam Rajavi said, “Today, the Iranian people’s uprising has entered its 40th day. During this period, the selfless spirit of Iranian youths and teenagers has repeatedly impressed the world.”
Following is the text of her remarks:

Dear friends,
Greetings. I am delighted to see you.
The uprising of the Iranian people has proved that the CPID has adopted correct, credible, and responsible positions regarding the issue of Iran.

40th day of the uprising in Iran

Today, the Iran uprising has entered its 40th day. During this period, the selfless spirit of Iranian youths and teenagers has repeatedly impressed the world and brought the regime closer to its overthrow.
Among the most important characters of this movement is women’s leadership at the forefront of the battle against the ogre of fundamentalism and terrorism. It is a sign of the progressive nature of the Iran uprising. A courageous generation leads Iran from darkness to light, from tyranny to freedom.
On the other hand, Khamenei is committing one heinous crime after another: killing children, shooting high school students, burning prisoners in their cells, massacring Baluchis, and killing Kurds. Nevertheless, the people’s uprising continues.

The turn of events so far leads us to several important conclusions:
First – In reaction to the danger of the previous uprisings, Khamenei chose Raisi, one of the leading perpetrators of the massacre of political prisoners, as President to prevent the outbreak of more uprisings. It was Khamenei’s last card, but he failed.
Second – The regime’s only response to the uprising is repression. It has no other solution. But the 40-day crackdown has failed.

Third – The protests have severely undermined the regime, and it can no longer return to the situation before the uprising. Likewise, society, especially the youth, cannot return to how things were.
Fourth – Despite the repression, the PMOI has been able to organize its Resistance Units and Resistance networks. These units play a crucial role in organizing and keeping the uprising going. The regime’s officials repeatedly expressed concern over the past month about the PMOI/MEK’s role in organizing the uprisings.

A new Iran is dawning

Dear friends,
The clerical regime is doomed to go. The Iranian people reject all forms of dictatorship, both the Shah and the mullahs. The desire of the brave people of Iran, at home and abroad, is crystalized in the slogan, “Death to Khamenei,” showing the inevitability of the regime’s overthrow.
A new Iran is dawning. But the changes in the Western governments’ policy toward Iran are not commensurate with that country’s significant changes.
In a realistic evaluation, the Western governments’ relations with the Iranian regime over the last four decades favored the religious dictatorship against the peoples of Iran and Europe. Religious tyranny has been an obstacle to developing good relations between Iran and France.
By terrorism and arresting western nationals in Iran, the mullahs have compelled Europe to accept relations based on blackmail.

A new European policy on Iran

Europe needs a fundamental revision of its relations with the clerical regime. I hope that France will be at the forefront of this change. The heart of this new policy is human rights, resistance, and freedom, which means the future of Iran.
We want France to recognize the most fundamental rights of a people, i.e., the right to fight to overthrow religious tyranny and establish democracy and the right to defend itself against the brutal crimes of the IRGC.
Every day, the IRGC hands over the mutilated or burned bodies of prisoners to their families. European countries must sever their relations with such a regime.
The first step is to close the regime’s embassies and expel their operatives and mercenaries from France.
France and all European countries must act swiftly and press for the release of political prisoners.
The uprisings have shown that the prospect of a free Iran is looming, a goal for which the Iranian people’s resistance has paid a heavy price, including 120,000 martyrs who laid down their lives for freedom.
Our goal is a democratically elected republic cherishing democratic values such as free elections, separation of religion and state, gender equality, women’s freedom in choosing their attire and equal participation in political leadership, and abolishing the death penalty.
We seek a non-nuclear Iran that seeks peace, international coexistence, friendship, and solidarity with the world.
We consider all forces who seek a republic, the regime’s overthrow, and the separation of religion and state as our allies.
We have fought for the cause of freedom and democracy, and today we see the outcome of that struggle in the uprisings.
I thank you all