Thousands of Iranians from Iran and 34 countries raised $4.55 million
Widespread support for Iranian Resistance, Ashraf and Liberty residents represents general will for regime change
According to Simay-e Azadi (Iran National Television-INTV) reports the 16th telethon fundraising lasted a total of 46 hours, starting from Friday, August 9, and lasting up to the morning of August 13.
Thousands of Iranians from across Iran and 34 countries in five continents raised a total of $4,550,000 (equivalent to 140,787,500,000 rails). Despite the fact that 22 telephone lines and e-mail boxes were continuously busy, many of the donators waited for many hours on the phone while many others were not able to connect at all.
Donators from Tehran and other cities, despite the security risks and the regime’s widespread measures aimed at disconnecting, disrupting and making the communication lines busy, and despite their harsh living conditions, unsparingly donated their limited financial assets in order to support INTV as the voice of their legitimate resistance. In addition to direct calls, a significant portion of the collected donations were provided in groups, including a network of one thousand individuals in various cities who granted their donations. Others sent their support to INTV through their friends and relatives living abroad.
This telethon is a vivid example of the Iranian people’s solidarity and their strong will for change in Iran. The participants, in addition to expressing their support for the Iranian Resistance and its President-elect Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, condemned the siege and criminal attacks against Liberty residents and inaction on the part of the United States and United Nations. Emphasizing Ashraf and Liberty residents are the main guarantee of democracy and people’s sovereignty in the future Iran, they described supporting Ashraf and Liberty residents a national and patriotic duty for all Iranians and called for a guarantee of their safety and security by the UN and US, and their return to Ashraf.
In this telethon that marked the 25th anniversary of the 1988 massacre of 30,000 political prisoners, released political prisoners and family members of the martyrs and Ashraf and Liberty residents, revealed more shocking accounts of the massacre of PMOI members, and strongly condemned the regime’s conspiracy aimed at cloaking this crime against humanity, and exposed the regime’s elements involved in this policy.
The Iranian diaspora from numerous countries including Iraq, Turkey, Afghanistan, United Arab Emirates, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Kuwait, Cyprus, Philippines, Indonesia, Australia, Canada, United States, Germany, France, United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Luxembourg, Austria Romania, Bulgaria and Russia participated in this telethon.
The donators were from all walks of life including workers, teachers, bazaar merchants, industry owners, artists, intellectuals, aged mothers and fathers and young students. Refugees and asylum seekers, despite their difficult financial conditions, granted their jewelry – being their only assets – and rose to support INTV. The donations began with a few dozen dollars and continued with accounts of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Political dignitaries from countries such as Egypt and Syria symbolically participated in this fundraiser to show their solidarity with the Iranian people.
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
August 13, 2013
