Paris, June 30, 2024 – Former President of Ecuador, Rosalia Arteaga, addressed the Free Iran 2024 World Summit, expressing her solidarity with Iranian women and sharing her own experiences in fighting for the separation of religion and state in her country. Arteaga’s speech highlighted the global struggle for women’s rights and the importance of supporting the fight for freedom in Iran.
Standing alongside Ecuadorian Congresswoman Dallyana Passailaigue, Arteaga shared her heartfelt message, reflecting on her tenure as Minister of Education in Ecuador, where she battled against the merging of religious and state affairs. She emphasized the significant yet still insufficient advancements for women’s rights globally.
Arteaga praised the rich cultural heritage of Iran, contrasting it with the current regime’s oppressive practices. She expressed admiration for Maryam Rajavi and her leadership in the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), particularly highlighting the Ten-Point Plan for freedom and democracy.
The former President urged the international community to support the Iranian women’s fight for basic human rights and freedoms, underscoring that recent changes in Iran’s government have not translated into real freedom for its people. She concluded with a powerful message to Iranian women, conveying support and solidarity from women across the globe.
The full text of former Ecuadorian President Rosalia Arteaga’s speech follows:
Thank you. Buenas tardes. I asked a young congresswoman of my country, Dallyana Passailaigue, to come and stay with me here. Dear Maryam Rajavi, and dear distinguished guests.
I will try to talk from the bottom of my heart, from one woman to another woman, from one woman to the women of Iran. I remember March this year when I first came to participate in a women’s event about the support of women of Iran, and I told Madame Rajavi about my own fight when I was, a long, long time ago, Minister of Education of my country, and I decided to fight because the Congress at that time was trying to install the mix between religion and state. And I fought very hard to avoid this permanent problem for our country.
Jornada inolvidable en París #FreeIran2024 pic.twitter.com/Du7XXczl4v
— Rosalía Arteaga (@rosaliaarteaga) June 30, 2024
This 21st-century world was presented as one in which we would achieve great advances for humanity. In some way, we have done so, especially in scientific aspects such as artificial intelligence or advances in medical treatments and communications.
However, it is now presented with somber overturns in issues related to the coexistence between people and countries. There are painful confrontations, such as the one provoked by the invasion of Ukraine, or the unfortunate events in the Israel-Palestine area, especially caused by the Hamas attack. But besides that, we see confrontations and tensions in the global world and within territories where sometimes it seems that gangs and mafias try to take over countries, as it happened in the American continent, in Haiti, and the attacks and violence that we are suffering in several Latin American countries, including, unfortunately, my own country, Ecuador.
So, we think that the 21st century is not as enlightened as it seemed. Also, regarding the situation of women, although we see progress in some places concerning female leadership with women governing countries or heading multinationals, however, these are exceptional cases, and women still suffer situations of insecurity and inequality. But one of the countries where such a situation is so painful and suffers restrictions and persecutions of all kinds, as we see, is Iran.
Gracias a Free Iran Global Summit y a @rosaliaarteaga por esta cordial invitación que me ha permitido profundizar en la situación de democracia y derechos humanos en Irán.@Maryam_Rajavi pic.twitter.com/cRwXzPWhhu
— Dallyana Passailaigue (@dallyanapass) July 1, 2024
Iran is a country with a millenary culture that has given much to humanity, and yet at present endures a regime that terrorizes women, limits them in terms of the most elementary rights, and takes their lives because they do not conform to the precepts, not of a religion, but of what religious and political leaders who are misguided in their decisions and their thoughts want.
That is why we are here, women and men from different parts of the world, to show our solidarity with the struggle of women in Iran, with the Ten-Point Plan raised by the National Council of Resistance, led by an extraordinary woman, Maryam Rajavi, who has demonstrated a temper and courage that goes beyond unwitting, which has to do with this permanent struggle day by day for the rights of women in the freedom of her country.
That is why women have to raise our voices, show our solidarity, and feel that what is happening in a distant part of the world, such as Iran, we, women of Ecuador and Latin America, for example, must receive that solidarity, that support, that desire for this struggle to bear fruit, which has to do with tolerance, respect for others, respect for human rights, respect for freedoms, with an eagerness to move forward during this crisis.
I really hope and wish so https://t.co/cjElkW827f
— Rosalía Arteaga (@rosaliaarteaga) July 3, 2024
We know, and we talk about this, that recently there have been changes in the government of Iran, but it has not meant freedom for women, nor greater respect for their rights. So, from this forum here in the city of Paris, we want to express again our disagreement with what is happening in Iran and our support for the struggle of brave women like Maryam Rajavi and a team of both women and men who are supporting their work outside their country but also at home.
I would like the Iranian women who are currently within the borders of their country and who do not have the freedom that many of us women in the world enjoy to hear this message. A message from the bottom of our souls that speaks of peace and solidarity but that has a lot of strength concerning the defense of principles and freedoms. We hope that very shortly the women will be able to shake hands with all the Iranian women and that they will feel this solidarity, this respect, and this decision of permanent support.
Free Iran!