Paris, June 30, 2024 – Jaume Bartumeu Cassany, former Prime Minister of Andorra, delivered a compelling speech at the Free Iran 2024 World Summit, emphasizing the importance of supporting the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) and Mrs. Maryam Rajavi in their quest for a democratic Iran.
Bartumeu highlighted the stark contrast between the Iranian regime and its society. He praised the first point of Madam Rajavi’s Ten-Point Plan, which calls for the separation of religion and state, rejecting the absolute power of clerics.
He commended the Iranian youth and intellectual elite, especially women, who he suggested are among the most educated in the Muslim world. Despite their education, they still face oppression from the regime, such as the enforcement of the hijab.
The former PM referenced recent months when the Iranian people desired a democratic republic that embraced ethnic and religious diversity and regional autonomy. He criticized the regime’s resistance to granting individual freedoms, particularly for women. He stressed the need for international support to establish a legal system that respects the presumption of innocence, independent legal defense, public trials, judicial independence, and the abolition of the death penalty.
In closing, Bartumeu reiterated his support for the NCRI, expressing optimism that their persistent efforts would lead to significant changes for the benefit of the Iranian people.
A translated version of former PM Jaume Bartumeu Cassany’s speech follows:
It is an honor for us, for me, to be here again to show our support for the National Council of Resistance and Mrs. Rajavi. We know that Iran is currently a country that does not distinguish between religious and political matters. Since the Islamic Revolution, its regime has been governed by religious scholars. This system has imposed, for the last 45 years, a dictatorial regime that has significantly diverged from Iranian society. It is evident that society has evolved in the opposite direction of the theocracy. Therefore, it is right that the first point of Mrs. Rajavi’s plan for the future of Iran rejects the absolute power of the clergy and the guardianship of Islamic jurists. As you said earlier, Madam President, religion must be separated from the state.
Iran has a very large student movement. There is an intellectual elite, including women who have attended university as much as men. These women are, in my opinion, among the most educated in the Arab-Muslim world. Despite this, they still endure the attacks of the religious police when they simply want to walk with their hair uncovered. Iranian elites, thanks to the internet, follow global developments and no longer share the obscurantism of their political-religious leaders. Iran now more than ever needs good leadership, a viable alternative to free itself from sanctions, revive its economy, allow its youth to flourish, and to reintegrate into the international community as one of the leading commercial and intellectual powers of the Middle East.
A la tercera fila de la reunió de París junt amb Natalia Gavrilita ex primera ministra de Moldàvia i Jorge Tuto Quiroga ex president de Bolívia . pic.twitter.com/ZZZVXkWAXc
— Jaume Bartumeu (@JaumeBartumeu) June 29, 2024
In recent months, the Iranian people have shown their rejection of the regime and their aspiration for the establishment of a democratic republic that embraces ethnic and religious diversity, various political orientations, and the autonomy of its regions. However, the regime does not seem ready to relinquish control over individual freedoms, maintaining the obligation for women to wear the veil. There is a real need for external assistance to establish a legal system that respects and enforces the principle of the presumption of innocence, the right to defense by independent lawyers, the public nature of judicial proceedings, the independence of judges, and the abolition of the death penalty. These are indispensable principles. Mrs. Rajavi reminded us of them by once again presenting her plan, and we cannot abandon the continued defense of these principles.
I wanted to briefly mention an edition of the newspaper Le Monde from last September. Le Monde published four clandestine texts written by Iranian activists incarcerated in Evin Prison in Tehran. From what our Iranian friends have explained to me, Evin represents decades of Iranians’ struggle for democracy. Narges Mohammadi, Sepideh Gholian, Niloufar Bayani, and Golrokh Iraee tell us in these letters that the oppressive regime knows that democracy will eventually prevail. The letters of these four women are filled with hope and show that the path to a democratic Iran will come not only from external support but fundamentally from within the country.
I hope that our united opposition to the tyrannical regime, everywhere in the world and particularly in Iran, will soon lead to major changes for the benefit of your people. The National Council of Resistance is building this viable alternative against religious tyranny and for democratic values. I believe that hope is on the horizon; we must always keep in our hearts the hope for the victory of the Iranian people, and we must also continue to act by supporting the internal resistance.
Thank you.
