Today, Saturday, July 10, 2021, the first event of the Free Iran 2021 World Summit will be held. The Free Iran World Summit 2021 is the largest-ever online international event dedicated to liberating Iran from its oppressive religious dictatorship and paving the way for a free, democratic, and sovereign future.
The online summit is linking simultaneous rallies in major cities in different countries. The event connects 50,000 locations in 6 continents, 102 countries, and over one million viewers participate in the program.
The event is taking place less than a month after the vast majority of Iranians boycotted the regime’s sham presidential election, which brought Ebrahim Raisi, the henchman of the 1988 massacre of over 30,000 political prisoners, to power. That nationwide boycott of the election had been aggressively promoted by the MEK Resistance Units for more than two months beforehand, with public demonstrations, graffiti, and posters all specifically portraying it as a means to “vote for regime change.”
Pro-democracy activists inside Iran, lawmakers, former senior government officials, distinguished personalities, and humanitarians and advocates from around the world will take action in solidarity with the Iranian people’s unflinching struggle for freedom.
This page presents a live report of this event.
Its content will be updated throughout the day:
Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI)
In her keynote address to the summit, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, said, “Our society is besieged by religious tyranny, the Coronavirus, and hunger, but it is also harboring within itself volcanic uprisings.
“The mullahs’ religious fascism chose the henchman of the 1988 massacre to solidify their rule and close ranks, to preserve their power, and to prevent their inevitable overthrow in the face of looming uprisings. Infamous as ‘the life-taking judge,’ [incoming regime president Ebrahim] Raisi is a robot in the regime’s Judiciary, programmed only to kill. “
Mrs. Rajavi described the era as “distinguished by three major developments.”
“First, the regime is politically and socially in a state of emergency, grappling with rampant crises;
“Second, Iranian society has entered a phase of upheavals and uprisings since December 2017.
“And third, a nationwide network has emerged, which is comprised of courageous, selfless rebels who keep alight the flames of the Resistance Units’ fight against symbols of religious fascism.
“In this era, pseudo-solutions and fabricated or virtual alternatives will not have the critical space needed to maneuver.
“Fake notions of moderation and reformism will lose color, and the only brilliant option remaining will be a revolution and the regime’s overthrow.
“To achieve this glorious objective, the Iranian Resistance’s asset and greatest backing are the furious masses who are not satisfied with anything less than the overthrow of this regime.
“Our asset is the rebellion and revolt of the army of youths who took to the streets in November 2019.
“And our power comes from a nationwide network of Resistance Units who have been working ceaselessly all days of the year, and in the year 2020, they doubled the number of their activities and operations compared to the previous year, in order to break the spell of repression.”
Regarding the failed policy of appeasement toward the mullahs’ regime, Mrs. Rajavi said, “Internationally, the 40-year experience of the Iranian Resistance leaves no doubt that the threat for government policies has always been complacency with this regime; the danger of giving in to the regime’s blackmail and sacrificing the Iranian people’s Resistance and human rights for commercial and political interests.
“And the experience of forty years of formidable struggle proves that the ruling regime will not change unless it is overthrown through an uprising.”
“Our will and that of our people can be summed up in these three words: freedom, democracy, and equality
“As far as the international community is concerned, we ask it to recognize the struggle of the Iranian people to overthrow this regime and recognize these three concepts.
“We want to bring to justice the mullahs’ supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, his president, Ebrahim Raisi, his Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni Ejeii, and others responsible for the 1988 massacre on charges of committing crimes against humanity and genocide.
“We urge the UN Security Council to arrange for the international prosecution of Mullah Raisi and holding him accountable for crimes against humanity and to refuse to accept his presence at the next session of the UN General Assembly.
“We say that the mullahs’ regime will never give up the project of acquiring nuclear weapons, its export of terrorism, and its incitement of war in the region. Therefore, as the main threat to peace and security, it must be subjected to international sanctions under Chapter Seven of the UN Charter.”
But Mrs. Rajavi stressed that it will ultimately be up to the people of Iran and their Resistance movement to overthrow the mullah’s regime.
“To achieve freedom, we are not betting on chance or pinning hope on a miracle that will break the spell of repression. The campaign for the overthrow is something we build with our own hands and through immense suffering.
“We have illuminated the path that the oppressed society is eager to follow.
“Yes, the army of the countless hungry and unemployed people have nothing to lose. And this will lead to the rise of the great army of freedom.”
Sec. Michael Pompeo, 70th United States Secretary of State
One conflict is the most important to understand to restore Iran to its rightful place in history. This is the real fight, and it began in those frightful first moments of the revolution in 1979. The central fight is the one in the streets, and in the mosques and in the minds of Iranians – it is the divide between the people and the organized opposition seeking freedom and democracy on the one side, and the entirety of the regime on the other.
I am proud that I have been on the right side of this fight for over a decade now.
Iranians want to prosper in their faith and protect their families – this is as true in Tehran as it is in Los Angeles, Austin, Nashville, or Kings Point.
The regime, of course, is headed by Khamenei, Raisi and the IRGC. It is revolutionary in its zeal. It is brutal. It is theocratic. It is craven and kleptocratic. Its leaders will kill their own by the thousands and then choose those who committed these massive atrocities to now lead their terror organization and their regime.
This misunderstanding–is understanding that there are no moderates. They are all revolutionary–recognizes and ultimately results in the fact that this regime is largely unchangeable by American policies, but we can weaken them, and we did.
The power destruction of the regime that resulted from our sanctions and our maximum pressure was real, but its application for under two years was insufficient to fully achieve its end goals. The regime is at its weakest point in decades.
Since 1979, every election in Iran has served only to give an appearance of republicanism to a corrupt, brutal theocracy. The 2021 presidential election, however, is vastly different from those before it, primarily because it is taking place when the theocratic regime is at its most precarious state since 1979, and its prospects of survival are openly questioned by regime insiders and challenged by a restive, freedom-loving nation. In short: very few people actually voted FOR Raisi.
This was a boycott. Turnout was the lowest since 1979, marking a total rejection of the regime and its candidates.
the United States should take the lead to hold [Raisi] accountable for crimes against humanity. Any dealings with Raisi, would be tantamount to dealing with a mass murderer. This is not only immoral but also counterproductive. We should make clear to our allies in Europe and Asia as well to make sure that they hold him accountable, and that if they deal with this man who sent thousands of his countrymen to execution in a massacre in 1988, the United States would hold them accountable as well.
As was the case with the Trump Administration, human rights and counter terrorism must be at the very center of our Iran policy. We must support the Iranian people. If we want to keep Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, we have to apply pressure until they change their behavior, or until reforms which move Iran toward a democratic form of government take place. We cannot shower the Ayatollah with money and economic benefits in the hopes that he won’t use it to inflict terror. This thinking is foolish, dangerous, and backwards.
The program of sanctions and pressure employed by the Trump Administration needs to remain the model for engagement with Iran if we want to ensure the security of the American people and better lives for the Iranian people.
Engagement with the regime will make lengthen the time that the regime has to behave as it has for these past decades denying basic human dignity and opportunity to the Iranian people.
We must continue to support the Iranian people as they fight for a freer and more democratic Iran in any way that we can.
In the end the Iranian people will have a secular, democratic, non-nuclear Republic, I pray that this day will come soon and with the support of Iranians living all around the world – and those who resist from within — that day will come sooner. I am committed to this cause; I know you all are too. May your mission be blessed and protected. May the Iranian people be blessed.
Janez Janša, Prime Minister of Slovenia
Iranian people deserve democracy freedom and human rights and should be firmly supported by the international community. Iranian regime must be held accountable for human rights violations and the international community must be more firm on this.
For nearly 33 years the world had forgotten about the victims of the 1988 massacre. This should change. A United Nations Commission inquiry is of crucial importance to shed light over the horrible 1988 massacre. This is especially important in light of the fact that the ّIranian regime’s next president will be Ebrahim Raisi who is accused by Amnesty International of crimes against humanity for his role in the [1988] massacre.
I therefore once again clearly and loudly support the call of the UN investigator on human rights in Iran who has called for an independent inquiry into state-ordered executions of thousands of political prisoners and the role played by Raisi.
Speeches from inside Iran
Several people joined the conference from inside Iran and expressed their support for the Iranian Resistance and pledged their determination to struggle for the overthrow of the mullahs’ regime.
It is worth noting that the regime punishes support for the NCRI and MEK with very heavy sentences, and these people are taking great risks to send live messages to the live event of the Iranian Resistance.
Stephen Harper, 22nd Prime Minister of Canada
The millions spent on the implementation of the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA, were used to further develop the reach and capacity of the terrorist network that the regime supports throughout the Middle East. The desire of some to renew the JCPOA has so emboldened the regime that in its latest sham election all pretenses of a so-called moderate candidacy were dispensed with.
This year’s sham election reached a new low even for this regime. The winning candidate, to be clear not the elected candidate, the chosen winner did not even pretend to be a moderate. In fact, Ebrahim Raisi is the very person whom the regime has long entrusted to jail or kill anyone who is actually moderate in 1988, as one of the four members of the prosecution committee he ordered the execution of some 30,000 political prisoners.
Shame on any government in the world that would sit down and try to negotiate anything with an administration led by Ebrahim Raisi.
Like you I believe that the Iranian people who have suffered more than any other from the tyranny of this theocracy, yearn more than any other for it to end and for it to be replaced by the democratic secular and pluralist forces that the NCRI represents.
John Bercow, Speaker of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom
I am here in order to express solidarity and support for the people of Iran in their continuing quest and struggle for freedom, democracy and human rights.
I am absolutely crystal clear in my mind that the Iranian people continue to reject all oppression and indeed throughout the protests of which there have been so many over the decades.
It doesn’t matter in the end very much what the form of the dictatorship is. It is the fact of it that counts. And the fact that the dictatorship has its consequence in appalling disadvantage, deprivation, and very often destitution for the people who suffer under the effects.
I support the NCRI president’s 10-point plan for the country’s future.
Amnesty International’s call must be honored that there should be an investigation of Ebrahim Raisi for crimes against humanity. That man has much for which to answer and he is the very embodiment of the bloodthirsty tyrant.
I assure you that you will prevail. You will succeed. You will win and the fascist bigots who oppress you will be hissed out of office.
Franco Frattini, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Italy (2008 –2011) & (2002 –2004), European Commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security (2004 –2008)
Many of my colleagues in the European Union, in America, in North America, and elsewhere have been having in contact with representatives of the Iranian regime, sometimes so-called reformists sometimes so-called conservatives. I can tell you from my direct experience there is no difference.
You have in your heart and in your mind a country that is rich in nature, but now is tremendously poor. It is poor economically. It is poor because when you don’t enjoy non-negotiable fundamental rights that country is extremely poor.
It is important now to open the eyes of the international community.
The regime used the nuclear deal as a leverage for recognition of their role in the region. They want to be recognized politically and this is the point where they should fail.
If we fall in the trap to sit around the table and to negotiate again, we just legitimize the regime, a recognition of their role and their role is unfortunately also the one to destabilizes the entire Middle East.
In my personal opinion, sanctions are not affecting the free people of Iran because lifting sanctions would only give more money to the regime, not to the free people of Iran.
My colleagues in Europe should seriously consider not to sit at the same table with the Iranian regime officials whatsoever.
We have to be very frank and very strict in respecting our constitution and the charter of fundamental rights of the European Union.
Don’t legitimize and don’t recognize the legitimacy as a serious interlocutor in a country whose president deserves to be held accountable.
Donna Brazile, Chair of the Democratic National Committee (2016-2017)
I’m here not just in gratitude for sharing this occasion. I am here in humility. Humility that comes from observing your remarkable courage in leadership. Humility in watching you stand up to religious tyranny. Humility for your firm resoluteness and seeking a secular state.
The struggle for self-determination equality and human rights is often hard and always long. Never give up, never give up. You should never forget that when you are on the side of universal equality, you are on the side of truth.
The spirit of bipartisanship and the current 117th Congress of the United States will continue to support you. We will stand by you.
Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Chairman of US Senate Foreign Relations Committee
The people of Iran remain blighted with a government that has repeatedly shown no interest in securing anything beyond its own self-preservation, sowing chaos abroad and corruption, and repression at home seeking a pathway towards a nuclear weapon.
We need look no further than Iran’s recent presidential election in which Ebrahim Raisi, a hardliner crony of the supreme leader who is subject to U.S. human rights sanctions, was elected president.
Your continued advocacy remains absolutely vital. It is a beacon of hope that one day the people of Iran, the United States and indeed all the world will rejoice in an Iranian government that is at peace with the international community and works to secure a better future for its people.
US Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), senior United States senator from New Hampshire
Human rights abuses have become common within the Iranian government that lacks legitimacy and whose hold on power is dependent upon the oppression of its people.
Standing up for a free and democratic Iran is not your burden alone. The United States and the international community stand in support of your efforts. Human rights have long been a pillar of U.S. foreign policy. As we continue to engage Iran human rights must be a principal part of the U.S. approach.
US Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), United States Senator from New Jersey
The culture, customs, and history of Iran and its people are incredible and truly remarkable. They deserve to be celebrated within Iran and around the world, not stifled by authoritarian leaders fearful of their own people
The United States is a friend to the Iranian people— I’m so proud of that. I remain hopeful that we will someday, in fact, I remain confident that we will someday see a free and open Iran.
US Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO), senior United States senator for Missouri
The Ayatollah and his enablers continued to deny the Iranian people basic political religious or social freedoms, including the basic right to life itself. Iranian authorities conduct unimaginable horrors, especially against those who dare to speak the truth.
I’m encouraged by the protests that are taking place in recent years that reflect these very principles of life. I hope we can see them continue. I truly believe that it’s possible to achieve a better, free government in Iran. I believe we have to continue to hold the Iranian regime accountable before its abuses at home and for its aggressive actions around the world.
US Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) United States Senator for Texas
The Iranian regime’s malign activities are well known: missile proliferation, seeking the destruction of America and our allies, creating terror states within states in Iraq, in Yemen, in Lebanon, floating the Assad regime in Syria, funding and directing terrorism across the globe, and of course, inside Iran over and over again, committing unthinkable human rights atrocities. When we’re talking about the future of Iran it is my belief that we need to collapse the regime.
We’re seeing the fruits of that appeasement in the form of constant attacks by Iran and by its terrorist armies on American forces and on our allies across the Middle East. I will continue leading the fight in the Senate to hold the Iranian regime accountable for their malign activities and to return U.S. policy to one of maximum pressure until this evil and despotic regime finally collapse.
US Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) United States Senator from North Carolina
The new president of Iran has been involved in interrogation, murder, torture, and issuing death sentences for democratic activists and opponents for years.
Sanctions should not be lifted and negotiations with state sponsors of terror should always be avoided.
My colleagues and I in Congress support your calls for a free and democratic republic in Iran that respects human rights and international laws.
US Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) former Chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee from 2007 to 2011. He is the senior United States Senator for Texas
America stands in full solidarity with the Iranian people, and we echo their call for liberty, democracy, and peace.
We must take a unified stance in opposition to the oppression and tyranny that the hardliner Ebrahim Raisi represents. I continue to urge President Biden to work closely with Congress to identify an effective and bipartisan approach to the threat posed by a nuclear Iran.
US Senator Margaret Hassan (D-NH) is the United States Senator from New Hampshire
I’m proud to call myself an ally and friend in this fight for freedom and as evidenced by the bipartisan support of this conference. Democrats and Republicans join in solidarity with all of you.
I’ll continue supporting an American foreign policy that pushes for human rights and stands with democratic movements in oppressive countries. The regime in Tehran must be held accountable for treating women as second-class citizens and for persecuting human rights advocates journalists and ethnic minorities.
US Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) is the junior United States Senator from Florida
As ranking member of the Senate Armed Services subcommittee on emerging threats and capabilities I’ve been urging the Biden administration to prioritize keeping America and the world safe from Iran’s malign behavior and destabilizing activities.
The murderous Iranian regime remains the world’s foremost state sponsor of terrorism and poses a significant threat to global peace and security. Rewarding Iran for continuing to back Hamas and other terrorist organizations while building up their nuclear arsenal is not the right path to ensuring the safety and security of Americans.
President Biden needs to make it clear that the United States will not ease sanctions and will ensure consequences for their dangerous actions.
Congressman Kevin McCarthy, Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives
I share your concerns, but I also have hope, hope that America, along with you and our allies, will see a democratic Iran that protects free speech, and the rights of all people. Hope that the dark days of fear under the supreme leader will subside and Iran blossoms into a responsible democratic nation.
Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, Chair of the US House of Representatives Democratic Caucus
The Iranian government brutalizes its citizens and exports terrorism throughout the world. And so, I commend you on your courage, on your strength, and on your leadership and helping to bring about a free, secular and non-nuclear Iran.
We want to unleash the brilliance and the talents and the abilities of the Iranian people that are being suppressed by a brutal regime.
Patrick J. Kennedy, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives (1995 –2011)
Electing a mass murderer like Raisi shows that Khamenei and his mullahs have given up any facade of moderation. There’s no excuse anymore for denying the truth. We can’t be in denial for what the mullahs’ regime represents.
Thank you, Madam Rajavi, thank you PMOI and NCRI for exposing these lies of the mullahs.
Pandeli Majko, Minister of State for Diaspora of Albania, Former Prime Minister
We express our deep concerns about ongoing human rights violations in Iran.
The Iranian people boycotted the last presidential election. Raisi is accused of crimes against humanity by international human rights organizations. He is elected now as president.
I am happy that today I stand by the people who want to be part of the future of Iran.
Lulzim Basha, Chairman of the Democratic Party of Albania
The Iranian people’s aspiration for freedom democracy and respect for fundamental human rights and liberties has had and will continue to have the full solidarity and support of the Democratic Party of Albania, and myself.
The recurring acts of unprovoked aggression and violence by the Iranian government against its own people, against its neighbors, and against the global community of nations have hurt countless Iranians, and other people in the region and around the world.
The Iranian regime has proven that it is willing to break the most essential norms of international order at the cost of innocent lives and regional stability.
We stand firmly against the Iranian regime’s illegal and terrorist practices on our soil and its structured enterprise to export fundamentalism to Albania.
We support the Iranian people’s desire for change and commend Madam Rajavi and her efforts to offer the people of Iran the perspective of a free, secular, and democratic country.
Michèle Alliot-Marie, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of France (2010-2011), former Minister of Justice, Minister of the Interior, Minister of Defense
I would like to thank you for the fight you’re leading and what you’re defending in Iran, being democracy and freedom of speech. I hope your values will be heard in the future.
Iran’s election was a show of discontent by its citizens. The world would like to see Iran as a factor of peace and stability. The people of Iran should be able to choose their own destiny.
Liam Fox, Secretary of State for International Trade of the United Kingdom (2016 –2019), Secretary of State for Defence (2010 –2011)
We have to deal with a dangerous, draconian, destabilizing regime which suppresses its own people and exports fanaticism and instability to its own region and beyond.
Under Khamenei’s leadership the IRGC has tightened its grip on Iranian society and especially its economic infrastructure locking out the opportunity to themselves and to the whole nation, that the natural innovation of the Iranian people could bring.
None of us have any quarrel with the Iranian people but with the regime that increasingly oppresses them, that exports violence and instability to its neighbors, and which threatens to provoke conflict through its attempt to become a nuclear weapon state.
The root of Iran’s exports of instability lies in the ambition of Khamenei and his cronies to be the leaders not only of Shia Islam but of Islam itself.
An agreement with Iran may be possible but it must take account of Iran’s human rights abuses its exports of terror its explicit threat to the security of Israel and its attempt to destabilize its regional neighbors.
Above all we must return to the position that we will stop, not delay Iran’s nuclear weapons ambitions wishful thinking.
Bernard Kouchner, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of France (2007-2010)
In Iran, we don’t say election. It’s selection. More than half of the people didn’t vote. The new president is a criminal under investigation.
Giulio Terzi, Foreign Affairs Minister of Italy (2011-2013)
For Iran to have a president willing and ready to carry out the most heinous and bloody repressions against any opposition or dissidents is a loud warning to western leaders seeking to renegotiate the JCPOA.
European and U.S. governments should not forget the extreme suffering inflicted on the Iranian people whenever they agree to meet with representatives of the regime.
It is high time for European governments to establish a new Euro-Atlantic front to effectively face the threats coming from Iran.
A good opportunity is the resolution signed by the majority of the U.S. Congress to counter violations of human rights and state terrorism perpetrated by the Iranian government. Bipartisan appeal coming from U.S. lawmakers is a call to collaborate with European allies in order to dismantle the dense network of operatives taking advantage of diplomatic coverage of embassies in our continent.
In these circumstances you should look to the organized, effective, and democratic alternative with its competent leadership. The pillar of this alternative and its strength and steadfastness’ came about through the Iranians struggle against the Shah’s regime and from inside the Shah’s prisons.
From day one Iranian Resistance leader Massoud Rajavi said about this regime that a viper does not give birth to a dove, and this has been fully demonstrated today. That is why the regime does everything it can to eliminate the MEK and NCRI.
Martin Luther King III, Human Rights Advocate and Son of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr
I am concerned about human rights and the freedom struggle in Iran partly because Iran is one of the largest nations of the world
As my father, Martin Luther King, Jr, once said: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
I wholeheartedly support legislation in the United States Congress to promote freedom and human rights in Iran. House Resolution 118, which expresses the Iranian people’s desire for a democratic, secular and non-nuclear republic of Iran also condemns violations of human rights and state sponsored terrorism by the Iranian government.
Congressman Brad Sherman, (D-CA), senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee
I am the lead Democratic sponsor of House Resolution 118, a resolution supporting the people of Iran and their desire for a democratic, secular, and non-nuclear future.
Today, the Iranian people are forced to live under an autocratic and corrupt regime that targets its own people, and is the chief state sponsor of terrorism internationally from Syria to Lebanon, Gaza, Europe, South America, and across the globe.
We must not forget what this regime is and what it has been capable of doing. The world should not forget the mass murders carried out by the Iranian regime in 1988.
There are so many around the world who stand in solidarity with the Iranian people and who are working for a new chapter in that great nation’s history.
Congressman Tom McClintock (R-CA), the House Judiciary Committee
If we fail to hold the current regime to account, there’s no telling what it may decide to do next about those who desire such basic freedoms.
In past eras the Iranian people have known the happiness and prosperity that freedom makes possible and now today they’re seeking to reclaim it.
I’m pleased to announce today that 249 members of the United States House of Representatives, that’s a solid majority of the entire House, and made up of Republicans and Democrats that co-sponsored House Resolution 118, are expressing support for the Iranian people’s desire for a democratic secular and non-nuclear republic of Iran and condemning the violations of human rights and state sponsored terrorism by the Iranian government.
The Iranian people have resisted nuclear adventurism and have pushed for a non-nuclear country. It was the Iranian Resistance that first blew the lid on the regime’s illegal nuclear sites and weapons programs.
Although the Iranian regime has become more oppressive and extreme, the international resistance to them has become stronger and more resolute. The more the story of Iran is told of its proud ancient heritage of freedom and civilization, and of its current curse of despotism and terror, the more the world has rallied to its cause.
Congressman Joe Wilson (R.), U.S. Representative for South Carolina’s 2nd congressional district
It is critical that we acknowledge that Iran’s mullahs rely on terrorism against the citizens of Iran and terrorism against the international community to survive.
They use terrorism as a leverage in their international dealings and they’ve been using their diplomats to plan terrorist activities and certainly indiscriminate killing of innocent people who demand their basic rights.
I urge you and my colleagues, and I say it’s Congress’ duty to remind the world that Iranian people want a secular democratic and non-nuclear republic. This is the message of Iran’s vibrant Resistance Units and the message of House Resolution 118 of which I am a proud cosponsor.
Congressman Dean Philips (D) has represented Minnesota’s 3rd congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives
I’m an original cosponsor of House Resolution 118 because the Iranian people have been deprived of fundamental freedoms for far too long.
The Iranian people deserve the right to vote, to be confident that elections are free and fair, and to experience gender, religious, and ethnic equality.
Congressman Steve Cohen (D the U.S. Representative from Tennessee’s 9th congressional district
The human rights and democratic freedom of Iran are very important issues to me, and they are some of my top priorities. I’ve long been a supporter of the Iranian people for a free Iran and strongly support an Iran that is democratic and secular.
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee, U.S. Representative for Texas’s 18th congressional district
We want a free Iran, and we want the democracy that is necessary to empower the women, youth and families to say enough is enough and that we demand democracy.
You are a free and democratic organization who brings about the idea of freedom.
Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (R.) representative for Pennsylvania’s 1st congressional district
We must be clear in supporting the rights of Iranians to choose their own future. This is critical now more than ever following decades of appeasement in concessions that have made Iran the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism.
America and our allies must make it clear to Tehran that taking violent action against those who peacefully assemble to demand change will result in the application of further targeted sanctions against the regime and its terrorist proxies.
We must also call for an independent inquiry into the 1988 massacre of political prisoners in Iran. In 1988 the Iranian regime slaughtered over 30,000 political prisoners.
Congresswoman Judy Chu (D) U.S. Representative for California’s 27th congressional district
Each year this conference sends a powerful statement to Iran’s leaders that their repression and violence are unacceptable. Instead of heeding you repeat calls for human rights, peace, and democracy. Iran’s leaders have continued to respond in their usual way: through terror.
Having such a large bipartisan bill condemning the Iranian government’s support for terrorism sends a clear signal to the people of Iran that they are not alone. That message is especially important now as one of Iran’s most brutal killers, Ebrahim Raisi, was just elected president in an election that was neither free nor fair.
We need resolutions like House Resolution 118 to let Iran’s leaders know that we are watching and to let the people of Iran, who fight for freedom and democracy, know they’re not alone.
Theresa Villiers, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (2019-2020)
The promotion of Ebrahim Raisi to the presidency after a sham election signals that the regime has no intention of altering its antagonistic approach to the international community.
Nothing in their public statements give any indication that the mullahs have any intention of bringing to an end their sponsorship of violent militias around the region, nor to their nuclear activities.
Raisi should not be rewarded by sanctions relief. I fear that his appointment is likely to make the human rights situation even worse. My British Iranian constituents have told me that they view this latest development as indicating that the regime wants to tighten its chokehold on the people of Iran.
I joined many other speakers at this massive event in encouraging the UK government and the international community to engage with the NCRI as an opposition group incapable of offering viable democratic alternative for the people of Iran.
General (Ret.) James L. Jones, National Security Advisor to President Obama (2009-2010), former USMC Commandant, Supreme Allied Commander Europe
The election also put an end to the false narrative that the regime itself and its western apologists fed the world for more than four decades of concessions. Turning a blind eye on the mullahs’ excesses at home and abroad is necessary to empower the so-called moderates within the ruling regime.
Activists in Iran should be commended for their effective work inside Iran to encourage the people of Iran to reject this regime. Madam Rajavi, your call for the boycott was heard loud and clear. Through their boycott the Iranian people made it loud and clear that they will not be satisfied with anything less than the overthrow of this medieval theocracy and all of its factions.
Raisi’s selection also showed how weak and frail this regime has become during this process how Khamenei could not even trust his closest confidants such as Ali Larijani.
The outcome of the election is a vindication of what the Iranian Resistance has been saying for the past four decades but this regime is incapable of reform and that no amount of political and economic concessions will moderate its behavior.
It is somewhat inconceivable that the West does not condemn this international criminal. What more does he need to do to deserve condemnation from democratic countries?
Already, leading human rights institutions and top UN human rights experts have called for an impartial investigation into Raisi’s role in the 1988 massacre. Why the silence? It is time to end the culture of impunity for Tehran’s mass murderers. Enough is enough.
There is an organized and highly effective opposition in the NCRI led by Madam Maryam Rajavi which offers a truly democratic and viable alternative. This is an alternative that not only enjoys support at home but also a growing international legitimacy.
Linda Chavez, Director of the Office of Public Liaison
It’s important to understand that Iran does not just persecute its own people within its own borders, but its reach goes global. They are on the assault constantly to try to keep those who want to bring democracy to Iran in check.
Raisi is not somebody that reasonable and democratic government should deal with. This is not someone who is a representative of the people of Iran. He is simply a representative of the mullahs and their ironclad control.
I would say the time is now for those who support freedom and democracy in Iran to rise up to make their voices heard, and for those of us in the West who already enjoy those freedoms to stand with those who are in fact the beacons of freedom for the people of Iran.
Secretary Deborah Lee James, Former US Secretary of the Air Force (2013-2017)
You today form the backbone of a growing and powerful resistance to the corrupt regime in Tehran, a resistance that with your perseverance will never ever be silenced.
Thanks to your collective efforts and to the leadership of Mrs. Rajavi you sent a powerful message to Iran’s supreme leader Khamenei and his cronies. That message quite simply was: We shall not take part in your sham election. Your successful boycott of the June 18, 2021 election, which of course came on the heels of four years of popular protests these events show the world and they show the regime in power that the Iranian people are fed up, fed up with the broken promises, the economic incompetence, the systemic corruption, the disrespect for human rights, and the misogynistic treatment of the women of Iran.
Ebrahim Raisi has the blood of many on his hands and the whole world knows it.
Secretary Gary Locke, Former United States Secretary of Commerce (2009–2011), former ambassador to China (2011–2014) and the 21st governor of Washington (1997–2005)
The people and government of the United States of America stand in full solidarity with the people of Iran and fully support your desire to be a free people.
It’s critical for the United States and other democracies around the world to stand with the Iranian people.
Conferences and summits like this are so critical because they remind the world that the evil regime does not speak for the people, and that Iranians are committed to the ideals of democracy.
It is incumbent upon the United Nations to pressure Tehran and hold the Iranian dictators accountable for the ongoing and heightened suppression of vulnerable groups.
Governor Steve Bullock, former Governor of Montana from 2013 to 2021 (D)
The Iranian people in the battle for a free and democratic Iran are a determined people. You refuse to accept the status quo never settling for less. You refuse to allow discrimination and violence against women and girls and among the many minority populations. You refuse to stand by while prisoners and political dissidents are subjected to inhumane conditions torture or disappearances. You refuse to let fear retribution and terrorism overcome opportunities for peace.
Most importantly you refused to give up hope for it is hope that keeps alive the determination of the Iranian people to exercise the rights of freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, to hold the Iranian regime accountable. Americans support the Iranian people in their desire for change.
Governor Phil Bredesen, former Governor of Tennessee from 2003 to 2011 (D)
The struggle of ordinary Iranian people is moving beyond the world of insiders in the corridors of power and into the consciousness and the conscience of millions of Americans. I support and admire your work and I’m sure everyone who speaks to you does.
I’ve learned a lot about your strategies, about promoting democracy, the separation of church and state, gender equality, and the rule of law. But it seems to me that the purpose, the goal of all those strategies, is to make the world a little bit better for the next generation, to build a better society for the young people of Iran.
Ambassador Tim Broas, former United States Ambassador to the Netherlands from 2014 to 2016 (D)
The Iran regime openly threatens to destroy Israel and takes pains to persuade its citizens that America is the enemy. It aspires to develop nuclear weapons instead of eliminating corruption. The Iran regime has become one of the most corrupt countries in the world.
But there is hope for Iran, for its citizens, and for all of humanity. That hope rests squarely and centrally with all of you, the resistance. You are a force, a loud and vocal force for change, but you can and must become even louder. You can and must turn up the volume. You need to keep growing.
Please intensify and expand your advocacy. The women and children of Iran are counting on you. The political prisoners in Iran are counting on you. Like you they’re yearning for a democratic secular and non-nuclear republic of Iran. They seek a government that treats all its citizens equally.
Scott Perry, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania
This Raisi character, as I will call him, as you know, is a murderer. I’m here to tell you that the rest of the world knows that you’re living under the tyranny of a murderer.
We stand beside you we in America are ready to do all that we can, including sanctions of the most onerous type to the regime in Iran, to bring them to heel so that you can breathe free and so that your voices can be heard.
Congressman Don Bacon (R.) is the U.S. Representative for Nebraska’s 2nd congressional district
I’m proudly one of the original cosponsors of House Resolution 118, which expresses support for the Iranian people’s desire for a democratic, secular, and non-nuclear republic.
I believe U.S. policy towards Iran must be based on our commitment to human and women’s rights, religious and minority rights, and our unwavering support for the establishment of a democratic republic in Iran.
Congressman Gus Bilirakis (R.) member of the Republican Party’s Whip Team and Chair of the Veterans’ Affairs Task Force for the Republican Policy Committee
I wanted to declare my support for democracy and human rights in Iran and express my solidarity with the Iranian people.
Iranians have endured a lot in the past 40 years from brutal suppression and trampling of their basic rights to losing many of their children during peaceful street protests.
Iran has been destabilizing and it’s been in a destabilizing and antagonizing force in the Middle East for a long time.
Iran has repeatedly proven itself to be an untrustworthy aggressive state sponsor of terrorism. We need independent investigations into the Iranian regime’s past and present terrorist attacks against U.S. citizens and Iranian exiles.
Iran is not our friend an indeed poses for the biggest threats to our national security and any other nation. The time has come for a new approach and how we interact with Iran. Iran must be held accountable for its bad behavior and the US must take a firm stance that further misconduct will no longer be tolerated.
Congresswoman Angie Craig (D) is the U.S. Representative from Minnesota’s 2nd congressional district
I’m working to support peace and stability in the Middle East by cosponsoring House Resolution 118, a resolution that stating in no uncertain terms that the U.S. Congress is on the side of the Iranian people in the ongoing struggle to bring fundamental and lasting change to your home country.
The United States must continue working to hold this regime accountable for its hostile and unlawful behavior both against his own citizens and across the globe. I believe the Iranian people should determine the future of Iran and stand by those courageous folks who bravely stood up against the regime.
Congressman Brad Schneider (D) U.S. Representative for Illinois’s 10th congressional district
It is essential that we memorialize the thousands of Iranians who have lost their lives over the past decades. The United States must always stand with those who exercise their political rights. The Middle East and the entire world will benefit from a democratic republic of Iran that respects freedoms.
Congressman Tom Emmer (R.) U.S. Representative for Minnesota’s 6th congressional district
Together we can look forward to the day when all Iranians will be able to live without fear. Thank you for your hope for a free Iran and for your hard work toward making this goal a reality.
Congressman French Hill (R.) U.S. Representative for Arkansas’s 2nd congressional district
The ayatollahs the mullahs and the Iranian military are all profiting at the expense of ordinary Iranian citizens who’ve shown their longing for a government that respects the rule of law and supports the people over international terrorists. The Iranian people are rightfully calling for greater accountability. No one should live under tyranny and be exploited by their own government.
Congressman Pete Sessions (R.) former chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee
The new president is a man who has been a part of brutal thuggery that takes place not only in Iran but around the world. I stand with these expats and say keep the solemn vision and viewpoint so people back in Iran can know that America and the United States Congress stands with them.
Congressman Raul Ruiz (D) U.S. Representative for California’s 36th congressional district
Standing up for the human rights of the people of Iran is not only necessary but vital to helping ensure that the Iranian people know that America and all peace-loving people stand with them in their pursuit of liberty, democracy, and a peaceful Iran.
The House must pass Resolution 118 to send this clear message to the Iranian people that the American people stand with you.
Nicole Malliotakis, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York’s 11th district
The election of Raisi, somebody who has United States sanctions against him, someone who is responsible for the death of thousands of Iranians who were just advocating for their own rights and freedom, is very disturbing. We need to continue to join to demand that Iran hold free and fair elections, that they release United States hostages, and that they improve human rights.
Fatmir Mediu, Chairman of the Republican Party of Albania
We should not just say great words about sacrifice of Iranian people, but we should be united and have discussions in our parliament and congress, and we should push our governments to stand strong against brutal atrocities of the regime. I believe that all agents and mercenaries of their intelligence and security agencies should be expelled from Albania and the rest of Europe. I do support the NCRI as the alternative to the regime to bring about peace and freedom in Iran. The ten-points plan of Madam Rajavi, the president elect of the NCRI, for democratic secular and non-nuclear republic of Iran is the way for a free Iran.
Amb. Mitchell Reiss, 27th President of Washington College, served as Director of Policy Planning at the United States Department of State from 2003 to 2005
There’s no doubt that the regime in Iran once more is illegitimate. It doesn’t enjoy the will of the people. In fact the people have indicated that they don’t support this regime and it stands against a much better vision, a much more hopeful vision for Iran, one that is based on freedom and democracy and human rights and dignity. That’s the vision that Madam Rajavi has established for a newer and a different Iran.
Senator Doug Jones, former United States Senator from Alabama from 2018 to 2021 (D)
The people of Iran did not speak in this past election. They spoke with their silence. They spoke by refusing to vote in an election where the outcome was preordained and not reflective of the will of the people, by refusing to participate in such a sham. The people of Iran—not the regime—can claim victory and know this as well the speakers at this conference are here because we are with you.
You have friends in and out of the United States government. But change will not and should not come to Iran because other countries want it or even demand it. Change must come and I believe will come from you and the people of Iran. You are the source, an instrument of change. You are the inspiration for change.
Gérard Longuet, former French Defense Minister
It is important to see you can be away from Iran but support its people. Iran is a key nation in the region. You have a role to play in the region. It is obvious that Iran plays a big role in upheavals that we have in this part of the world. The election showed that a lot of people did not vote because the candidates did not represent the people of Iran. We need to recognize the right to democracy in Iran. You have a message of sympathy. The European Union must stand with you. Peace is the only viable option for Iran.
Senator Joe Donnelly (D), former United States Senator from Indiana from 2013 to 2019.
The United States stands with the people of Iran and the goals of your conference to see a free Iran that respects the human rights and religious beliefs of all its people.
The government that is in place in Iran today has instead a long history of human rights violations and it spreads terrorist activities around the world. That’s not who the people of Iran are or want to be. Instead, Iran’s citizens have peacefully and heroically demonstrated throughout their country in recent years for change and a better life and they were attacked, beaten, jailed, and killed by this government because they stood up for a better future.
Imagine an Iran that exported peace and knowledge and friendship and help to other peoples and places. That’s the Iran you are working so hard to create.
Kelly Ayotte, United States Senator from New Hampshire (2011-2017)
The Iranian people deserve peace. They deserve prosperity, basic human rights and freedom. They also deserve free and fair elections, truly democratic elections, not the sham presidential election that recently occurred in Iran.
The United Nations should investigate the murders [of Raisi] and should not give any legitimacy to the presidency of Ebrahim Raisi. Madam Rajavi and the NCRI have a ten-point plan that envisions a peaceful future for Iran, a democratic future for Iran.
It’s time to re impose tougher sanctions on Iran. We should not re-enter the weak JCPOA. They only understand strength. It is time for the Biden administration and leaders around the world to impose a maximum pressure campaign on Iran. We cannot allow Iran to have nuclear weapons. We cannot allow Iran to develop intercontinental ballistic missiles which have the capability of delivering a nuclear weapon.
It is clear that it is time to fully support the Iranian people and to stand with the NCRI.