Excerpts of speech of Andrej Kiska, Former President of Slovakia, at the Free Iran 2022 is as follows:

Dear distinguished guests, ladies, and gentlemen, I lived almost half of my life in time of socialism, under a regime where people could not say what they wanted to say, they could not read what they wanted to read, and they could not vote for whom they wanted to vote.

Allow me, therefore, to express my deepest solidarity with the Iranian people in their hope and desire for freedom, democracy, and respect for their basic human rights. I know what democracy and freedom mean, and I know how important these values are for happy and satisfied human life, and for the development and prosperity of the country and society.

A recent report by the UN Secretary General said that continued excessive use of force is causing pain to many Iranian communities and their families. This is often the standard response of local authorities in an environment that protects offenders and provides them with impunity.

We are seeing moves to restrict internet usage, isolating Iran from participating in the rapid development of the rest of the world. We see the unequal status of women and minorities. The indiscriminate use of the death penalty is really our deepest concern.

However, at this moment, I want to applaud and encourage the citizens of Iran to continue their effort to transform their country for the better.

It’s my most sincere wish that all the people of Iran will experience and enjoy the great and beautiful values of freedom and democracy in their daily lives, just like the people of my country, Slovakia, have been able to do so for the past three decades. Thank you.