Ingrid Betancourt, Colombian politician, former senator and anti-corruption activist, addressed at the IWD 2022. The conference hold in Berlin, Germany on the occasion of International Women’s Day, on March 5, 2022.
Dozens of women leaders, lawmakers, and women’s rights activists from around the world attended the conference in Berlin. Thousands also joined the conference online to express solidarity.
The National Council of Resistance of Iran(NCRI) is organizing this world conference. The majority of the NCRI leadership is women.
The keynote speaker at the conference is Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran(NCRI).
The following is an excerpt from Ms. Betancourt’s speech at the conference:
Women’s struggle around the world unites us. We are all freedom fighters. We have learned to resist and never give up. When women are not safe, no one is safe. When we fight for our rights, we fight for a world that respects human rights. Every second, all over the planet, women are fighting against tyranny. Every day, women are risking their lives to defend freedom and equality and to defend their rights and the rights of their children.
Our sisters in Iran have lived under tyranny. The new generations don’t have any experience of what a democratic environment means. They are risking everything; these young women have taken up the flag against the mullahs’ dictatorship. They have learned the hard way that tolerance of tyranny is not acceptable.
Iranian women have reached a very important conclusion: they can only achieve their rights with a change of regime in Iran. Therefore, they must play their role in the resistance against the regime. But they have gone one step further. They realize that to achieve their goal, they must take responsibility at all levels, including at the political level.
Tens of thousands of women of the Iranian Resistance have been tortured and executed. Women have taken responsibility in the organization. But they have gone further and made the presence of women in leadership the new normal. They are offering a new paradigm, a new role model for women and men. It is one of the most impressive achievements of the Iranian Resistance. It would not have been possible without the leadership of Maryam Rajavi.
Maryam Rajavi transformed the Iranian Resistance into a liberation army that is most feared by the mullahs’ regime. Today, the MEK is recognized and respected across the world. It is at the forefront of the fight for gender equality. Maryam Rajavi brought light to the lives of millions of silenced and gagged Iranian women. We are talking about a generation of women who are now leading the fight for freedom.
Women are playing a leading role in protests against the regime. It is time for the world community to unite and act. We call on the UN Security Council, the US government, and European governments to change their conciliatory policy toward Iran’s regime. In the case of Iran, the world must end the shameful
Approach of reaching a nuclear agreement with the regime. It is time to align ourselves with the people. Supporting the Iranian Resistance and the MEK is a duty of the world.
