Italy, Piedmont, Cuneo – May 6, 2023: The governor and 22 mayors of Italy’s Piedmont region gathered in Cuneo, Ashraf‘s sister city, supporting the Iranian people’s uprising and the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI). They declared their full support of the NCRI’s President-elect, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, and her ten-point plan for the future of Iran.

On May 6, at 9 pm, the Toselli Theatre hosted an evening of solidarity with the Iranian Resistance. The room was filled with people, including Patrizia Manassero, the Mayor of Cuneo, Luca Robaldo, the President of Cuneo Province, and 22 other mayors of the Piedmont province.

At the beginning of this program, Dr. Khosrow Nikzat explained the conditions and the support of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) and especially the women of the MEK, along with showing images of the victory process of the 1979 Revolution of the Iranian people and then the demonstration of the free women of Iran in the first days of the victory of the revolution against Khomeini’s compulsory hijab.
Then pictures of the demonstration of 500,000 people in Tehran on June 20, 1981, were shown, and Dr. Nikzat explained how the mullahs’ regime shot that peaceful demonstration and killed many of the people.

He explained the formation of the National Council of Resistance as a sizeable political coalition to overthrow the mullahs’ regime to establish a democratic republic based on the separation of religion from the state. He said that more than 50% of the members of this council are women, and Mrs. Maryam Rajavi is the council’s president-elect. It is for the transfer of sovereignty to the people of Iran.

In the program’s continuation, the memories of two Italian figures and partisans, Senator Attilio Martino and Reverend Don Aldo Bene Valli, were honored. Pictures of their meetings with Mrs. Rajavi in Paris in the past years and a part of the years of support of the people of Cuneo to the Iranian Resistance were shown in came.
Along with showing pictures, Dr. Khosro Nikzat reminded that the sisterhood of the city of Cuneo with the city of resistance, Ashraf 1, was announced in 2008, and he reminded that at the same time, during the first trip of Mrs. Maryam Rajavi to Italy, she was awarded the medal of resistance in the Italian Senate.

During the event, Alberto Valmaggia presented the flag of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) to Patrizia Manassero as a symbol of continuity in support for the existence of a part of the city of Cuneo.

Alberto Valmaggia, former mayor of Cuneo, Giancarlo Boselli, an Independent Municipal Councillor, and Ughatta Biancotto, responsible for ANPI Cuneo, were also present and addressed speeches to the participants.

Ms. Patrizia Manassero, the mayor of Cuneo, said after receiving the Iranian resistance flag: At the same point where we are standing now, a few days ago, Italian President Mr. Mattarella stood and said, the republic’s values originate from the values of resistance.

Today, citing this beautiful word, I stand with the resistance of Iran. In addition, a few weeks ago, we passed a bill in the Cuneo municipality supporting women and men in the Iranian uprising. On March 8th, Women’s Day, we supported the struggle of Iranian women by hanging a banner from the balcony of the municipality. This battle continued from the 1960s until today, when Mrs. Maryam Rajavi was awarded honorary citizenship of Cuneo.

The reasons for this were presented; I feel it necessary to read them here. She is a woman who stands up for human rights and fights in Iran. She is the elected president of the National Council of Resistance of Iran. She is a witness of justice and a bastion of respect for the law. She is a defender of human rights and the rights of men and women in Iran. She knows how to find a way to reach a peaceful future. Believing in the values of resistance, the city of Cuneo supports all resistances in the world against dictatorship.

Ms. Ughatta Biancotto spoke about the support of the late Senator Attilio Martino for the Iranian resistance and the unity of the essence of resistance against dictatorships. She appreciated Mrs. Maryam Rajavi and the Iranian Resistance.

Dr. Alberto Valmaggia, the former mayor of Cuneo, also said: “This is a national resistance of men, especially women. At that time, we stood up to support the resistance of Iran, and I am delighted that I stood by the resistance of Iran. Today, Cuneo follows the same path in supporting Iranian women. We believe that different faiths should be connected and not disconnected, so we hope that everyone wins.”

Giancarlo Boselli, the former deputy mayor of Cuneo and a city council member, said: “When we went to Camp Ashraf, we saw men and women who were in an all-out war with the most terrible dictatorship.”

In the continuation of the ceremony, the mayors supporting the Iranian resistance came to the stage. They supported the Iranian Resistance by holding the flag of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran.

Also, in this magnificent program, a group of Italian artists performed music and artistic programs in honor of Iran’s Resistance.