European Lawyers Foundation Chair Dominique Attias addressed the first day of the Free Iran World Summit on July 1, 2023.
Dominique Attias: Iranian Women Have Become The Core of The Revolution
The translated text of Mrs. Dominique Attias’ speech follows:
Women and men of the National Council of Resistance of Iran [what do you do], so that nothing and no one can discourage you or bring you down? How do you manage to wake up every morning even stronger and more determined, united as women and men of the PMOI, who have been fighting and paying a high price for 40 years? Adversity transcends you, and you carry us with you toward the realization of our dream, a democratic Iran. This day is an unforgettable and extraordinary exampl
In constant connection with the isolated and threatened Iranian people, whom nothing can stop anymore, you fight day after day to awaken consciences. You are in the villages and cities of Iran, supporting your people, and the mullahs are afraid of you, panicking, hence their threats and disorderly actions. How have these decadent mullahs not yet understood that by killing their people, by enacting grotesque and oppressive laws, they are digging their graves faster every day, and they will all end up in the flames of hell? But before that, they will be held accountable by international tribunals for their crimes against humanity. We will make sure of it; we all commit to that here.
The backroom deals our governments make with these murderers, the so-called geopolitical questions that European and other heads of state have to accept, the unacceptable acts of disregarding judicial decisions, shaking hands, and uncorking, only discredit a political world that we, women and men of Europe, Iranians, and young people of the world, no longer want. We do not negotiate with terrorist blackmailers. One cannot sell their soul to the devil without paying the price one day.
The Iranian resistance carries the light, and many of us have uttered this word, carrying the light and the future. Maryam Rajavi, an embodiment of modernity for so many years, advocates for a free Iran, freedom for Iranian women of all ages, from all places and backgrounds. These women have a keen sense of justice and the social inequity between genders. Freedom to choose their lives, the clothes they wear, and their destinies. Freedom for the young ones who sacrifice their lives for a better future.
Freedom for those young girls gassed and captured by lustful old men. An enlightened democracy, casting aside the theocracy. Freedom of worship and religion. That is what you advocate for. Equality between women and men, equal opportunities, freedom of expression, and the right to independent justice. That is what you desire. No turning back, neither Shah nor Mullah.
You know the power of women, a power that you embody. You have set the revolution in motion by entrusting women with positions of power in your movement. An example for the women of Iran, a source of inspiration for their uprising. The men by your side have accepted this, aware that the revolution begins with a revolution of consciousness and hearts. No turning back. Neither Shah nor Mullah.
It is astonishing that our governments do not support you as they should, even though you guarantee peace in the region and the world through your proposals, as many have said today. You propose a non-nuclear Iran, peaceful coexistence, and regional and international cooperation. It is scandalous that they do not loudly and clearly recognize the right of the Iranian people to liberate themselves. The incredible Iranian resistance that you embody, along with these women who sacrifice their well-being to see their dreams of a liberated Iran free from retrograde theocrats, come true.
A dream passed on from generation to generation. A duty of remembrance that you also pass on in memory of all those who have accompanied and strengthened your determination, even in the face of the hurdles on the path to victory, as we have witnessed in recent days with these terrible incidents.
At Ashraf III in Albania, another act of violence was suffered by these women, men, and children whom I salute for their courage and determination. A stab in the back with the thankfully foiled attempt to ban the demonstration today in Paris. But 40 years of struggle have forged your unwavering souls, and the French justice system has thwarted the base political maneuvers by reaffirming the fundamental values that constitute any democratic state.
They missed their mark, the assassin Ebrahim Raisi and his clique. Ebrahim Raisi, the butcher who, in 1988, with the world’s indifference, and it is a shame, led to the gallows over 30,000 of your comrades, and they continue relentlessly imprisoning, torturing, and executing those who bravely oppose them and simply demand their freedom. Let us remind everyone of this every day, especially those who pretend to ignore it. Shame on those who do not come to the support of the Iranian people. Shame on their feebleness and complacency. Your courage and that of the women and men around you have triumphed over lies, slander, and daily challenges. Down with Khamenei and Raisi and their gangs.
From now on, in many countries in Europe and around the world, parliamentarians, politicians, women, and men, and it was a joy to hear all of you today have risen up in support of this formidable Iranian resistance movement.
You set aside your differences and stand together in great numbers, and when I also heard all these important politicians talking about Madame Rajavi, I believe a different world is unfolding: a world where a woman, not an iron woman, but simply a woman in politics, you are our pride, but the movement must amplify further to convince a blind and deaf regime. We stand by your side. We follow, Madame Rajavi, your light. Day by day, this light grows. Your example is a source of strength for oppressed women, for people under the yoke of bloody dictatorships. The previous centuries were masculine. Where is the world today? The 21st century is feminine. The 21st century is feminine, and it is the century of Madame Rajavi, the century of light. Long live Iranian women, long live the NCRI, the PMOI, and everyone alongside Madame Maryam Rajavi.
