Rome, Italy – July 12, 2023: Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), delivered a speech at the Italian Parliament, urging international support for the Iranian uprising.
The hearing session, organized by the Foreign Affairs Committee, received Mrs. Rajavi as a special guest and witnessed a warm welcome from Italian parliamentarians and senators, including Senator Giulio Terzi. Supporters of the NCRI gathered outside the Parliament to show their solidarity.
During her address, Mrs. Rajavi highlighted three critical aspects of the current situation in Iran. These encompassed the Iranian people’s uprisings and protests against the clerical dictatorship, the growth of an organized resistance movement, and the regime’s failure to address the country’s social, economic, and political challenges.
Emphasizing that the mullahs’ policies stem from fear of being overthrown, Mrs. Rajavi called for a fundamental change in the European Union’s approach towards the Iranian regime. She urged the Italian government and the European Union to take specific actions, including designating the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, recognizing the Iranian people’s right to defend themselves against the IRGC, and acknowledging their right to overthrow the dictatorial clerical regime and establish a democratic Republic.
Mrs. Rajavi also emphasized the need for activating trigger mechanisms and enforcing UN Security Council resolutions, referring human rights violations in Iran to the Security Council, holding the regime’s leaders accountable for their crimes against humanity, imposing comprehensive sanctions, considering the regime as a threat to global peace and security, and placing it under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter.
Following the hearing session, Mrs. Rajavi participated in a joint meeting with representatives and senators of the Italian Parliament. Several parliament members delivered speeches, including Senator Gisella Naturale and Senator Lucio Malan. Notable figures such as former Speaker of the House of Commons in Britain, John Bercow, and former director of the International Monetary Fund, Carlo Cottarelli, were also present.
Dr. Maria Lina Vitturini of the Equal Opportunities Commission conveyed support and greetings to Maryam Rajavi on behalf of 12 provinces, recognizing her as the President of the Iranian Resistance. Dr. Vitturini expressed solidarity with Iranian women fighting against the regime.
During the joint meeting, Italian Parliament representatives presented statements from the majority of the Senate and Parliament, expressing support for the Iranian people’s uprising, condemning the dictatorships of the Shah and the mullahs, and endorsing Mrs. Rajavi’s Ten-Point Plan.
Expressing gratitude for the support, Mrs. Rajavi stressed that these statements represented a policy and strategy adopted by the majority of Italian legislators to address the tragedies and crises inflicted by the religious dictatorship in Iran over the past four decades.
She further emphasized that the ongoing uprising in Iran is an extension of the resistance that has been evolving against the ruling regime for the past 42 years. Mrs. Rajavi commended the presence and leadership of women in the uprising, highlighting their resilience in the face of regime oppression and execution.
Mrs. Rajavi stated that the Iranian Resistance advocates for the freedom of Iranian women to choose and actively participate in the leadership of society on an equal basis. The ultimate goal of Iranian women, she added, is the complete overthrow of the regime.
Despite the regime’s attempts to suppress the uprising, the organized resistance movement has prevented its halt, channeling the people’s discontent towards the goal of regime change. Mrs. Rajavi emphasized that the Iranian people, aligned with the resistance, intensify their resistance against the regime’s conspiracies and repression.
