By Mahdavi Nasim
On June 17, 2003, when the French government, as a part of a clandestine deal with Iran regime, carried out an attack on the headquarters of the Iranian Resistance in France, it was expected that the main Iranian alternative to the Mullahs’ regime in Iran would be dissipated by terrorism label.
The French government had seriously promised the Iranian regime to extradite Maryam Rajavi and some other members of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) to the tyranny regime ruling Iran.
The Iranian official had set the ground to capture the detainees and the then President, Mohammad Khatami, called on the French government to extradite them. But a large crowd of dissident Iranians, among them, people whose family members and friends were executed by the Iranian regime, protested against the shameful deal between the then French government and the criminal mullahs in Iran. Some of the Iranian resistance’s supporters had no way to challenge the conspiracy of destroying the Iranian resistance in favor of the fascist mullahs in Iran, but going on hunger-strike and committing self-immolation to draw the attention of the world to the subject.
due to the lack of evidence to prove the charges against Mrs. Maryam Rajavi and other arrested members of the Iranian resistance, and the international pressure by the human rights organizations and figures, the French authorities, were forced to free all the detainees at once, save Mrs. Rajavi, who was released after 15 days.
In spite of an unprecedented noisy anti-terrorism operation show by deploying 1400 security forces on the Iranian opponents’ houses, Mrs. Rajavi was released on July 3rd. On this day, the Iranians warmly welcomed the return of their beloved leader. In the history of Iranian resistance, July 3rd was marked as the day of “solidarity and resistance against the mullahs”, and the annual Iranians grand gathering ceremony for solidarity and to support the Iranian resistance for freedom was kicked off in Paris.
Every year in June, tens of thousands travel from across the world, descending on Paris for an annual convention hosted by The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI). The gathering, known as ‘Kahkeshan’ by its attendees, brings together a galaxy [1] formed by a diaspora of devoted human rights and democracy activists, hundreds of global dignitaries – ranging from Members of Parliament and Congressional Representatives, to various leaders throughout the European Union and across the Arab world – as well as, most notably, the largest opposition to the theocracy in Iran, the NCRI, together with their president-elect Mrs. Maryam Rajavi.
While each year’s program takes on a unique shape, the central focus and message remains the same: issuing a clarion call for democratic regime change in what is presently the Iranian regime.
A number of factors set this event apart from the range of demonstrations, marches and conference-style initiatives, which many of us, in the public sphere, have grown accustomed to:
- Kahkeshan brings together, on a single stage, a constellation of world leaders who seldom agree, let alone appear, together, amongst international audiences in order to voice a common message.
Last year’s impressive list of attendees included Congressional Representatives from either side of the isle, European heads of State, as well as delegations from Asia, Canada, Africa, Australia and across the Middle East, including Palestine, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Syria, just to name a few.
- Kahkeshan is aired live, across satellite TV and Internet, directly into the living rooms of millions of Iranians who tune in at home to watch the program annually.
Despite the Iranian regime’s brutal crackdowns on satellite TV owners and heavy monitoring of the internet, millions of Iranians tune into Simay Azadi, a channel broadcasted by the NCRI and its affiliates, to receive inspiring messages of hope and solidarity from the international community as they continue their domestic struggle for democratic rights and equality. In fact, in the lead up to each year’s event, the station regularly receives calls from Iranian citizens who risk their own wellbeing in order to offer modest donations and express their support.
Kahkeshan is centered on the premise that WOMEN are the leading the force for democratic regime change.
Rejecting the false and destructive paradigm in which war and/or appeasement are touted as the only means by which real regime change can be achieved, the NCRI and their president-elect Mrs. Maryam Rajavi breathe new life into arcane policies, mantling ‘peaceful regime change by Iranians’ as the only appropriate course of action. In principle and in practice, women spearhead the organization with the overwhelming support of their male-allies who hold confidence in women’s leadership. While seeking international support to keep Iran’s regional influence to an absolute minimum, at its heart, the organizations plight centers on the fundamental belief that lasting and meaningful regime change in Iran can only be achieved through simultaneous efforts aimed at overcoming gender-inequality.
Besieged and submitted to the cruelest forms of misogyny under the current regime, Iranian women have borne the brunt of Tehran’s suppression. As with most experiences of long-standing abuse and degradation, not all the scars left behind in the wake of such violence are visible. This is why, resisting the harsh standards imposed on women for centuries and, especially, the misogynistic policies upholding the present regime’s balance of power, Mrs. Rajavi’s doctrine, and the many thousands who join her in this struggle, seek to defy the status quo and empower the brilliant minds, which, for generations have been kept under the yoke of patriarchy and slavery. Cautioning against foreign intervention while denouncing for-profit policies that bolster Iran’s Guardianship and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the annual gathering in Paris serves to remind audiences, both near and far, of the importance of international solidarity as Iranians continue their own struggle towards fostering an engaged, informed and self-confident citizenry prepared to take back the rights they so desperately deserve.
[1] Kahkeshan translates to ‘galaxy’ in English
Mahdavi is an Author, Reporter, and Opposition Activist to the Iranian regime. He writes articles for http://www.iranfreedom.org/en/. You can follow him on Twitter @mahdavi85
