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Candlelight Vigils and Martyr Photo Exhibits Mark Final Days of New York Campaign Ahead of Sept. 22–23 UN Rallies

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Iranian Resistance supporters display portraits of executed political prisoners and protesters with candles near the UN in New York.

Iranian Americans honor victims of executions and call for support of NCRI’s democratic alternative as thousands prepare to gather outside the United Nations

NEW YORK — With only two days remaining until major rallies outside the United Nations, supporters of the Iranian Resistance continued a weeklong public campaign in Manhattan on Saturday and Sunday, holding candlelight vigils, displaying photographs of those killed by the Iranian regime, and conducting street outreach to call for an end to executions and support for a democratic alternative.

The Organization of Iranian American Communities (OIAC) is leading the campaign, which began September 17 and runs through September 23. Activities have included information tables, public gatherings, and photo exhibitions of martyrs and victims of political executions. These efforts will continue Monday, September 21, one day before the main events.

On Friday, September 18, and Saturday, September 19, Iranian Americans gathered near UN headquarters for candlelight vigils. Participants lined streets with rows of victim portraits, candles, roses, and “Stop Execution” banners. They honored those executed by the regime, including political prisoners and protesters from recent uprisings, and expressed support for Iran’s organized opposition.

OIAC posted images and video from Saturday night showing supporters packed a Manhattan street in the shadows of UN headquarters. “We remembered the fallen for freedom in Iran and celebrated their bravery — which is so vibrant in the youth of Iran,” the group wrote. “Their struggle for a democratic republic needs global support.”

Simay Azadi TV reported that the September 18 vigil formed part of a week of activities ahead of the September 22–23 rallies. Organizers are demanding an end to political executions and protesting the expected presence of Iranian regime President Masoud Pezeshkian at the UN General Assembly.

The main rallies will take place Tuesday, September 22, and Wednesday, September 23, starting at 9:00 a.m. at Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza (Second Avenue and 47th Street), across from the United Nations. The September 22 gathering coincides with the address by the U.S. president to the UN General Assembly. The September 23 rally will be held during Pezeshkian’s expected appearance.

Organizers expect thousands of Iranian Americans and supporters from across the United States. They are calling for an immediate halt to the surge in executions, accountability for crimes against the Iranian people, and international recognition of a democratic alternative.

Participants will support the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) and the Ten-Point Plan presented by Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the NCRI’s President-elect. The plan calls for a democratic, secular, non-nuclear republic based on free elections, gender equality, separation of religion and state, abolition of the death penalty, and an end to oppression of ethnic and religious minorities. Rally organizers are also calling for recognition of the NCRI’s Provisional Government for a democratic republic of peace and freedom.

The campaign rejects dictatorship in all forms with the message “No to Shah, No to Mullahs, Yes to Free Iran.”

Supporters are invited to join the remaining outreach activities and the two main rallies. Organizers say the gatherings aim to place the Iranian people and their organized resistance at the center of the international discussion on Iran during the UN General Assembly.
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