A significant conference took place in Paris to honor International Women’s Day. Mrs. Dorien Rookmaker, a Member of the European Parliament from the Netherlands, voiced steadfast support for the National Council of Resistance of Iran and its President-elect, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi.
Commending Mrs. Rajavi’s leadership in uniting and mobilizing Iranian women amidst the challenges posed by a ruthless regime, the Dutch MEP asserted that the emancipation of Iranian women will catalyze the liberation of women worldwide.
In solidarity with the courageous heroines of the Iranian Resistance enduring imprisonment and torture, Mrs. Rookmaker referenced the words of Maryam Akbari Monfared, a resilient political prisoner, who proclaimed, “the dawn of freedom is imminent.
The full text of MEP Dorien Rookmaker’s speech follows:
Thank you. So much has already been said today. Great words from great ladies, and I’m so proud to be one of them. I have this tag. I got it today. And of course, as a member of the European Parliament, I get a lot of these tags all the time when you’re in Congress. But this tag, I will cherish. It will get a very, very special place in my office. Because I’m here, because Mrs. President Maryam Rajavi thought I was worthy enough to come here, and it’s a humble experience, I’m telling you.
Because I know you’re struggling so hard and so long against a terrible regime, and I have the feeling that I have not quite done enough, and I will try to help you as much as I can. Because for me, Maryam Rajavi is the Mandela of this age.
Maryam Rajavi has created a new way of doing the opposition. Maryam Rajavi has organized women in a way I would never be able to. And I know, because I’m next to being a member of Parliament, and also the chair of the biggest and oldest lady association in the Netherlands, I know how difficult it is to build an organization. And the way that you do it, the way you do leadership, after we freed Iran, I want you to teach us how you do this. And I really mean it, it’s a great job.
Maryam Rajavi leidt de oppositie tegen het regime in Iran. Haar boodschap is als sterk als haar organisatie. Maryam Rajavi verdient onze onze steun en respect. Het is buitengewoon hoe zij de oppositie in Iran organiseert en aanvoert. Zij stelt: https://t.co/XWaHmbbb1n
— Dorien Rookmaker (@RookmakerDorien) February 26, 2024
So, it’s such a great pleasure to be here with you on this very important day. It’s International Women’s Day, the day when we celebrate the achievements of women around the world, and I already said the most special lady, the most special woman around this world, on this planet, at this moment, sits over there.
I would like to greet all the men in this hall who are present side by side with the women of Iran to support them in their struggle, they’re doing a great job, so give them a warm applause, please, for all the men.
Behind the façade of Iran’s historical beauty lies a regime that suppresses dissent and stifles basic human rights, particularly for women who dare to speak out against injustice. But greatly, the Iranian Resistance stands tall and does not know the meaning of giving up, and this gives us hope.
And I want to send a message of hope, because when I was coming here, we were all put together in a small room with great sweets, which we couldn’t resist, all of us, but we started to get connected on LinkedIn, and I hope that you all will connect on LinkedIn if you are there, so we can create a big community of all women around the world, because if Iran is getting free of oppression, I think all women in the world will.
I will try to make this as short as possible, but before I end this speech, I would like to mention a couple of ladies who are in the Resistance and are now in jail in Iran, I think we have to think of them and honor them.
The Iranian regime is executing prisoners at a shocking rate, and it is also targeting political activists. Just last week, the regime handed down heavy sentences on PMOI sympathizers because of their steadfast support. Forough Taghipour and I hope I pronounced it right, 29 years old, is a graduate in accounting, and was sentenced to 15 years.
Marzieh Farsi, 58 years old, a mother of two who had previously spent three years in prison and suffers from cancer, was sentenced to 15 years. Zahra Safaee, 60 years old, a mother of two, has been in prison for the third time and was sentenced to five years in prison.
I would like to put a special focus on the case of Maryam Akbari Monfared. I mentioned her case at the debate on Iran at the European Parliament. Maryam Akbari Monfared is a symbol of resilience, courage, and unwavering determination in the face of oppression. Maryam’s story is not just about her own struggle, but a reflection of the countless others who have been silenced for daring to challenge the status quo.
What was her crime? She was incarcerated because she sought justice for four of her siblings executed ruthlessly by the clerical regime in the 1980s. Maryam Akbari’s sister and brother, Roque and Abdolreza Akbari Monfared were executed during the massacre of 30,000 political prisoners in the summer of 1980.
Another two of her brothers were executed during the mass executions in 1981 and 1984. She wrote from Evin prison, “We can feel the scent of spring in Evin, and I’m sure this beautiful spring will one day grow and embrace our homeland. The spring of freedom is on the way. Spring will come. It will pass through the barbed wires and land in our homeland, and I’m sure it will come.”
Gisteren in Parijs kwamen vanuit de hele wereld vrouwen actief of actief geweest in de politiek of strijdend voor mensenrechten steun betuigen aan @Maryam_Rajavi de @cnri en het 10 punten plan voor een seculier democratisch Iran. Women! Life! Freedom! https://t.co/U70VmQLFXd
— Dorien Rookmaker (@RookmakerDorien) February 25, 2024
And to conclude, with us here is a resilient and inspiring woman. She is Maryam Rajavi. To you, Maryam, let us amplify your voices and stand in solidarity with you and your movement in your just fight. Your resilience, perseverance, and commitment you’ve shouldered serve as a beacon of hope for all those men and women in the streets and prisons of Iran who continue to free Iran.
You know that you can count on me, and I hope the women and girls of Iran hear me in my pledge to stand by Maryam, who has taken the responsibility of the leadership of the struggle for a free Iran so that women and children will be able to gain all their rights as is stated in their Ten-Point Plan of the future of Iran.
And I want to finish with a message of hope. When I started being a member of parliament in Europe, there was a lot of division among European members of parliament about the situation in Iran. A lot of the members of the European Parliament wanted to continue the policy of appeasement of this terrible regime, but in our last debate, we could see that from left to right, all members of parliament stand behind the opposition of Iran and the movement of Maryam Rajavi.
So, thank you again for inviting me, and let’s go for it. Let’s free Iran.
