As the Iranian resistance continues against the oppressive and injustice perpetuated by the regime, the Free Iran World Summit 2021 (held virtually with attendees and participators from around the world) focused on how the international community can shift the way they interact with Iran. The litmus test for the international community is whether it will appease the genocidal regime or stand with the people.
Free Iran World Summit
At the summit, also called the Democratic Alternative of the March to Victory, Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), outlined the reasons why Khamenei installed Ebrahim Raisi as President. She noted that Raisi is loyal to the Supreme Leader. Some have indicated that he has been chosen as the successor of Khamenei.
Yet, Raisi also has a large number of crimes against humanity within his history. He is a murderer of the members of the MEK and the henchman of the 1988 massacre of 30,000 political prisoners. His accession is seen as pulling the curtain down on the act of moderation that the regime has attempted to perpetuate.
The Litmus Test
“As far as the international community is concerned, this is the litmus test of whether it will engage and deal with this genocidal regime or stand with the Iranian people. The United Nations must not allow Raisi to attend the next session of the General Assembly,” said Rajavi in her remarks.
Other speakers noted their efforts to reach out to Tehran and normalize relations to achieve peace, but that was not possible. “The only way for the European Union today is to learn from our past, also from our mistakes, because we tried very strongly to achieve a good result for peace, but it was impossible. The European Union has to refuse that approach and try to give hope to the people who are fighting against the regime. We have to use every type of power, soft power or hard power, to [isolate] the Iranian regime [in favor of] our desire to change the model … this is the time to write a page of radical change and support the people who fight to cancel the theocracy,” said former Italian Prime Minister Matteo Rentzi in his address.
Raisi Is A Killer
Many speakers pointed to the fact that there is no way to achieve any type of peace, prosperity, or a better future for Iran without a radical regime change. “Raisi hates our democratic values. Let us not forget that he is under U.S. sanctions over a past that includes the extrajudicial killing of thousands of political prisoners … it will be very difficult for Biden to defend a deal with a man who is regarded as a mass murderer,” said Guy Verhofstadt, MEP and former Prime Minister of Belgium.
“We must never close our eyes to the rigged elections, the terrorist attempts of the Iranian regime, even on European soil, and the human rights violations that occur in Iran every single day … We need to directly target the leaders who are responsible by using, for example, our new instrument, our European Magnitsky Act.”
Suffering Of The Iranian People
It is painful to watch how the Iranian people are suffering under the mismanagement and corruption of the regime. The social and economic hardships have only worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike other countries that are actively working to vaccinate their people, the Iranian regime used the excuse that they could not get vaccines due to sanctions. However, once that was proved to not be the case, then Khamenei issued a fatwa against the purchase of vaccines from the U.S., UK, or Europe, effectively cutting off any hope for the Iranian people to be vaccinated.
“The abysmal current situation as a result of the mullahs’ rule and is painful to watch as the Iranian people experience incredible hardships, including the economic situation and the lack of freedoms and democracy,” said Carlo Cottarelli, a former director of the Fiscal Affairs of the International Monetary Fund and Italy’s interim Prime Minister in 2018.
Corrupt “Elections”
Others noted that the results of the recent elections were not free, thus not reflecting the will of the Iranian people. “I sincerely respect those inside Iran that are fighting for freedom. I know what resistance in such a difficult atmosphere of suppression means. The time has come for Iran to become a peaceful nation, abandon the path of aggression, and establish a government that respects popular sovereignty. Your gathering takes place at a very crucial moment,” said Petre Roman, a former Romanian Prime Minister.
There was a significantly low turnout and active boycott of the election, which demonstrates that only the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps is keeping the regime alive, not the popular support of the Iranian people. Making concessions to the regime has not changed its behavior and demonstrates that the focus on gaining a nuclear weapon is still a critical part of their political plan. They want relief from U.S. unilateral sanctions, which are significantly impacting their economy.
One Remaining Solution
“There is only one solution that is left and that is regime change in Iran. Everything else has been tried. It is obvious that the regime itself will not change so that means the people of Iran must change it. Every other alternative that will end the regime’s brutal denial of the rights of its citizens, its support of terrorism and aggression in the region … the only viable course of action left is resistance and revolution … the regime in Iran is rotting at its core and is ready to fall,” said U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman.
Unlike Iraq and Afghanistan, Iran has a democratic alternative ready and waiting for the end of the regime, with a 10 Point Plan meant to implement a government that is truly for the people.
The world is watching the international community to see if it passes or fails the litmus test.
