I am so grateful to be among you again so soon and to address this great gathering today. I speak to you as a newly elected Member of the European Parliament and as a Member of the Parliament’s Women Committee, but most of all I speak to you as a mother, a daughter, a sister, a women.
I want to begin by expressing my soul solidarity with the Iranian people and the National Council of Resistance of Iran on the 1st anniversary of the ruthless massacre in Camp Ashraf on the 1 September 2013 when more than half of the camp’s population, 52 Iranian dissidents, was murdered in cold blood. And it is a shame that one year after that despicable crime, the United Nations still has not conducted any investigation into the massacre. Such an investigation would inevitably have exposed the role of the Iraqi regime in this crime, something that the UN and the Western powers would not welcome at that particular time. But a year later, the West is now admitting that the very same person that they continued to support over the past 8 years has brought nothing but misery and corruption.
Zohre Ghaemi, the deputy Secretary-General of the PMOI, along with her 5 other female colleagues, who were killed on that day, led an astonishing resistance until the end. They showed no fear in leading their colleagues with great resolve, courage and sacrifice. And you can see on the pictures how Zheila, Zohre’s colleague, tries to use her body as a shield at the last moment to protect Zohre. I salute the bravery of my sisterhood and mourn their loss, for it is our loss, too.
There are now 800 other likeminded brave women in Camp Liberty, many of them graduates of the universities in Iran, or from Europe and America. In the Middle East, with all its complex challenges, this is an amazing phenomenon. At the height of the rise of Islamic fundamentalists, we see in the PMOI an anti-fundamentalism Muslim movement with women at the helm. They are a democratic and dedicated group fighting for gender equality, separation of religion and state, human rights and free elections. They truly advocate a modern, tolerant and democratic Islam that seeks peace and stability in the region. So I believe the Iranian people in their quest for freedom have created a great model for the future hopes of the people of that region.
And those of us in the EU who have had the privilege to meet you Madame President and to learn about your struggle, and the struggle of your movement and your people, we will be steadfast and brave in our outspoken support.
Friends, I decided to stand for election because of the violence, the hatred and the injustice in the world, and so your cause is my cause. I feel so moved by being here. I want to commit myself to you Mrs. Rajavi, and to all the women in Camp Liberty whom I am sure will be watching us, that I shall continue to stand with you and defend your just struggle in the European Parliament and everywhere else to reach a truly free and democratic Iran.