Speech at Ypres City Hall: Human Dignity, Peace, and Iran

Maryam Rajavi: We Have Been Struggling Against a Religious Dictatorship That Is Deeply against Humanity and Peace

Madame Desomer,
Honorable Mayor of Ypres,
Allow me to address you as my dear sister. I sincerely thank you for your warm words.
It is also an honor for me that Mr. Yves Leterme is here with us today, someone whose political and human values were shaped in this region not far from Ypres.
He has maintained his admiration for and connection to Ypres, the city that stands as a symbol of peace.

Endeavoring to Protect Human Dignity and Peace

Madame Mayor,
Ypres is a city whose history still speaks to the world.
Every night at 8 p.m., it reminds us of the lessons of war and offers hope to those who strive for human dignity, peace and freedom.
A city that, through remembrance of brutal battles, total destruction, and nameless soldiers lost to deadly mustard gas has become a moral reminder of the cost of war and the value of peace.
The world will never forget the sacrifices Ypres made.
So, salutes to Ypres; salutes to those who sacrificed their lives for peace and freedom in this land.
The determination to rebuild, shown by generations of the women and men of Ypres, is truly admirable.
In a short while, I will have the honor to attend the Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate.
There, I will lay flowers for the soldiers who gave their lives on this land. The graves of these heroes remain unknown across this region.
This ceremony that has been held every day for 96 years, is more than just remembering the victims of war; it is the cry of history for the innocent children of humanity who suffered and at the same time paying tribute to them.
So, let us stand and observe one minute of silence in honor of those who lost their lives here in this tragic event.

Human Dignity, a Profound Idea in the Heart of the Iranian Resistance

Distinguished personalities,
At this moment, I want to talk about my country Iran, where 30,000 political prisoners were massacred in 1988.
This book contains the names of some of those massacred. Their loved ones are still seeking justice and searching for the graves they were denied.
They were hanged across Iran on the order of Khomeini, the founder of the religious dictatorship, and buried in mass graves.
Even more painful, anyone who searches for their graves or honors their memory is persecuted.

My visit to the In Flanders Fields Museum, earlier today, was not only a simple visit for me. In every step, every picture, and every sound, I felt the pain and the hope of the people who fought and died here a hundred years ago.
The moving stories in this museum brings the past back into our hearts.
In its halls, there is silence heavier than any word and a message stronger than any speech emphasizing the values of peace and human dignity.
I use the term “human dignity” because this profound idea lies at the heart of our historic Resistance.
For more than four decades, we have been struggling against a religious dictatorship that is deeply against humanity and peace.
More than 100,000 members of this Resistance have given their lives in the struggle to put an end to this barbaric regime.

Human Rights Trampled in Iran

But beyond killing people, the regime has also attacked the human dignity of our nation by humiliating women, by religious discrimination, by forced religious rules, by denying the rights of ethnic groups, and by rejecting the Iranian people’s right to freedom and free choice, including women’s freedom of choice regarding their clothes.
This is why we continue to repeat: No to compulsory Hijab, no to compulsory religion, and no to compulsory governance.
Our movement is engaged in a difficult battle for freedom, human dignity, gender equality, and human rights.
Yesterday was International Human Rights Day.
Our struggle is for human rights; rights that are violated in Iran every single day.
Our goal is a republic based on the separation of religion and state, gender equality, and the abolition of the death penalty.
Our struggle is also for peace.
This is why we seek a non-nuclear Iran, living in peace and coexistence with the world.
As long as this regime of executions and massacres remains in power, peace in the region and in the world is at risk. This regime has spent much of its history on war, aggression, and terrorism.
Yesterday in the European Parliament, and now here, I repeat: The freedom of Iran is a need for the whole world.
In this City of peace, we call on everyone to recognize the Iranian people’s struggle to end the regime and the courage of its young generation to confront repression.