By the NCRI-US Staff, October 21, 2022
Soona Samsami, the U.S. Representative of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), praised the role that women have played in the resistance to the Iranian theocracy. A recent article published by Samsami highlighted the efforts of Iranian women at combating the velayat-e-faqih, in particular their role in the ongoing uprising.
“Indeed, Iran is on the precipice of change, with women and youth leading the way toward democracy,” she wrote in her piece.
Samsami states that the murder of Mahsa Amini by the regime reflects what Iranian women have endured under the mullahs’ for over 40 years. These protests are not a spontaneous spark, but rather the product of deep-rooted sentiment.
Systemic misogyny “is ingrained in the ruling religious theocracy,” she continues. Just a month into their rule, the mullahs’ announced forced hijab, making it clear that the suppression of women would be a top priority for them. Because of this, the struggle for women’s equality is key for obtaining freedom for the broader population, Samsami explains.
Alas, thousands of women have died at the hands of the regime, with tens of thousands more being tortured in jail. “In 1988 alone, female activists from the MEK and other democratic organizations were among the 30,000 massacred by the regime in Iranian prisons because they refused to abandon their calls for freedom and equality,” she adds.
Samsami carries on by saying “today’s young girls standing up to the regime’s monstrous repressive forces have inherited the same pedigree of courage and resilience.” She said that the bravery of the young women “has been forged through 150 years of struggle for democracy in Iran.” The Iranian women are focused on overthrowing the regime once and for all.
Rather than appeasing the mullahs, the West “should adopt meaningful measures to support Iranian protesters.” Additionally, relations should be based on the release of detained protests and a halt to tortures and executions.
“The world must recognize ‘the right to self-determination for the Iranian people struggling to establish a democratic, secular, and nonnuclear Republic of Iran’,” Samsami says, which is declared in US House of Representatives Resolution 118.
