At the international conference “Women: Force for Change – Free Iran 2025,” which was held on Saturday, February 22, 2025, in Paris, several prominent advocates for women’s rights and human rights, international experts, and female political figures delivered speeches in support of the struggle of Iranian women for freedom in their country.
International Conference on International Women’s Day 2025
We pay tribute to the women who laid the foundation for this day, and we salute the countless heroines whose names shine brightly in the long history of Iranian women’s resistance, particularly those in the Resistance… pic.twitter.com/3AhqudMVHo— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) February 22, 2025
At this conference, Candice Bergen, former leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, presented a statement from more than 650 former leaders, members of parliament, jurists, experts, human rights and women’s rights advocates, and Nobel laureates from over 80 countries in solidarity with the brave women of Iran, which she handed over to Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI)
The signatories of the statement called on women’s rights advocates, human rights organizations, and freedom-loving individuals around the world to raise their voices and pressure international institutions to demand the repeal of the inhumane law of “Ifaf and Hijab” (referring to the Iranian regime’s forced veiling laws) and hold the regime accountable for human rights violations. The statement also emphasizes support for Mrs. Maryam Rajavi’s slogan “No to forced hijab, no to forced religion, no to forced government.”
#WomenForce4Change, Free Iran 2025
International Conference marking #IWD2025
.@CandiceBergen_ Former Leader of the Canadian Conservative Party: I'm very happy that I can tell you, as I said, over 650 women from around the world have signed this document are women who include over… pic.twitter.com/jMeAvYL67J— Women's Committee NCRI (@womenncri) February 22, 2025
Several speakers at the Paris conference were women who had held positions as ministers, prime ministers, and presidents in various countries.
Mrs. Rosalía Arteaga Serrano, former President of Ecuador, described the role of women in the Iranian Resistance as a model, adding: “Women with a vision led by Maryam Rajavi can make the difference and can make it possible to reestablish a democratic government in Iran and also to reestablish the human rights that are also the rights of women… Iranian woman are giving us a good example about what we can achieve, what we can do… I want to tell you, woman of Iran, that we are with you, that we are supporting the 10 points that Maryam Rajavi has established for the people of Iran, that we are also supporting the 12 points that she established to reestablish the Iranian women’s rights.”
#WomenForce4Change, Free Iran 2025
International Conference marking #IWD2025
.@rosaliaarteaga I strongly believe that Maryam Rajavi and the women of Iran are a power of nature. And I also believe that the women with a vision led by Maryam Rajavi can make the difference and can… pic.twitter.com/eOaw771eMr— Women's Committee NCRI (@womenncri) February 22, 2025
Anneli Jäätteenmäki, the first female Prime Minister of Finland (2003), said: ” Today we come together to honor the brave women of Iran. They have fought for freedom with great strength. For 46 years, these brave women, have suffered under a harsh regime that denies them basic rights. Despite this, they have refused to be quiet, leading the fight against oppression and demanding change… And their fight, their resistance is not about just the hijab. It is about gaining full social, economic and political freedoms. Iranian women have come to the conclusion that there only path forward is resistance. Now they are chanting: ‘Women, resistance, freedom, equality’, reflecting their strong commitment to change.”
#WomenForce4Change, Free Iran 2025
International Conference marking #IWD2025
.@jaatteenmaki: Today we come together to honor the brave women of Iran. They have fought for freedom with great strength. For 46 years, these brave women have suffered under a harsh regime that denies… pic.twitter.com/slQVIcOaUh— Women's Committee NCRI (@womenncri) February 22, 2025
Michèle Alliot-Marie, former French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Interior, and Defense, addressed Mrs. Rajavi, emphasizing: “This fight is that of the Iranians who shout ‘woman, resistance, freedom’ who shout it and who live it because they shout it also, at the peril of their lives. At the peril of their freedom… The return to stability, the return to peace, the return to a better and safer future certainly requires a change of regime [in Iran]. But let’s say it right away, and I want to say it, in the current context, this change can only come from within itself. It can only come from Iranian women and Iranians. It can only come from those who truly believe in freedom, in democracy, in the separation of religion and state. In equality between men and women and in non-nuclear proliferation, in the protection of minorities, whether religious or ethnic. That’s the reality. It can only come from within.”
#WomenForce4Change, Free Iran 2025
International Conference marking #IWD2025
.@MAlliotMarie : I believe that you show how to do politics; it is to have a vision, it is to have a philosophy not only of the management of the State, but a philosophy of life and a philosophy that… pic.twitter.com/uwOda07AXv— Women's Committee NCRI (@womenncri) February 22, 2025
Regarding Maryam Rajavi’s speech at this conference, Michèle Alliot-Marie said that it was full of thought and showed that politics means having a vision and philosophy not only for managing the country but also for a life that leads us to the most beautiful word, which is peace.
The President-elect of the Resistance began her speech at this conference by paying tribute to “the women who laid the foundation for this day, and we salute the countless heroines whose names shine brightly in the long history of Iranian women’s resistance, particularly those in the Resistance Units who today are prepared to be arrested, tortured and executed. Their struggle is the continuation of a struggle that has continued for nearly 44 years in Iran. Khamenei has time and again described it as a civil war. On one side are the masses of the people of Iran, and on the other is a religious fascism that seeks to guarantee its survival with nuclear bombs.”
Today, when we examine the status of women, we see that at its core, society remains deeply misogynistic. Nowhere is this more evident than in Iran, where women endure the ruthless oppression of a religious dictatorship.
From both hard-won victories and bitter defeats, especially… pic.twitter.com/FWecyzoLIo— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) February 22, 2025
Mrs. Rajavi stressed that times have changed and that “Khamenei’s war machine in the region lies in ruins, and now, the regime’s power structure inside Iran is next to fall.”
Mrs. Rajavi emphasized that freedom is confronting tyranny, and without doubt, dictatorship is doomed to go, just as the people of Iran brought down the Shah and expelled him with his dynasty and court. The shah called himself, “God,” and officially considered monarchy as “God-given blessing,” a blessing that of course was forbidden for women and only bestowed to the male offspring from one generation to the next. The king was the shadow of God.
“Now, the Vali-e Faqih or the supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, is also officially called the Guardian of all Affairs of the Muslims of the World. According to his Constitution, the supreme leader is the absolute monarch and God’s representative on earth. But an uprising is on the horizon,” Mrs. Rajavi said. “The ideals of the revolution that Khomeini hijacked in 1979 will surely and definitely prevail.”