Members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) celebrated Nowruz in Ashraf 3, Albania, in the presence of Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI). In this ceremony, the MEK members paid homage to the martyrs of Iran’s nationwide protests as well as the tens of thousands who have laid down their lives in four decades of resistance against the tyranny of the mullahs’ regime ruling Iran.
In her speech at the ceremony, Mrs. Rajavi said, “Although our cities, from Zahedan and Kurdish cities to Tehran, are drenched with the blood of 750 Iranian young men and women, like all the festivities our Resistance celebrates, we are determined to celebrate it with a bleeding heart and a smiling face. These flames ignited by the crimson blood in the night of the homeland are the spring of Iran.”
The ticking clock signals the arrival of the new year; a year of preparation for the final battle, as everyone hums the song of freedom marching onwards.
Freedom, democracy, equality, brotherhood, justice, progress, peace, and genuine development for all the children and… pic.twitter.com/S01TGoQhlI— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) March 21, 2023
Mrs. Rajavi listed several rounds of protests that took place in 2022, including a nationwide demonstrations against inflation in April, protests against government corruption following the collapse of the Metropol tower in Ahvaz, and finally, the ongoing uprising that was sparked by the killing of Kurdish youth Mahsa Amini.
“It was a year that laid bare the regime’s weakness and ineptitude for all to witness,” Mrs. Rajavi said. “From the very first hour, the uprising took on a purely political nature, with the fervent chant of ‘Death to Khamenei’ echoing through the streets. The young generation and teenagers, notably female students, emerged en masse to join the protests.”
Mrs. Rajavi also highlighted the growing power of the MEK Resistance Units, who expanded their anti-regime efforts during the past year, especially during the nationwide uprisings. During the yearly Free Iran Summit of the Iranian Resistance, 5,000 members of the Resistance Units sent messages of solidarity, in which they expressed their determination to continue the struggle against the brutal regime. And they continued their activities throughout the year, despite the regime’s brutal crackdown on protests and intense repressive measures.
“Truly, it was a year of growth for the Resistance Units,” Mrs. Rajavi said.
Mrs. Rajavi stressed that in the past year, the economic situation has grown worse in Iran, with prices skyrocketing and inflation reaching record levels. The people continue to take to the streets to protest economic grievances. And it is becoming increasingly evident to everyone that these problems will not be solved as long as this regime stands, as protesters chant, “poverty, corruption, and soaring prices – we will persist until the regime is overthrown.”
“The demand for overthrow has now become a ubiquitous and popular call-to-action, once only espoused by the National Council of Resistance and the PMOI/MEK,” Mrs. Rajavi said.
The regime is at an impasse where backing down from its suppressive policies will exacerbate protests, while unleashing its brutal oppressive forces will further enrage the people.
“The crux of all these is the impasse of the regime’s overthrow. A fate that is certain, inevitable, and inescapable for this regime,” Mrs. Rajavi said.
In her speech, Mrs. Rajavi highlighted that in addition to the defeat that the regime is facing at home, it has also faced major setbacks abroad. The parliaments of several European countries have called for the terrorist designation of the Revolutionary Guards. Albania has cut ties with the regime and shut down its embassy. And International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors passes a resolution against the regime in light of its nuclear confrontation. And the UN Human Rights Council established an international fact-finding mission to investigate the regime’s crimes in the recent uprising.
Moreover, a Swedish court sentenced Hamid Noury, a former authority in the regime’s prisons, to lifetime in prison for his role in the 1988 massacre of more than 30,000 political prisoners.
The flipside of the regime’s international setbacks was the growing support for the Iranian people and their resistance movement.
In the U.S., the majority of the House of Representatives co-sponsored House Resolution 100, which supports the Iranian people’s protest movement and their right to fight for a democratic republic of Iran based on the separation of religion and state.
“Last year was the year of uprising and revolt, and this year is the year of preparation for the final battle,” Mrs. Rajavi said.
Mrs. Rajavi reiterated the Iranian people’s anger and discontent toward both the current and former dictatorships ruling Iran.
“The slogan of ‘death to the oppressor,’ directed at both the Shah and the Supreme Leader, echoed the call for a democratic revolution in Iran,” she said. “It created an impassable border between the Iranian people’s front and religious and monarchist fascism. The movement quickly became a symbol of resistance against all forms of coercion and oppression. Its slogan was: No compulsory hijab, no compulsory religion, no compulsory government.”
Mrs. Rajavi ended her speech by saying that the people of Iran are moving towards the gateway of spring.
“It is better to say that they are moving towards a spring of freedom – a freedom that is free from all the chains and constraints of regression and colonialism,” she said. “It is a spring in which the fresh and youthful blossoms of these rebellious sons and daughters of Iran flourish, as they sacrifice and pay the price side by side. They will not leave the streets until they reclaim their country.”
