We come together today on the eve of International Women’s Day and it is a dark time for women. Our sisters in Iran, in Afghanistan, in Yemen face the direst time in our lifetimes for women’s freedom and safety. And so I say in particular to the women in Camp Liberty, we are your voice. Until you can be here with us and you can enjoy the freedom that we enjoy in a democratic society. We will not stop fighting for you; we will not stop remembering you; we will not stop being your voice in the free world.
Just this week in Washington… I saw a videotape of several of the young women who had been horribly maimed with acid thrown to their faces in Iran. And one of the women very poignantly said, “You can destroy my face but not my belief.”
Your presence here today bears witness to that truth. They have kidnapped, they have killed your relatives, and they continue to hold captive those in Iran and in Camp Liberty, those who fight for freedom. They can keep our brothers and sisters, they can kill us but they will not kill our yearning and our fight for freedom.
It is a privilege to stand with you and we will stand with you until we all are free.
