Text of speech by Dr. Ranjana Kumari, Director and co-Founder of India’s Centre for Social Research and President and Founder of Women Power Connect at the gathering of Iranian Resistance in Villepinte, north of Paris on June 13, 2015:
Madam Rajavi, global leaders and dear people of Iran. I am here from India and I bring you greetings from Indian people especially from Indian women. I would like to take this opportunity to welcome all of you especially the global world leaders who are here and thank all of you from across the globe who are supporting the struggle, the fight, and the desire of people of Iran to get democracy in their country, to get freedom and to get liberty. I’m extremely pleased to be sharing this platform with you all and express my solidarity for women who have been working tirelessly for equality and democracy…
When I hear the thousand women leaders are on your committee who are really leading under the leadership of Maryam Rajavi then I feel very proud. That strong women leadership will lead you to victory, will lead you to success, I can tell you that. I stand here and urge you all to support Mrs. Rajavi who has been fighting against the fundamentalist regime of Hassan Rouhani and Mullahs. We are fully aware of the horrendous brutality that is being inflicted on women in Iran under his regime.
Women in Iran have been protesting against the oppressive measures of the Mullahs and against the discrimination they have been burdened with in the state of Iran. Human rights especially for women have always been sidelined in Iran despite being in the public view the atrocities on women have continued for years. The Iranian regime is absolutely unacceptable as it is damaging the lives of women continuously over the years. We should not ignore the fact that Iran has been witnessing maximum execution under the present regime of Iran. When I took the book presented to me by Madam Rajavi with 12000 murders and killings and went to show it to people of India it was shocked all over.
It is an extremely sad state to see that even the legal system in Iran fails to protect the rights of women and goes overboard with inhuman impositions like the compulsion to wear chador. Even in the soaring temperature women have to wear it taking it to another level there were women who were targeted and burned with acid as they weren’t wearing the veil properly this is unacceptable. The women’s movement across the world feels disturbed and shattered with such an attitude towards women. We urge upon the global community to intervene immediately and to protect the lives and dignity of women of Iran inside Iran under the regime of Mullah.
The struggling Iranian women demand justice and seek our support from the global community who believe that peace shall prevail everywhere and for everyone. Let me tell you friends history will not forgive us if we will not fight standing by you to win this battle for justice, equality and democracy in Iran. May that be women in the political sphere of sports women have been suppressed in Iran and they continue to be ill-treated by the law and the society. The unconcealed discrimination needs to be eradicated so that the sufferings of Iranian women under the rule of the Mullah can be put to an end forever.
On this occasion I would request the worldwide community to form and extended network of women who believe in peace and equality. Let me tell you we have already started the initiative to build a global network for peace and that’s what is going to be the future where the global women network is going to support your struggle and we stand by you in your struggle. This network should be then utilized to seek support from across the world and extend its women leader like Maryam Rajavi.
I just came back from the United States where I was conferred the Lotus Leadership Award, it’s a very prestigious global award but what I’m more proud of that where the global community reaffirmed their pledge to work towards the advancement of women’s rights. I appeal to them to extend their support to Madam Maryam Rajavi and her movement to establish a truly democratic Iran. You will, you shall and you should win your democratic struggle.
