Remarks by Stefania Pezzopane, Italian Senator, at roundtable discussion, “Women in Leadership, the Experience of the Iranian Resistance” – Tirana, IWD 2017
How beautiful and how useful it is to stand together and rise up in a permanent struggle and commitment along with countless other women to support the important struggle of Iranian women.
Good day. These days were very lively and motivating days, politically. I would like to thank Mrs. Rajavi and I hail you, my sisters from around the world and my Iranian sisters. All of us are committed to peace. Our commitment must also be moving a little further everyday towards women’s freedom.
I am an Italian senator. Italy has taken many steps forward, but there still are many rights that are ignored in that country.
Why do I say this? Because the world still has to be freed from suppression. We, in the West, often forget this. Because we enjoy a comfortable life, we forget what is happening in other parts of the world. But this oblivion will sooner or later strike us badly.
If we close our eyes and do not pay attention to the many women who are suppressed, tortured or deprived of their most rudimentary rights, we are not free women to the true sense of the word because we do nothing to help other women gain their rights.
I would like to use the opportunity I have here to declare my support for your struggle. And in my country, too, I will do more to attract more political and social forces to this struggle.
We had a program in the Italian Senate in this regard, where we collected signatures of many members of parliament from various groups in support of the Iranian Resistance’s struggle. But this is not enough and we must do more.
Our governments are accomplices to the dictators in Iran. Economic profits have shut their eyes excessively on the continued violations of human rights and permanent abuse of women’s rights in Iran.
Albania is a young democracy. Perhaps these younger democracies are more capable of appreciating what goes on in dictatorial countries. How beautiful and how useful it is to stand together and rise up in a permanent struggle and commitment along with countless other women to support the important struggle of Iranian women.
Today, we saw many images, many pictures and many signs and scars of savage violence that may not exist in the comfortable lives that are waiting for us upon our return home. We can even forget all this. But I am confident that none of us can forget it.
None of us can forget what we saw and heard here. I declare with confidence and faith that our little lives change every time that we meet you.
If we succeed to mobilize conscientious people and especially the governments of our countries, we have done something useful for you. And if we can change their goals and try to have more overtures to you in our countries and more attention paid to the ruling dictatorship in Iran, and if we can do all this, we have done something very important.
But I would like to thank you for what you do for us. The fact is not that we can help you; the fact is that you are giving us many things. A mutual relationship of support and assistance is at work. Naturally, we are speaking of different kinds of support and assistance.
Mrs. Chavez and also other ladies who spoke yesterday and today, are right to say that your struggle benefits the whole world.
It is beneficial for women all around to world to understand that they must liberate themselves from oppression.
We need a lot of expertise and force to get rid of what you talked about today, but this is needed all over the world.
The world needs to know that there is another Islam which is not offensive, belligerent, misogynist or terrorist, but relies on human rights, freedom and peace. This Islam wants her country free and this is an Islam that we should have more dialogue with.
It is easy to fear others. We, women, are used to taking care of others and we know that we should love. Instead of building walls, we have a lot to talk about.
As Mrs. Rajavi and others said better than me, freedom, liberation and women’s freedoms are what we are talking about. A desire for the birth of democracy in a country that is regrettably in the clutches of a violent and evil religious dictatorship, today.
I wish us all luck so that when we return to our countries, we can be useful to Mrs. Rajavi, the Iranian Resistance and these extraordinary women who have given us a lot of energy. As we return home, we are more powerful.
Thank you.
