On Saturday, February 22, 2025, the Women’s Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran hosted a conference to commemorate International Women’s Day (IWD 2025). The event gathered distinguished political leaders, human rights advocates, and supporters of the Iranian Resistance from over 80 countries.
Carmen Quintanilla Barba is a Spanish politician dedicated to rural development, focusing on the development of women in rural areas. She was also president of the Equality Commission in Congress from 2011 to 2015 and First Vice-President of the Equality Commission from 2004 to 2011. From May to September 2019, she held a seat in the Senate in the XIII Legislature. She is the founder of the Association of Families and Women in Rural Areas (AFAMMER), a member of the United Nations Advisory Council. AFAMMER has 180,000 members.
Carmen Quintanilla Barba delivered a speech at the IWD 2025 event in Paris, excerpts of which are presented below.
Carmen Quintanilla: A Tribute to Iranian Women and the Leadership of Madame Rajavi
Madame Rajavi,
Dear President,
Presidents, former heads of government, ministers, and human rights defenders,
I am accompanied by a professor of International Law from the Complutense University of Madrid, Raquel Barras, who also represents Spain.
Today, I must tell you all that I am not only here as the President of the Equality Commission of the Spanish Congress of Deputies but also as a representative of six million rural women from Spain’s towns and villages.
I want to send a message to all of you, to the Iranian women, and above all, to the beacon of light that Madame Rajavi represents. We stand with you. We support your struggle. We fight for women’s freedom and dignity. Above all, we stand for the human rights of Iranian women.
Dear President, we are here to support you.
Honoring the Women of the Resistance
And tonight, I cannot forget the women who have led the Iranian Resistance—women who lead even from the darkness of prison in Iran, like our dear Maryam Akbari Monfared.
She has spent (15) years in prison, hidden from society. Yet she continues to resist, to speak of freedom, to defend democracy, and to fight for the dignity of women.
Tonight, I want to tell the millions of women in Iran that they are not alone. We are here, hundreds of women, supporting the resistance that Maryam Akbari represents.
For this reason, I ask you all for a resounding round of applause for her—so that this applause reaches her in prison, where she has been held for (15) years.
I had many things to say, but I will leave you with just three points.
A Leader Who Embodies the Future
First, dear President, I met you 15 years ago.
I met you in the Spanish Congress of Deputies and at the Palace Hotel in Madrid.
During that meeting, I realized that you do not only represent the hope of a future without oppression for Iranian women and for a free Iran—you embody the very possibility of that future.
For that, thank you. Thank you for presenting the world with the Ten-Point Plan for Equality.
It is the roadmap for an Iran where women can be free, where women can vote, where they can be elected, where they can live without fear.
That is why today, it is important to declare that, under your leadership—under the beacon of light you represent for millions of Iranians—we can achieve an Iran free from fanaticism, free from discrimination, and free from repression.
Thank you, Madame Rajavi.
I said I had three things to say.
Second, the world witnessed the uprising of September 16, 2022.
Following the killing of Mahsa Amini, an extraordinary movement was born—a movement whose flame has not been extinguished and will not be extinguished.
And as we approach the 30th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, which marked a turning point in the advancement of women’s rights, I want to say:
Madame President, keep going. Keep fighting. Keep working to make freedom a reality in Iran.
Because you are a symbol of peace.
You are a tireless leader who has shown the world that freedom is not given—it is won.
Women’s rights are human rights.
And the cause of Iranian women is the cause of all women around the world.
Equality is not just a right—it is the foundation of justice and progress.
Let Us Raise Our Voices
Let us fight. Let us raise our voices.
At the United Nations Conference in the coming days, at the 30th anniversary of Beijing, let us speak out for the women of Iran.
Let us denounce the oppression.
Let us raise our voices for freedom, justice, and equality.
Thank you very much.
