On Saturday, February 21, 2026, on the eve of March 8, International Women’s Day, the NCRI Women’s Committee hosted an international conference in Paris entitled “Women’s Leadership: An Imperative for a Free Iran and a Democratic Republic.” The conference, attended by women legislators, academics, thinkers, and prominent political figures, focused on women’s political participation and leadership as a decisive element in a democratic society.
At this conference, Pilar Rojo, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Spanish Senate, was also in attendance and delivered a speech. The full text of her speech is provided below:
Pilar Rojo: Women of Iran, You Are Not Alone
Good afternoon to everyone, colleagues, and today, friends and sisters in this struggle. And good afternoon to all the women of Iran who are listening to us today. It is an honor and a source of deep satisfaction to be here today at this magnificent event in support of Iranian women, representing the Spanish Senate.
In recent years, through the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Senate, we have worked and closely followed the human rights situation in Iran. We have done so with concern, but also with deep admiration for the courage of the Iranian people in their struggle for freedom, and in a very special way, for the leadership and sacrifice of Iranian women.
Last year, at the initiative of our parliamentary group, the People’s Party (Partido Popular), we promoted a resolution in the Senate urging the Government of Spain to take a much more active role in defending human rights in Iran and in supporting the democratic aspirations of its people. This resolution firmly condemns the systematic violations of human rights—fundamentally the violations of the rights of women and girls by the Iranian regime—including extrajudicial executions, arbitrary detentions, torture, and the repression of women and minorities. It also urges an end to executions and the protection of human rights defenders.
Our resolution also calls for firm sanctions against those responsible for the repression, as well as the promotion of international investigations into crimes against humanity, such as the 1988 massacre.
Pilar Rojo: A Unanimous Commitment to a Free, Democratic, and Secular Iran
Furthermore, our resolution explicitly backs the 10-point plan of Mrs. Maryam Rajavi and the aspirations of the people of Iran toward a free, democratic, and secular country. We support the increasing international visibility of your movement and also that slogan: “Women, Resistance, Freedom,” which has resonated so deeply in Iranian prisons and has truly touched our hearts.
We had also urged that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps be included in the European Union’s list of terrorist organizations—something that has finally been achieved, as has been mentioned here, and of which we feel especially proud in the Senate.
I would like to add that, perhaps to the surprise of many, we managed to get this resolution supported unanimously. I say this because you know that in current Spanish politics, achieving unanimity on a foreign policy issue is frankly exceptional. But when it comes to human dignity and freedom, there cannot, and must not, be any division.
Today, I can affirm before you that our commitment continues. This will not be an isolated initiative; we are continuing and will continue to work, monitor, and raise our voices through every possible initiative. Because Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, we will not rest or remain indifferent until freedom, democracy, and equal rights between men and women become a reality.
I will conclude by saying: Women of Iran, you are not alone.
