Rome, Italy – In a significant political event reflecting growing international attention to the Iranian people’s struggle for freedom, the youth organization of the governing Brothers of Italy (Fratelli d’Italia) party hosted a major national conference attended by much of the party’s leadership, including senior officials and ministers. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is scheduled to address the gathering on Sunday, underscoring its importance within Italy’s political landscape.
As part of the conference, the organizers officially invited a delegation of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI). The delegation was led by Mrs. Sarvnaz Chitsaz, Chair of the NCRI Women’s Committee, who participated in the event on Friday, September 18, 2026, and addressed conference attendees.
In a notable gesture of solidarity with the Iranian people’s struggle against dictatorship, Mrs. Chitsaz was also presented with the conference’s Courage Award, which she accepted on behalf of the women and youth of Iran who continue to resist repression under the clerical regime.
Official Recognition of the Iranian Resistance
The participation of the NCRI delegation in one of the most important gatherings organized by the youth movement of Italy’s ruling party carried particular political significance. The conference brought together leading figures of the governing party and hundreds of young activists from across Italy.
Welcoming the opportunity to address the gathering, Mrs. Chitsaz thanked the organizers for inviting the Iranian Resistance and providing a platform to convey the aspirations of the Iranian people.
“I would like to sincerely thank you for inviting the Iranian Resistance delegation and providing the opportunity to echo the voice of the Iranian people in this forum,” she said. “As Chair of the Women’s Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, it is a great privilege for me to be here at the youth festival of the Brothers of Italy, among young people who believe in freedom, equality, and human dignity. The future belongs to you, and the future is in your hands.”
Courage Award Dedicated to Iran’s Women and Youth
Receiving the Courage Award, Mrs. Chitsaz stressed that the distinction did not belong to her personally but to the young men and women of Iran who continue to resist tyranny despite imprisonment, torture, and executions.
“It is a tremendous honor for me to have been chosen as the recipient of the Courage Award on behalf of the courageous women and young people of Iran who are resisting religious oppression and, even as we speak, are suffering in prison and enduring torture. So, this award belongs to them.”
She dedicated the award to victims of the regime’s repression, including Mehdi Khanaki, a 26-year-old law graduate and member of a Resistance Unit who was recently executed, and Arghavan Falahi, a 25-year-old political prisoner and supporter of the PMOI/MEK who has been sentenced to death.
Highlighting the determination of Iran’s younger generation, Mrs. Chitsaz cited a message recently smuggled from prison by Arghavan Falahi and fellow political prisoner Forough Pourtaghi:
“We are Generation Z of Iran. We oppose dictatorship and seek independence. We reject both the Shah and the mullahs.”
Iran’s Youth at the Forefront of Change
In her remarks, Mrs. Chitsaz described the escalating repression inside Iran and the central role played by women and young people in the struggle for democratic change.
“Today, Iran’s young people are standing up to a religious dictatorship in pursuit of freedom and equality.”
Referring to the nationwide protests and recent executions of political prisoners, she noted that the regime has responded to popular unrest with unprecedented brutality.
“Since mid-March, Iran has witnessed a wave of political executions unseen in the past three decades. Once again, most of the victims have been young protesters arrested during the uprising.”
She also recalled the nationwide uprising of 2022, emphasizing that Iranian women had emerged not as victims but as leaders of the movement for change.
“The women and young girls of Iran demonstrated that they are not powerless victims but the driving force for change. This is a generation determined to end the religious dictatorship.”
A Democratic Alternative to the Theocracy
A central theme of Mrs. Chitsaz’s address was the existence of a democratic alternative to the ruling regime.
She stressed that the path forward for Iran is neither appeasement of the clerical regime nor foreign military intervention.
“The path to change is neither appeasement of the regime nor foreign war. It is change brought about by the Iranian people themselves and their organized Resistance.”
Mrs. Chitsaz highlighted the prominent role played by women within the Iranian Resistance movement.
“The clearest difference between our vision and the ruling theocracy can be seen in the role of women.”
She noted that Maryam Rajavi, the NCRI’s President-elect, is a woman; that women make up 52 percent of the NCRI; and that the principal organization of the Resistance, the PMOI, recently elected a woman as Secretary General for the ninth consecutive term.
“Yes, in Iran, women are a force for change. We firmly believe that freedom and democracy in tomorrow’s Iran require women to play a leading role in the country’s political leadership.”
Vision for a Free Iran
Addressing the post-theocracy future envisioned by the NCRI, Mrs. Chitsaz outlined Mrs. Rajavi’s Ten-Point Plan, which calls for:
- Free elections and popular sovereignty;
- Freedom of political parties and the press;
- Separation of religion and state;
- Complete gender equality;
- An independent judiciary;
- Abolition of the death penalty;
- Protection of ethnic and national minorities;
- A peaceful and non-nuclear Iran.
She explained that the NCRI’s provisional government would have a limited mandate focused on transferring power to the people through free and fair elections.
“Its goal is to transfer power to the people of Iran. Its mandate, for a maximum period of six months, will be to restore fundamental freedoms, administer the transition, and organize free and fair elections for a Constituent Assembly.”
Message to Italy’s Youth
Concluding her remarks, Mrs. Chitsaz appealed directly to the young people attending the conference and to democratic societies around the world.
“The Iranian people are not asking the international community to liberate their country for them. Their demands are clear: recognize their right to resist religious tyranny, do not remain silent in the face of daily executions, hold those responsible accountable, and stand with the women, the young people, and the organized Resistance of Iran.”
She urged Italy’s youth to become advocates for Iran’s political prisoners and those facing execution.
“Be the voice of Iran’s political prisoners and of the young people in the Resistance Units who are risking their lives in the struggle against this regime.”
“I call upon all of you, particularly the young people and all freedom-loving people of Italy and around the world, to stand with Iran’s political prisoners, especially those facing execution, and to support the Iranian people in their struggle to establish a democratic republic based on the will of the people.”
The conference was a major national event for the youth movement of Italy’s governing Brothers of Italy (Fratelli d’Italia) party, attended by senior party and government leaders and culminating on Sunday with an address by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The official invitation extended to the Iranian Resistance reflected the growing international recognition of the Iranian people’s struggle for freedom, democracy, and a democratic republic based on popular sovereignty.
