On Friday, October 23, 2026, a conference entitled “No to the Death Penalty, Yes to Resistance” was held at Cuneo City Hall in Italy to condemn the increasing number of executions carried out by the Iranian regime.
The conference was attended by and featured speeches from Ms. Patrizia Manassero, Mayor of Cuneo and former Senator of the Italian Republic (2013–2018); Ms. Claudia Carli, Democratic Party group leader on the Cuneo City Council; Senator Roberto Rampi, former member of the Italian Senate (2018–2022); and Mr. Renzo Roggero, Vice President of the National Association of Italian Partisans (ANPI).
In her remarks, Ms. Claudia Carli, Democratic Party group leader on the City Council, reaffirmed the city’s commitment to supporting the Iranian people and condemning the regime’s repression, executions, and serious human rights violations. She also expressed support for a democratic republic based on the Iranian Resistance’s Ten-Point Plan. The full text of her speech follows.
As a member of the City Council, I am very pleased to be here this evening for this event, organized by the Municipality of Cuneo in cooperation with the Cuneo branch of the National Association of Italian Partisans (ANPI).
The issue we are addressing this evening is part of a clear and consistent course of action pursued by the municipal administration of Cuneo. We have raised these issues on numerous occasions in the City Council, and I believe that these efforts have been pursued on an entirely cross-party basis. We have put forward these motions, supported them, and voted in favor of them with firm conviction through the adoption of several resolutions.
Cuneo, the City of Freedom and Resistance, Stands in Solidarity with Iran’s Brave Women and Youth
In 2022 and 2024, the Cuneo City Council unanimously decided not to remain silent or indifferent in the face of what is happening in Iran, including repression, violence, executions, and gross human rights violations. We considered this our duty, not only because our city is known as the “City of Freedom and Resistance,” but precisely because, as municipal representatives, we consider it our responsibility to express solidarity with those who are facing increasingly difficult struggles today.
Our decision to address this issue once again is not a matter of routine. It is prompted by the ever-worsening situation. Our distinguished guests this evening will explain this reality to us clearly. They are better placed than I am to describe and recount what is happening, including summary and arbitrary executions carried out without genuine judicial proceedings, which the authorities use as a means of spreading fear throughout society and preventing organized uprisings.
These actions constitute clear crimes against humanity, and it is vitally important to draw and maintain the international community’s attention to them. For this reason, I would like to thank you all for being here this evening. I also wish to thank all the mayors and representatives of the municipalities in the surrounding towns who are present in this hall, because your presence should not be taken for granted. We must once again remember that rights which we consider self-evident today remain unrealized in many parts of the world.
Therefore, we once again considered it our duty this evening to support the Iranian people, particularly as a city such as Cuneo, which is known as the “City of Freedom and Resistance.” Our aim is to express solidarity with the Iranian people and support those who are fighting for the realization of human rights in various ways, especially women and young people who have demonstrated extraordinary courage for many years.
I would like to briefly recall the Ten-Point Plan of the Iranian Resistance’s Plan, mentioning only their titles, because this declaration sets out the very principles that we seek to strengthen and reaffirm through this event tonight.
The ten points plan are: a democratic republic; freedom of expression and association; human rights and the abolition of the death penalty; separation of religion and state; full equality between women and men; an independent judiciary; the rights of ethnic and national minorities; economic justice and equal opportunities; environmental protection; and a non-nuclear Iran.
