Italian lawmakers, many more hail Iran’s resistance

We bring our unswerving support to you, Madame Rajavi, and to all freedom fighters in Iran in the fight for regime change in Iran. We are here to tell you of our profound admiration for the values you are defending, not only in the interest of the Iranian people but in the interest of all humanity. Our unconditional support to President-elect Rajavi and to PMOI is even more determined now that a desperate and failing theocracy is trying to promote also Reza Pahlavi Jr., the son of a dictator, the last shah of Iran; they are trying to promote him among the friends of this criminal regime. From his golden exile, the son of the last and discredited ruler of Iran speaks against the only and truly democratic resistance, which is the PMOI. Is it a family revenge? Is it anger because of the fight for democracy and freedom that the Mujahideen have always pursued against the dictator first and the mullah regime after? We refuse to fall in this new trap of the regime.

A large part of Italian society is convinced that being with you is to be on the right side of history. Thirty-eight Italian senators have issued a declaration of support of the Iranian people for the uprising, for the resistance against the regime, and for the fight for freedom and democracy. Let me quote just a couple of sentences of that declaration, which says it is nearly four decades that the religious dictatorship ruling Iran has been denounced for its continuous and gross violation of human rights. More than 120,000 Iranian defenders of democracy have been arbitrarily detained, tortured and executed. More than 30,000 political prisoners were massacred in the December of 1988, and those perpetrators must be brought to justice.

Americans and Europeans need to [bring] their common will and fundamental values together to prove their commitment, and no better opportunity exists than an active, strong support to the Iranian resistance for a regime change in Iran.

• Giulio Terzi served as Italy’s Minister of Foreign Affairs between 2011 and 2013.