Prince Reza Pahlavi: The Islamic Republic is at War with the Iranian People’s Possessions and Their Beliefs
Prince Reza Pahlavi, in his remarks at the Geneva meeting, spoke of the Islamic Republic’s war against the cultural possessions of the Iranian people and their beliefs.
Yesterday, a human rights meeting was held in Geneva with the presence of Prince Reza Pahlavi. Prince Reza Pahlavi delivered remarks at the Geneva assembly in support of the Iranian people and Iran’s freedom. While thanking the thousands of Iranians who had gathered to support the “Iranian freedom movement,” he said: “The Islamic Republic is waging war on multiple fronts against the possessions of the Iranian people, and the war against Iran’s cultural heritage, particularly pre-Islamic history, is one of the Islamic Republic’s objectives.
The situation is such that the symbols of ancient Persian civilization, including Persepolis and Pasargadae, are in a state of destruction due to neglect, and the Islamic Republic often does not even allow people access to these places, as it seeks to erase and destroy the symbols of national identity and rewrite Iran’s history in order to deprive Iranians of their rich heritage.”
Regarding the suppression of people for holding free opinions and choosing their religion, he said: “The Islamic Republic has targeted all ideologies, religions, and beliefs for suppression. Bahá’ís have been systematically persecuted. Their leaders have been imprisoned. Their cemeteries have been desecrated and their youth have been denied the right to education. Christians, particularly Iranian converts, live in constant fear. Sunni Muslims, Jews, Sufis, and Zoroastrians face widespread restrictions and discrimination. The entrenched hostility of the Islamic Republic toward any form of diversity, including religious diversity, has threatened centuries of coexistence among Iranians. Even other creative citizens and artists, including musicians and performers, face execution. Creative citizens and artists including artists and musicians face the death penalty.”
Prince Pahlavi referred to the crimes committed by the Islamic Republic since coming to power over these four decades and added: “The history of the Islamic Republic is entirely composed of lies and deception. They presented their revolution as a revolution of justice and freedom, but what befell the people when the Islamic Republic came to power was nothing but hell on earth. Even before the Islamic Republic’s victory, the terrorist attack on the Rex Cinema in Abadan, in which Khomeini’s supporters burned 400 innocent people alive, was a sign of what was to come under this regime.
When this regime came to power, its first objective was to eliminate the most capable and patriotic citizens of Iran. Generals and military officers, business leaders, intellectuals, specialists, and government officials who had modernized Iran were killed by the regime. I knew many of them. Their slaughter was celebrated in revolutionary newspapers and ignored by Western newspapers, because many of them had no lobbyists or political supporters. They were buried in unmarked graves and their families were not even allowed to mourn at their graves.”
Referring to the imposition of mandatory hijab on women and girls and Ayatollah Khomeini’s decree on this matter, he continued: “The family protection laws were the first laws abolished by Khomeini, and mandatory hijab became a tool for the suppression of women and a symbol of the Islamic Republic’s pathological desire to control women’s bodies. Despite all this, from the first days of suppression until now, women have fought and resisted. The struggle of Iranian women is not limited to mandatory hijab and placing a piece of cloth on their heads; rather, their struggle is for obtaining their rights and their country.”
Emphasizing that “our war is not only with the Islamic Republic, but we are fighting for Iran,” he pointed out: “The Islamic Republic has waged war against all segments of Iranian society, including those divided by language, tribe, and region. However, despite all its efforts, it has not been able to divide the Iranian people. We will never allow our nation to suffer division and dismemberment. We have witnessed national unity in the streets across Iran, during which in 2017 and 2019, the protests were no longer seeking reforms and no one chanted slogans for reforms; rather, the people demanded the end of the Islamic Republic. These protests occurred a decade after the Green Movement, during which protesters sought to reclaim stolen votes. The generation that took to the streets in 2017 and 2019 sought to reclaim their stolen country and paid a heavy price, as the Islamic Republic massacred over 1,500 protesters in November 2019 and arrested, tortured, or disappeared thousands of others.”
Reza Pahlavi also referred to the killing of Mahsa Amini and the subsequent protests, saying: “When Mahsa’s mother called her the daughter of Iran and protesters chanted ‘from Zahedan to Kurdistan, I sacrifice myself for Iran,’ their behavior showed that the Islamic Republic’s efforts to ethnicize these protests would not succeed.”
In his remarks, the Prince referred to environmental destruction and the Islamic Republic’s neglect of environmental issues and said: “Several decades of corruption and mismanagement under the Islamic Republic have caused environmental disasters that threaten the lives of millions. Lake Urmia, which was once the largest saltwater lake in the Middle East, has nearly disappeared and has caused salt storms that have destroyed agricultural lands and caused respiratory diseases.
Currently, rivers like the Zayandeh River have dried up and farmers have no water to irrigate their lands. In Khuzestan, where water had flowed for centuries, water scarcity has led to repeated protests, and each time these protests have been brutally suppressed. Tehran and Ahvaz have become among the most polluted cities in the world, and often the level of pollution reaches toxic levels, causing schools and businesses to close. In such circumstances, environmental activists who dare to criticize the situation, such as Kavous Seidam Amami, are imprisoned or killed.”
Referring to Iran’s natural wealth, which possesses the world’s largest oil and gas reserves, he added: “Iran, despite having the world’s second-largest gas reserves, experiences repeated blackouts. The situation is such that patients die in hospitals, businesses go bankrupt. Even the most basic necessities, including some food items, have become luxury goods found only on the tables of a few individuals.
In Iran, which should be one of the world’s wealthiest countries, many of my compatriots struggle to put bread on their tables, let alone meat. The current situation is a result of the presence of a regime that plunders our country instead of managing it, and all these problems will only be solved by the destruction of this regime.”
Emphasizing the Islamic Republic’s war with the world in his closing remarks, he added: “As we witnessed last week, from terrorist attacks to hostage-taking, the Islamic Republic, despite its rhetoric in Davos and its request for a new agreement, continues to wage war against the free world, and until this regime is overthrown, its crimes will not stop.
The Islamic Republic does not limit its crimes to Iran’s borders. This regime uses its embassies and so-called cultural centers as bases for espionage and terrorism throughout Europe, and when it cannot reach its opponents outside the country, it takes foreign citizens inside Iran hostage for political extortion.”
