By Anna Rita Canone- @ARitaCanone Interpreter and freelance journalist from Italy
Maryam Rajavi and 8 March: Maryam Rajavi is an Iranian politician, elected in 1993 by the exiled parliament. She is the president of the MEK / PMOI, the Iranian Mojahedin. Her battles for freedom and democracy over the years have had great international echoes and today she can count on many supporters among politicians and diplomats from all over the world. The Iranian regime – comparable to our darkest medieval years, those under the Inquisition – following the brutal murder of Mahsa Amini (stopped, arrested, and killed on 13 September 2022 because she did not wear the veil correctly) raised the bar. After arrests, torture, and murders of protesters, for several days you have been attacking girls’ schools with gas and bacteriological weapons, with the intention of not letting the students go back to school. In this dramatic misogynistic context, Maryam Rajavi is a real beacon of light.
Here is her post on International Women’s Day: “The Plan on Women’s Rights and Freedoms Now, once again, I would like to recall the principles, emphasis, and summary of the most important articles that will guide our future actions. Our compatriots inside Iran must be aware of them. These principles, rights, and freedoms are not just for the emancipation of women but for the historical liberation of all Iranian men and women. First, I would like to state the principles: The first principle is the abolition and elimination of all forms of oppression, coercion, and discrimination imposed by the reactionary regime of Khomeini and the mullahs’ Sharia law on Iranian women and adhering to all freedoms and rights of women as stipulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women approved by the United Nations General Assembly in December 1993. The second principle emphasizes the full equality of social, political, cultural, and economic rights between men and women. The third principle is ensuring the full provision of women’s rights in the country, regardless of any unequal and discriminatory practices and limitations, and rejecting any perception that views women as commodities.
And the most important articles on women’s rights and freedoms in tomorrow’s free Iran: 1. The right to elect and be elected in all elections and the right to suffrage in all referendums. 2. The right to employment and free selection of profession, and the right to hold any public or government position, office of the profession, including the presidency (as well as political leadership) or judgeship in all judicial institutions. 3. The right to free political and social activity, social intercourse, and travel without the permission of another person. 4. The right to freely choose their clothing and covering. 5. The right to use, without discrimination, all instructional, educational, athletic, and artistic resources; and the right to participate in all athletic competitions and artistic activities. 6. Recognition of women’s associations and support for their voluntary formation throughout the country; consideration of special privileges in various social, administrative, cultural, and particularly educational fields in order to abolish inequality and the dual oppression of women. 7. Equal pay for equal work; prohibition of discrimination in hiring and during employment; equal access to various privileges such as vacations, retirement benefits, and disability compensations; enjoyment of child and marital benefits and unemployment insurance; the right to salary and special accommodations during pregnancy, childbirth, and care of infants. 8. Absolute freedom in the choice of spouse and marriage, which can take place only with the consent of both sides and registered with legal authority; Marriage before attainment of the legal age is prohibited. In family life, any form of compulsion or coercion of the wife is prohibited. 9. Equal right to divorce; divorce must be processed by qualified judicial authorities; women and men are equal in presenting grounds for divorce; child custody and support as well as financial settlements will be determined by the verdict for divorce. 10. Support for widowed and divorced women and for children in their custody; care will be provided through the National Social Welfare System. 11. Elimination of legal inequalities with regard to testimony, guardianship, custody, and inheritance. Polygamy is prohibited.
12.
Prohibition of all forms of sexual exploitation of women on any pretext and abrogation of all customs, laws, and provisions authorizing the father, mother, guardian, or another to bestow a girl or a woman, on the pretext of marriage or other. Dear Friends, It is correct when they say women’s rights are human rights, and I firmly believe that women’s leadership is the guarantee of democracy and equality. Without providing opportunities for women to participate in political leadership, any progress made toward gender equality is vulnerable to regression. Today, Iranian women, with their leadership and alongside Iranian men, are at the forefront of defeating religious dictatorship and securing freedom, democracy, and equality for tomorrow. The uprising in Iran, led by women, has proved this truth. The uprising, which is blazing more fiercely than ever, will make it shine brighter than ever before and bring the message of victory and triumph. How beautiful it is that, like the dawn, we bring the tidings of triumph, With a red rose, a light-filled bloom, from the garden of dawn, How beautiful it is, like the radiant sun, to scatter brilliance and shine, To herald the world from skies ablaze with radiance newly born. Victory is yours!”
