Soona Samsami of NCRI on Prospects of Change in Iran

Soona Samsami of NCRI on Prospects of Change in Iran

Washington, DC—11 February 2019—On the 40th anniversary of the overthrow of the monarchic dictatorship, the main opposition said that the ruling clerical system "is at its weakest point in history," and the prospects of change are shining brighter than ever before.

The U.S. Representative Office of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI-US), seen as the most organized opposition to the regime, sponsored a panel on Monday to discuss the regime’s long and brutal domestic and foreign policy record at home and abroad.

Soona Samsami, the NCRI's representative in the U.S., offered an in-depth examination of the current situation, including major crises that the regime is facing, and struck a note of optimism about prospects for democratic change in Iran.

"The Iranian people are calling for the establishment of a republic, based on democracy and separation of religion and state," she said.

"In contrast to the regime's attempts to paint a picture of strength on its 40th year in power, in reality it is at its weakest point in history."

She cited deep-rooted corruption, large-scale embezzlements by officials, millions of poverty-stricken Iranians, the national currency's rapidly falling value, and the unprecedented decline in citizens' purchasing power as indicators of a rotting theocracy.

On February 11, 1979, the hardline clerics, led by Ruhollah Khomeini, stole the revolution from the Iranian people and imposed a religious dictatorship.

On that day, "the Iranian people toppled the Shah’s dictatorship known for his notorious secret police, SAVAK, the infamous Evin prison, and the lavish spending of his corrupt regime," said Samsami.

But, shortly after, Khomeini denied the Iranian people the democratic and representative government that they so desperately sought.

The regime is deadly afraid of the MEK, the panelists said. In 2018, on at least four occasions, Khamenei personally and

publicly named the organization for organizing large-scale protests. Rouhani has directly blamed the MEK for organizing public protests and has even gone as far as appealing to the French president to curtail their activities in Paris.

At the same time, the regime has launched an extensive demonization campaign against the MEK. Speakers cited 19 movies, drama series and documentaries produced by the state to tarnish the MEK's image in the minds of the youth.

"In 2018 alone, 18 major books were published by the regime against the MEK, bringing the total over the past few years to 519," said Samsami, with other speakers pointing out that the regime's vilification campaign extends to some in the U.S. and the West, including those directly paid by regime affiliates.

The MEK is part of the broader coalition of NCRI. The NCRI, described as essentially a parliament-in-exiled, was formed in Tehran in 1981, and boasts hundreds of democracy advocates as members, half of whom are women, including athletes, politicians, musicians, economists and well-known personalities.

Samsami said: "The NCRI's President-elect, Maryam Rajavi, represents the demands and aspirations of the Iranian people and protestors in recent years. Units of Resistance posted her pictures in major highways and street corners."

"Mrs. Rajavi's 10-point plan for Iran's future includes policy formulations like: separation of church and state; abolition of the death penalty; universal suffrage and elections; gender equality; peace and co-existence with neighbors; and freedom of the press and speech."