End of Munich Conference with Presence of Opponents of the Islamic Republic; Masih Alinejad: I Tried to Be the 'Voice of True Revolutionaries'

The sixtieth Munich Security Conference concluded, and the leaders of the attending countries left Germany; a global meeting to which the Islamic Republic of Iran and Russia were not invited. The absence of the Islamic Republic at the Munich Security Conference came as numerous civil activists and government opponents, as well as victims of last year's protests, attended this global gathering. Recognizing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization, isolating the Islamic Republic, and severing economic and diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic were among the topics discussed at this conference. Masih Alinejad, a human rights activist and one of the speakers at a panel hosted by former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, spoke about the role of women's civil struggles against the Islamic Republic. This human rights activist told VOA that she tried to be the 'voice of true revolutionaries' since the title of this conference is 'A Revolution with a Purpose.' Alinejad also emphasized that she read a letter from Sepideh Gholian, a political prisoner in Evin, to the attendees, who expressed happiness over the Islamic Republic's non-invitation to the conference, stating, 'Our request from Western countries is to take action and not relent against the Islamic Republic - a government that is executing people.' She also mentioned reading a message from Mahsa Amini's family at the conference, asking the attendees, 'How can the European Parliament award Mahsa Jina Amini but do nothing when their passports are taken at the airport and they are stopped?' Furthermore, Alinejad added that she had a message from 'the families of 13 victims from Kurdistan' that she read for many leaders she met here, emphasizing that they say, 'The IRGC is committing terrorist acts, yet you still hesitate to isolate the Islamic Republic.' In the margins of the Munich Security Conference, Hadrian Qomi, an Iranian-born member of the French National Assembly, told VOA that 'there is currently no topic of discussion with the Islamic Republic government,' but referring to a meeting between the French Foreign Minister and the Iranian Foreign Minister, he added that an important issue is 'the official request from the French Foreign Ministry for the release of four French hostages in Iran.' Qomi emphasized that 'no other topic has been discussed or will be discussed with the Iranian government other than the release of the French hostages,' and on the other hand, officials 'met with the families of the hostages to assure them that the French government will stand by them until their release.' Bijan Jirsaei, an Iranian-born member of the Free Democratic Party in the German Parliament, was another attendee at the Munich Security Conference who told VOA that he emphasized both last year and this year the need to include the IRGC on the list of terrorist organizations. Jirsaei described the IRGC as 'the central pillar of the Islamic Republic regime' and stressed, 'We must take necessary actions more decisively and quickly. I am truly sorry that this has not yet happened. It is also unclear to me why Europe continues to insist on the same strategy, and we believe the European Union must change its policy towards the Islamic Republic as soon as possible.' Duzan Takal, founder of the 'Havar Help' group, also told VOA on the sidelines of this global conference that 'the issue of sexual assaults occurring in the prisons of the Islamic Republic is very important.' He emphasized, 'This is a taboo that brave prisoners have spoken about, and it shows that these events have occurred in the prisons of the Islamic Republic, and it is very important that we reflect these issues.' Takal welcomed the Islamic Republic's non-invitation to the Munich Conference and the presence of civil activists opposing the government at this global conference, stating, 'We must find a solution for those who are imprisoned in Iran solely because of their statements and thoughts,' and 'I personally will try as much as possible to be the voice of the Women, Life, Freedom movement.' The Munich Security Conference was held from Friday to Sunday, February 17 to 19, in Germany, and for the second consecutive year, the officials of this global meeting refrained from inviting the officials of the Islamic Republic and Russia, instead welcoming several civil activists opposing the government. Kowsar Eftekhari Rad, a victim of eye injuries from the nationwide protests of 1401 and a guest at the Munich Security Conference, urged Western governments and human rights organizations not to sacrifice the 'Women, Life, Freedom' revolution for their political and economic goals and not to leave the people of Iran alone in the most complicated days of their history.