Exclusive; Kowsar Eftekhari at the Democracy Summit: Do Not Compromise with the 'Terrorist Government' of the Islamic Republic

Kowsar Eftekhari, a human rights activist, told Voice of America on the sidelines of the 'Democracy' summit that her message for this summit and political officials and activists is to 'not support the terrorist government.' The seventh summit of the world's democracies began today, Tuesday, May 15, in Copenhagen, Denmark, with the presence of political figures including Hillary Clinton, former U.S. Secretary of State, and several senior officials from the European Union. Some Iranian human rights and democracy activists, including Rana Mansour, Masih Alinejad, and Kowsar Eftekhari, are also attending this summit. On the sidelines of this summit, Kowsar Eftekhari responded to a question from Kambiz Tavana, a reporter for Voice of America, about her message to political officials and other activists present at the democracy summit, stating, 'What I have to say is that they should cut their communications and compromises with the Islamic Republic' because the Islamic Republic is 'a terrorist government.' This human rights activist, who was injured in the eye by Islamic Republic agents during the crackdown on nationwide protests following the death of Mahsa Amini in custody of the morality police in 2022, emphasized the need to raise awareness about the 'Women, Life, Freedom' protests outside Iran and the ongoing repression, stating that she tells everyone that 'this movement is still active and alive,' 'until the day the Islamic Republic leaves Iran.' Meanwhile, according to Danish media reports, the location of Masih Alinejad's meeting with members of a Danish newspaper was changed following a security warning from the police. Kowsar Eftekhari also mentioned that a delegation of activists from Afghanistan is present at this summit, working to support human rights in a country where rights are widely violated by the Taliban. The democracy summit in the capital of Denmark will continue for two days. Warnings to Canadian lawmakers regarding the activities of the IRGC in this country; explanations from Mehdi Moradi. The Canadian Parliament has urged Trudeau's government to list the IRGC as a terrorist organization. The U.S. stated that the Islamic Republic cannot hide behind the Houthis and must immediately cease destabilizing actions. The U.S. Treasury Department warned about the financial activities of terrorist organizations supported by the Iranian government. Australia and the European Union have sanctioned several officials and entities of the Islamic Republic. The Tehran Court of Appeals rejected a request for the conditional release of a journalist due to 'the necessary punishment for such criminals.'