Registration of 'Day of Lion and Sun' in Iran's National Calendar in Memory of Majidreza Rahnavard; Reza Pahlavi Expressed Gratitude, Users Supported

Prince Reza Pahlavi regarded the selection of June 16, the 'birth anniversary of the immortal Majidreza Rahnavard', as the National Day of Lion and Sun and its registration in Iran's national calendar as a wise choice deserving of appreciation for 'this brave son of the homeland'. At the same time, users on social media welcomed this day by creating and supporting hashtags 'Majidreza Rahnavard' and 'National Day of Lion and Sun', referring to Majidreza Rahnavard as a 'martyr hero' and 'Lion of Khorasan', and emphasized that neither he nor other 'martyrs of the path of freedom in Iran' will be forgotten, and they will never allow 'these heroes of the land of Iran' to be forgotten. Prince Reza Pahlavi wrote in a post on X: 'Throughout its history, Iran has always been a haven for lions and brave men; heroes who, even in the darkest days of this land, have shone the light of hope like the eternal sun in the sky of patriots. Undoubtedly, one of these heroes is Majidreza Rahnavard; a brave Khorasani who engraved the immortal symbol of Lion and Sun of Iran as a testament to patriotism on his hand, and his glorious name and image have become eternal in the minds and hearts of Iranians.' He further added: 'The thugs of the anti-Iranian and non-Iranian regime of the Islamic Republic never imagined that by torturing Majidreza and concealing that honorable symbol on that powerful hand, before his brutal execution, they were actually tying his name to a national day.' Prince Reza Pahlavi also referred to the designation of June 16, coinciding with the birth anniversary of Majidreza Rahnavard as the National Day of Lion and Sun and its registration in Iran's national calendar, recommending all compatriots to commemorate this day in the best way possible and to create a powerful tool for national solidarity, and to raise the Lion and Sun flag in the name of Iran and the Iranian people at events held worldwide on this occasion. Accordingly, a group of Iranians is set to hold protest gatherings in various cities around the world on Saturday, June 16, carrying Lion and Sun flags to honor the memory of Majidreza Rahnavard and other victims of protests in Iran. Majidreza Rahnavard was born on June 16, 1999, and was one of the detainees of the 2021 uprising in Iran, who was executed on December 12, 2022, just 23 days after his arrest, by the verdict of the Revolutionary Court of Mashhad. During the trial, without following legal procedures and while being deprived of the opportunity to defend himself and the right to a lawyer, he was accused of killing two Basij members and injuring four others during the 2021 uprising in Mashhad. Majidreza Rahnavard had a tattoo of the Lion and Sun symbol on one of his hands. Some evidence indicated that this hand had been burned and then broken by torturers before his execution.