Second Day of Munich Security Conference in Germany; Opponents of the Islamic Republic Call for IRGC to be Designated as a Terrorist Organization

On the second day of the Munich Security Conference in Germany on Saturday, February 17, a number of opponents of the Islamic Republic and victims of the 2022 nationwide protests welcomed the absence of the Islamic Republic from this meeting and once again called for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to be placed on the list of terrorist organizations in Europe. For the second consecutive year, the organizers of the Munich Security Conference refrained from inviting officials from the Islamic Republic and Russia, instead inviting a group of Iranian opposition figures to the meeting. Masih Alinejad, a human rights activist and opponent of the Islamic Republic who attended the conference, called for the isolation of the Iranian government and emphasized that the only language the Islamic Republic understands is the language of pressure. She also demanded the removal of the Islamic Republic from all international arenas, stating that it should be shown that Khamenei and Putin are aligned and that they should be treated the same way. Kouser Eftekhari Rad, a victim of eye injuries from the 2022 protests and a guest at the Munich Security Conference, urged all 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 challenging days of their history. The inclusion of the IRGC's name on the list of terrorist organizations in Europe is among the demands of the opponents of the Islamic Republic. Omid Nouripour, head of the Greens party in the German parliament, emphasized in an interview that the addition of this entity to the list of terrorist organizations in Europe requires European countries to reach this conclusion. In addition to Iranian opponents of the Islamic Republic, several international figures also called for global community support for the Iranian people's struggle for 'freedom and self-determination.' Norbert Röttgen, head of the Christian Democratic Union in Germany and a participant in the Munich Security Conference, stated, 'We must stand with the people of Iran who are striving for freedom, self-determination, and liberation. Germany must change its approach and instead of appeasing the regime and pursuing a fanciful nuclear agreement, align with the people of Iran.' Hanna Neumann, a German representative in the European Parliament, welcomed the continued policy of recognizing 'democracy-seeking Iranian activists' as representatives of Iran. She noted that last year, the Iranian regime was not invited to the Munich Security Conference for the first time, but representatives from a range of the Iranian community were invited. This year, once again, the Iranian regime is absent. I saw Masih Alinejad today and know that several other representatives from the Iranian community are also here. I believe the policy of granting representation of Iran to a diverse range of democracy-seeking Iranian activists instead of the regime continues.' The sixtieth round of the Munich Security Conference is being held in Munich from February 17 to 19. This annual meeting is attended by global security officials and experts.