By Kayhan Life Staff
A group of 29 political prisoners and activists in Iran have issued a statement titled “Declaration 401” hailing Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi as the “coordinator, leader and spokesperson for the [opposition] movement” and supporting his proposed policies, analysis and solutions.
More political prisoners and activists are likely to sign the declaration.
The signatories to the statement called Prince Reza Pahlavi’s comments made at a June 3 press conference “hopeful,” adding: “You offered a realistic assessment of the current conditions in the country, and guided activists inside and outside Iran towards viable solutions.”
On June 3, Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi held a press conference on recent developments in Iran in which he mentioned support for widespread protests against the Islamic Republic and the international community’s reaction to these events.
Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi Says Iranian Regime Is ‘On Its Way Out’
Europe leaders should listen to what @PahlaviReza has to say about the future of Iran. https://t.co/1hUjWZS9KF
— Charlie Weimers MEP ?? (@weimers) June 12, 2022
“The greatest opposition and alternative to the Islamic Republic is inside the country and is the people themselves,” Reza Pahlavi said.
“Declaration 401” issued by the political prisoners echoed Reza Pahlavi’s comments regarding the lack of leadership in the opposition movement, warning that “the absence of a decision-making center to coordinate the protests will be a serious challenge to the struggle.”
“We support your efforts as the coordinator, leader, and spokesperson for the movement,” the statement said. “We expect our fellow Iranians, especially political campaigns, to unite and support you as the movement’s organizer, coordinator, and leader, because our solidarity today will guarantee our freedom tomorrow.”
During his speech at the press conference on June 3, the crown prince spoke of the lack of organization of the movement by the Iranian people to topple the Islamic Republic.
“The absence of a decision-making nucleus that could organize protests, strikes, and coordinate a widespread movement was clear in last month’s protests,” Reza Pahlavi noted. “I invite all organizations trusted by Iranian communities living abroad to set aside their political differences and join the effort to rescue Iran. Our unity today will guarantee our freedom tomorrow.”
The following is the full text of the statement by political prisoners and activists:
Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi:
Your June 3 message was extraordinarily uplifting and hopeful.
The message combined your unfailing kindness and sincerity with your determination and resolve. It confirmed your role as the leader of the Iranian nation’s uprising against the leaders of the despotic and oppressive Islamic Republic.
You offered a realistic assessment of the current conditions in the country and guided activists inside and outside Iran toward viable solutions.
You gave a spontaneous, engaging, and convincing answer to a question by scaremongers who promote the status quo and claim that there is no viable alternative to the Islamic Republic.
You said: ‘Those who worry about an alternative to the Islamic Republic don’t think that there are people among a population of 85 million who can replace those who only deliver sermons from dawn to dusk? I am certain there are.’
As you noted, the lack of a decision-making center to organize and coordinate protests poses a severe challenge to the fight.
Therefore, the need for a leadership to decide, organize, and coordinate efforts is unavoidable.
Most Iranians trust you implicitly. Your wisdom, kindness, belief in non-violence, sense of fairness, and humanity have secured a special place for you in the hearts of the Iranian nation.
We, the signatories to this statement, support your efforts as the movement’s coordinator, leader, and spokesperson. We expect our fellow Iranians, especially political campaigns, to unite and support you as the movement’s coordinator and leader because our solidarity today will guarantee our freedom tomorrow.
June 10, 2022
Addressed to the honorable people of Iran, to Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, and to political activists and movements inside and outside Iran.
[Signatories as of this writing:]
Ali Mousanejad Farkoush, Rasoul Abutorabi Goudarzi, Fariba Asadi, Reza Salavati, Hojjat Rafeie, Hamed Vazifeh, Gabriel Vazifeh, Fatemeh Sepehri, Mohammad Hossein Sepehri, Morteza Ghasemi, Barzan Mohammadi, Abdolrasoul Mortazavi, Mehdi Meskinnavaz, Masoud Vazifeh, Vahid Sorkhgol, Saman Rezaei, Zahra Zar’e Saraji, Mostafa Khosravi, Mehdi Mashhadi, Reza Raha, Sina Beheshti, Sohrab Hassan-Khani, Ali Asghar Hassani-Rad, Meysam Gholami, Hossein Ghashghae, Milad Arsanjani, Shahab Soltanian, Mohammad Torkamani and Sajjad Bakhshali.
