It was rainy and cold in Munich. Munich hosted the largest and most inclusive gathering of Iranian dissidents. The meeting, or convention for national cooperation, was organized by Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi. He invited more than 500 prominent Iranians and representatives of the Iran Freedom Committee (Netherlands). I was there too.
Since the war between Israel and the Ayatollah regime, some influential Western politicians have been asking Iranian dissidents, and especially Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, whether there is a politically organized alternative in case the regime loses control. Reza Pahlavi, the last crown prince of Iran, is currently the most well-known and popular dissident in and outside Iran.
Over the past decade, he has been intensively involved in the struggle against the Ayatollah regime. The convention lasted about twelve hours. Yes, you read that correctly. Uri Rosenthal (former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands) and his delegation from the Netherlands sat there for twelve hours listening, while everything was translated for him. He is probably the only Dutch person who has ever met so many Iranians for so long during a dangerous meeting. Out of respect, I bow to him.
Coming together against the regime
The speeches followed one another in an emotional atmosphere: representatives of ethnic groups, religious minorities, republicans, monarchists, LGBT people, political prisoners, relatives of those executed, women who had lost an eye, old (classic) leftists, liberals, social democrats, etc. Morad Khorshidi (78) was one of the participants. But in the late 1960s, he and other students laid the foundations for a left-wing guerrilla movement in Iran. He ended up in prison. Shortly before the Islamic revolution, he joined Iran's oldest left-wing party (the Tudeh Party). He became one of the party's leaders.
We spoke in the hallway: “Twenty-eight years of my active political life were dominated by a misguided left-wing ideology. At the time, children like you became victims of what we had caused,” said Khorshidi. He went on to say that he had been misled by Marxist ideology imported from the West. The alliance between the left and Islamism had led to the establishment of the totalitarian regime in Iran. Unlike his friends, he escaped the execution pelotons of Islamists: “For the past 32 years, I have been trying to repair the damage caused by the other part of my life (28 years on the left).” I asked him how he manages to do that: “By supporting Reza Pahlavi and social liberal movements.” This man, who has repeatedly put his life on the line, is courageous and moving.
I myself participated in a panel discussion on the international weakening of the regime. I explained that the Israeli nation is the most powerful and honorable ally of the Iranian nation. In ancient times, Cyrus the Great liberated the Jews from Babylonian slavery and ordered the reconstruction of the temple in Jerusalem. Now it is the Jews' turn to help us liberate ourselves from the Ayatollah regime. I received applause from a room full of leftists, liberals, Republicans, and monarchists. When I was asked what the Khamenei regime fears most, I needed only two words: unity and the prince. He must unite and reconcile all Iranians. That is what happened. The convention was broadcast by dissident TV station Iran International, YouTube, Instagram, and partly by BBC Farsi. Millions of people in and outside Iran witnessed the speeches and discussions.
Should the prince stand up for the relatives of those executed who brought down his father? Iraj Mesdaghi spent between 1981 and 1991 in Evin prison for membership of the Islamic-Marxist group (Mojahedin). He took to the stage with an elderly lady (Esmat Vatanparast), she represents eleven people (including her own relatives) who were executed in the 1980s. The dead of the 1980s can be divided into two groups: children and young people aged 13 to 25, and the older group of people. The group of children and young people were not really able to make a substantial contribution to the fall of the Shah. But the older group did. They were against the Shah and later also against Islamists.
The almost matriarch, Esmat, said to Crown Prince Pahlavi: “I entrust you with justice (Daa'd) for us, for our children. I support your leadership.” I had tears in my eyes. Pahlavi embraced her. The circle is complete. Prince Reza Pahlavi will respect the dignity of all victims and strive for justice (Daadkhaa’hi), while those who were executed lie in mass graves, having brought down his father. They are victims of two evil ideologies: Marxist leftism and Islamism. Without reconciliation, there can be no unity and no prospect of a future without ayatollahs and their Guard (IRGC).
We also heard previously recorded short messages from political prisoners in Tehran expressing their support for the convention and Pahlavi. There were also relatives of young people who have been murdered in recent years. More than 20 people who had been physically injured by the regime, including women who had lost an eye, were also present. Uri Rosenthal and his delegation saw Iranians coming together to form a large mosaic (Iran). My son (a Dutch member of parliament) was also invited as an observer. He saw brave men and women crying as they listened to songs about a lost world and hoping for the rebirth of civilization in Iran.
After listening for twelve hours, Prince Reza Pahlavi took to the stage. He will establish two bodies: an advisory council and an executive council. They will organize the struggle and later they will guide the transition as a provisional government. He also presented his plans for the first 100 days after the fall of the ayatollahs. The threat level against him and other top dissidents is very high. All's well that ends well: the relatives and surviving victims of Ayatollah’s violence took to the stage to sing Ey Iran together with the prince and the rest. Could Munich now, unlike in the past, become the cradle of the fall of totalitarianism? Events come unexpectedly. Even the powerful Pharaohs are surprised by truth and justice.
The Iranian dissidents in Munich decided to risk their lives to enter what may be the final phase of the struggle for freedom, equality, and human dignity.
Afshin Ellian, professor of philosophy of law at Leiden University. Columnist of EW-Magazine and De Telegraaf.