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Patrick Kennedy Shines Light on Iran’s Resistance Units, Endorsing NCRI at Major D.C. Rally

Written by Shamsi Saadati
Former US Congressman Patrick Kennedy addresses a rally of Iranian Americans and supporters of the NCRI in Washington, D.C., on May 16, 2026
Former US Congressman Patrick Kennedy addresses a rally of Iranian Americans and supporters of the NCRI in Washington, D.C., on May 16, 2026

On May 16, 2026, former U.S. Congressman Patrick Kennedy delivered a passionate address at the Free Iran rally in Washington, D.C., expressing solidarity with the Iranian Resistance’s fight for democracy. Kennedy condemned the Iranian regime’s recent executions of political prisoners, specifically naming MEK members Vahid Bani-Amerian and Abolhassan Montazar, and argued that these hangings reveal the regime’s paralyzing fear of a nationwide uprising rather than projecting strength.

Kennedy praised the courage of active Resistance Units inside Iran and the residents of Ashraf-3, describing them as inspiring models for what is possible in a future free nation. He explicitly rejected the return of a monarchy, fiercely criticizing supporters of the former Shah who flaunt symbols of the dreaded SAVAK secret police.

Highlighting the NCRI as a viable alternative, Kennedy endorsed Maryam Rajavi’s Ten-Point Plan, which advocates for free elections, gender equality, the separation of church and state, and a non-nuclear Iran. Echoing President John F. Kennedy’s historic “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech, he emphasized that the cause of human freedom is universal and urged Americans to stand with the Iranian people in their pursuit of democratic liberation.

The full text of Patrick Kennedy’s speech follows:

Good morning, everybody. Good to see so many people out here in our nation’s capital, which is a symbol of democracy all around the world. And how appropriate it is that we’re here celebrating democracy in the longest democracy in the world and about to celebrate the future of democracy in a liberated Tehran.

So, it’s an immense privilege for me to stand with you today for the Free Iran march here in Washington. It’s a declaration. It’s a declaration that you’ve not surrendered and that tyranny has not prevailed, and that the cause of freedom is alive, is organized, and is advancing. We are obviously in a moment of history shaped by people who refuse to bow and by a movement that refuses to abandon its ideals. Your message today is unmistakable: there is a democratic alternative to the religious fascism ruling Iran.

Today also marks the 40th day since the execution of Commander Vahid Bani-Amerian and Abolhassan Montazar. On April 4th, 2024, at the dawn of that Saturday, the regime hoped that they would bring silence to these two courageous members of MEK who were hanged in Ghezel Hesar prison.

Vahid was only 34 years old. He was an electrical engineer and a fearless leader of a Resistance Unit whose courage terrified the regime, which is armed with prisons and gallows. Abolhassan was 67 years old, an architectural engineer and a veteran member of the MEK representing another generation of sacrifice, having been a political prisoner under both the Shah and the current mullahs. And his life was a testament to the struggle that continues to this day.

And alongside them, many others. But think about what this tells us: a regime that feels secure does not rush political prisoners to the gallows. A regime that is confident in its future does not execute engineers, does not execute students, does not execute workers. These executions reveal not strength, but they represent a deep-seated paralyzing fear. A fear of another nationwide uprising, fear of a generation that has already rejected their dictatorship in all its forms.

And yet, even facing death, Vahid and his comrades did not bend. They stood defiant, transforming the gallows into a platform of resistance. Hazeer, Hazeer, Hazeer! [Ready in Persian] They represented that resistance in that Hazeer chant. But you know who else does? Ashraf-3.

I have been so fortunate to have been on this journey, Ashraf-1, Ashraf-2, Ashraf-3. And I will tell you why they’re so inspiring. They’re inspiring because they show all Iranians what is possible with freedom, what is possible with democracy. We don’t have to be worried about whether the people of Iran are ready to organize, are ready to build a new country. We have seen it in the people of Ashraf over and over and over again.

They stand as a model for the rest of Iran as to what is possible when freedom comes. And inside Iran we see that same spirit daily. Resistance Units, young women and men across every province are keeping the flames of defiance alive. Just last week, these units conducted a series of coordinated operations in 15 cities, targeting the IRGC headquarters and Basij bases all across Iran.

These brave Iranians are not abstract symbols, they’re real human beings risking everything to dismantle the instruments of repression. They tear down the portraits of dictators and spread hope where the regime spreads despair. Let’s give so much credit to those Resistance Units across Iran.

And it’s good to mention that they are but the children and grandchildren of countless martyrs that have died year after year since the mullahs came to power. Think about the brutal crackdowns we saw and witnessed most recently in the most recent uprisings. But these uprisings are but a continuation of the uprisings we’ve seen over the last 60 years. We have seen tens and tens of thousands of MEK members murdered for no other reason than they want freedom for their country.

And at times like this when it feels as though we are maybe at the doorstep of a new Iran, let’s remember all those martyrs who brought us to this moment. Hazer, Hazer, Hazer! So, the message of the Iranian people is simple: Iran belongs to the people, not the tyrant. Not to monarchs, not to those who exploit religion to justify oppression. During the uprisings of 2024, millions of Iranians chanted ‘down with the oppressor, be it Shah or be it Supreme Leader’.

Let’s be absolutely clear: the attempt by the remnants of the monarchy to market themselves as a democratic alternative is a dangerous illusion. This is made even more evident by the sight of Pahlavi supporters wearing t-shirts, can you imagine this, jackets emblazoned with the insignia of the Shah’s dreaded secret police, the SAVAK. Can you imagine the baby Shah is out there and his supporters are wearing the symbol of their torture chambers? Their torture chambers!

How in the world can we say we condemn the IRGC, we condemn the Mullahs, but then we ignore history of the Shah? We ignore the history of the SAVAK secret police who was out there murdering their fellow Iranians before? And that is why the MEK is so legitimate and so credible, because Maryam Rajavi and all of her friends and followers have been fighting this battle for freedom way before the mullahs even took over.

Because their mission is really about freedom, it’s not about taking power. And they need to be given credit for the fact that their Ten-Point Plan under Maryam Rajavi is about democracy and the ballot box, not about bullets. It really is a sign of the kind of future that all free people around the world should want for Iran.

They should want free elections. They should want the people being in charge, not the mullahs, not the secret police, not the Shah, not the monarchy, not the dictators, but the people! But the people! They want separation of church and state, religion being used as a tool of oppression through these mullahs, through this Islamic fascism. This isn’t Islam, it’s fascism. And to have gender equality, and who better to help usher in a new day for Iran than a woman of the might and power of Maryam Rajavi!

And we should want not only an independent judiciary, because this current judiciary makes a mockery of the word judiciary, they rush people to the gallows and to the torture chambers. We want an independent, independent judicial system. And we want a non-nuclear Iran that is not spending all of its people’s money on more weapons but spends its money making sure the people of Iran have enough clean drinking water. How about that, mullahs? How about that? How about take care of your people?

How about for once you worry about your own people and their economic livelihood, their ability to live free lives, their ability to educate their children without the fear that those children are going to be swept up by the IRGC and brought to torture chambers and hung and shot and murdered. What are we thinking about this regime? Not only is acknowledged to be the world leader in state-sponsored terrorism, which means it’s a threat to every single freedom-loving country in the world, but most importantly to the people of Iran.

And what should be important to all of us as human beings is they are the largest and most prolific state that takes the lives of their own people by being the number one country in the world for executions of their own people. Imagine how it is that this fight for your freedom is not only about liberating the world from the threat of a tyrannical regime that terrorizes the world through all the state-sponsored terrorism, it’s about liberation for the people of Iran, because they are the truest victims of the terror of the mullahs and their IRGC.

So, we have seen the names of those around here who have given up their lives. But I want to say to you: thank you for making sure their names, their faces and their families are never forgotten. Because those that pulled the trigger, those that hung them, those that tortured them will never be remembered. Instead, it will be these brave martyrs who brought about the day where people could live in freedom, freedom from the fear of a government that doesn’t respect human rights.

It’ll be those martyrs that will be celebrated in a new Iran led by democracy and a democracy that will be made possible because of the resistance and because of the National Council on the Resistance of Iran. That has been an organization that has done a masterful job at pulling together all different types of communities who want to see a new Iran. And to her credit, Maryam Rajavi has been masterful in organizing a new political movement.

And those of us in our country, the United States, and those in Iran should be so grateful that there is a woman and an organization that is ready to usher in a new future for Iran. And you could not get someone who more represents what that future should look like. Yes, she has suffered, her family has suffered under dictatorship, under the Shah, under the Mullahs. But she is a kind and gentle person who cares with all her heart about making sure that democracy, love, compassion and tolerance are the order of the day for the future.

You know, over 60 years ago when my uncle was President of the United States, he went to Berlin because during that time, Berlin was the place where freedom was being tested. And John F. Kennedy uttered some of the most famous words of his whole presidency when he said, “Ich bin ein Berliner.” And what did he say in German? “I am a Berliner too.” And people said but no, you’re John Kennedy, you’re in the United States. But he didn’t say that.

He said the cause of freedom is bigger than any one of us. It’s a human cause that unites people all around the world. I may be Irish in my heritage, but I’m a human being and I am so grateful that I’ve grown up in a free country where my children do not have to be kidnapped by my government and tortured and shot and hung. The people of Iran demand nothing more than what every American takes for granted.

And we as Americans ought to stand by the cause of freedom because this year, the 250th anniversary of our founding, we should commit ourselves to the principles of democracy, not just here in the United States, but this is a movement that’s bigger than any one country. This is a movement about human dignity, and this is the movement that’s been unified thanks to the unwavering leadership of Madam Maryam Rajavi. Give a great hand to our friend and the leader of the national resistance, Madam Maryam Rajavi. Thank you Maryam, thank you so much for your leadership over these many years.

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