At an online conference held by the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) on March 15, 2026, former Tunisian Minister for Women Sihem Badi voiced strong support for the Iranian people’s uprising and emphasized the central role of women in shaping the country’s future.
Addressing an international audience of policymakers and activists, Badi described the struggle of Iranian women as a “powerful symbol of dignity and resistance,” inspiring millions worldwide. She praised NCRI President-elect Maryam Rajavi for her leadership, stating that the fight for freedom and equality can grow from individual acts of courage into a historic movement.
Badi stressed that the protests in Iran are no longer isolated but represent a nationwide demand for justice, freedom, and democratic change. She firmly rejected both a return to the former monarchy and the continuation of the current clerical regime, declaring that “the past is past” and that Iran’s future must be decided solely by its people through a free and inclusive democratic process.
She also highlighted the importance of a secular system and warned against international inaction, arguing that neutrality is no longer an option. According to Badi, developments in Iran will have significant global and regional consequences.
She concluded by calling for unity in supporting the Iranian people’s aspirations for a free and democratic Iran.
A translated version of Sihem Badi’s speech follows:
I am very happy to be with you today. You have been waiting for this day for a long time.
Today, I speak because I support the Iranian people, who are courageously rising up against the dictatorship of the regime and against all forms of oppression that have suffocated fundamental freedoms for far too long.
The struggle I want especially to salute today is the struggle of Iranian women. It has become a powerful symbol — a powerful symbol of dignity and resistance. Their courage in the face of repression inspires not only their own people, but millions around the world.
And among this group of women activists, there is one woman who has shown remarkable courage and resistance: Mrs. Maryam Rajavi. She has demonstrated that the fight for freedom, equality, and respect for human rights can begin with a simple act of courage and grow into a historic movement.
Today, it is not only isolated individuals who are protesting. It is an entire people rising up to demand justice, freedom, and a better future. Young people, workers, students, and families are all carrying the hope of a deep and long-awaited change.
Former Tunisian Minister @SihemBadi: "I salute @Maryam_Rajavi, whose words heal and transform into weapons of resistance that intimidate dictators. We will not relent; we will continue to wield words as weapons. These tools of resistance will persist until we reclaim our rights —… pic.twitter.com/zR2r8aB2rV
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) March 8, 2024
It must be said clearly: freedom and democracy cannot come from a return to the old regime, which caused so much suffering and injustice. We cannot reproduce the same system that inflicted such damage. There is ample evidence of the crimes committed against this people over decades.
Nor can they be embodied by the Shah’s son or by a restoration of the past. The past is past. Today, there are men and women who have worked hard and sacrificed greatly to reflect on and prepare the construction of a free and democratic Iran.
I believe that today they are ready, and they have the right to participate in building the long-awaited democracy in Iran. The future of Iran must be decided by the Iranian people, as Mrs. Maryam Rajavi has repeatedly emphasized. It is the Iranian people — and they alone — who must determine Iran’s future.
That future must once again be decided by the Iranian people themselves through a free and inclusive democratic process. True change can only arise from the will of the people, from just institutions, and from genuine respect for human rights. Iran deserves a future built on justice, freedom, and peace.
Former #Tunisian Minister @SihemBadi: "Throughout this year, the Iranian resistance has fortified its principles and intensified its struggle against tyranny and oppression, which plague #Iran. Strengthened by growing numbers of supporters rallying to its cause, the Iranian… pic.twitter.com/8kDhbmdwhJ
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) March 22, 2024
The transitional government proposed by Maryam Rajavi has clearly emphasized this principle: freedom and peace. I hope that the future will allow us to finally realize this dream — a dream that, perhaps today, with your determination, with the uprising of this people, and with so many around the world supporting you, is closer than ever to becoming reality against all forms of dictatorship.
The dictatorship of the current regime, and the dictatorships others seek to impose… Today, we cannot remain neutral. We cannot watch without acting. We must support the Iranian people and your movement, because this struggle will have consequences not only for Iran but on a global scale. It will reshape politics and geopolitics in the region.
[…] It is time to help this people finally realize their dream, to live their democracy, to open the prison doors, to end repression and dictatorship — and as you have rightly said: neither Shah nor mullah. Today, we want democracy, freedom, and a secular system. And I believe that with you, it is entirely possible to achieve this.
Let us seize this moment and not let it pass without action. Together, we stand with you, we support you — and long live a free and democratic Iran.