Carla Sands: Female Leadership in the Iranian Resistance is the Guarantee for Overthrowing the Velayat-e Faqih Regime and Establishing a Democratic Republic

Carla Sands, U.S. Ambassador to Denmark and the Faroe Islands (2017–2021), stated today that the liberation of Iranian women is inseparable from the liberation of the entire Iranian people. She emphasized that the courage of Iranian women has shattered all the myths promoted by successive dictatorships.

Sands stated: "We all recognize the extent of the institutionalized humiliation and discrimination women face under the Velayat-e Faqih regime—a tyrannical monster with a track record of zero in all fields. However, our focus today must be on the achievements of women who have transformed from the role of 'victim' to the 'leadership of the national resistance movement.'"

She added: "There is a historical misconception suggesting that women enjoyed rights during the Shah's era; this is a false claim. The Shah's regime was a brutal dictatorship that ruled through torture, execution, and intimidation. This is why the Iranian people reject a return to the monarchy and view Reza Pahlavi as a continuation of this repressive legacy."

Citing historical facts, Sands continued: "A dictatorship cannot offer equality. The Shah himself confirmed this in his 1973 interview with Oriana Fallaci, when he stated that women do not count for anything unless they are beautiful and maintain their femininity, and that they cannot be equal to men before the law. He reiterated his misogynistic positions with Barbara Walters in 1977, questioning the ability of women to govern or possess scientific creativity."

Sands explained: "What we see today in the female leadership of the Iranian resistance—specifically within the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK), which has been led by women for over three decades—has invalidated all those illusions. These women have offered not only a political commitment but a moral and intellectual one, accompanied by immense sacrifices. Tens of thousands of them have faced arrest and torture at the hands of Khamenei the Executioner and his repressive apparatus."

Sands emphasized: "The rebellious youth in Iranian cities, led by these courageous women, are the driving force for democratic change. We witnessed their decisive role in the 2022 uprising, as well as in the recent uprising in January of this year. These women are not waiting for history to change; they are making history themselves under the leadership of Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, who has broken taboos and opened new horizons for women's political participation."

Sands concluded her statement by saying: "The freedom of Iran will not come from the illusions of the past or a return to any form of tyranny, whether represented by the crown or the turban. Freedom lies in overthrowing this misogynistic regime and establishing a democratic republic based on the separation of religion and state, as outlined in Mrs. Rajavi's 10-point plan. A free Iran is not just a dream; it is a commitment forged by the sacrifices of women and a leadership whose power transcends all dictatorships of the past and present."