Madadzadeh understands what it’s like to imperil his safety and freedom. He was an activist for the National Council of Resistance of Iran and its main constituent group, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI or MEK), and was imprisoned from 2009 to 2014 for his support of the PMOI. He left Iran last year, at the age of 29.
Televised images of the NCRI gathering of over 100,000 Iranians and their international supporters helps reinforce hope for the activists still living in Iran. Madadzadeh states, “I know firsthand how moving the July 9 event will be for Iranian dissidents and activists back home. It is important that governments in the West heed its message. That same message is resonating from Paris and from the silent majority of Iranians back home: “Free Iran.”
The National Council of Resistance of Iran has been hosting the “Free Iran” events for over 10 years. Read about Farzad Madadzadeh’s experiences in his article in The Hill.
