For many families in Georgia, news from Iran is not distant foreign policy. It is personal. It is about parents, children, relatives and friends whose lives are shaped by events thousands of miles away. That is why developments involving Iran should matter here at home.
Much of the world’s attention is now focused on the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which a major share of global oil and gas shipments pass. When tensions rise there, the consequences are not limited to the Middle East.
They reach Georgia through higher gas prices, rising transportation costs, market uncertainty and broader economic pressure.
But Iran is not only a story about shipping lanes, oil prices or military headlines. It is also a story about people. Behind every headline are millions of Iranians who want the same things families in Georgia want: safety, economic opportunity, dignity and a voice in their future. Instead, many face repression, censorship and fear.
Executions are signs of profound fear by the regime
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Recent executions highlight that reality. Eight members of the resistance units affiliated with the Mujahedin e Khalq were executed between March 30 and April 20.
Their main charge was membership in an organization seeking to replace the current theocracy with a democratic and free republic. They included Hamed Validi; Mohammad Nima Masoom Shahi; Pouya Ghobadi; Akbar Daneshvarkar; Mohammad Taghavi; Vahid Bani Amerian; Abolhassan Montazer; and Babak Alipour. They represented courage, conviction and the refusal to surrender to tyranny. Their legacy lives not only in how they died, but in what they stood for: freedom and dignity.
These executions are not signs of strength; they are signs of profound fear. Governments that enjoy genuine public support do not need gallows and intimidation to maintain control. This reality was a central theme in the speech delivered on May 16 by Maryam Rajavi, the president elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran.
Rajavi warned against the dual threats facing the Iranian democratic movement: the international policy of appeasement that seeks to preserve the regime, and the remnants of the Shah’s dictatorship, which she described as “wolves in sheep’s clothing” aiming to resurrect the dreaded SAVAK secret police.
Drawing a clear line toward the future, Rajavi affirmed that the regime’s overthrow will be realized exclusively through the will of the Iranian people and their organized resistance. “We do not wait for this regime to collapse spontaneously, nor do we expect external actors to change it,” she declared. “The Army of Liberation is the only way to freedom.”
July 20 gathering in Paris will rally for freedom
Despite sending prominent members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran and rebellious protesters to the gallows, the regime has fundamentally failed to quell the unrest. Rajavi highlighted the unyielding courage of the Resistance Units, pointing to their relentless daily operations and the recent assault by 250 MEK freedom fighters on the Supreme Leader’s headquarters. “They are acutely aware that this offensive has galvanized a new generation toward resistance and battle,” she stated.
This message of resilience will be amplified on a global stage this summer. On July 20, more than 100,000 supporters are expected to gather in Paris for a major international demonstration.
This event will serve as a powerful signal to the international community that the desire for a free, democratic Iran has only grown stronger in the face of repression. For those of us in Georgia, this global mobilization underscores that the fight for freedom in Iran is not an isolated struggle, but part of a worldwide movement for justice and human rights.
The people of Iran want neither the shah nor the sheikh. They reject both monarchy and religious tyranny. Their demand is freedom, justice, popular sovereignty and the right to choose their own government.
Georgia is home to people from many backgrounds who understand that liberty and human dignity are universal values. What happens in Iran matters here because our communities are connected through family, shared humanity and the belief that freedom belongs to everyone. The Strait of Hormuz may affect our markets, but the struggle inside Iran speaks to something even greater: the universal desire to live free.
Batool Zamani is an Iranian American human rights advocate based in Atlanta and president of the Iranian American Community of Georgia.
Send letters to the editor of 250 words or fewer with your name, city or town and contact information to letters@ajc.com.
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