In the heart of December 2025, a series of events and statements have brought Iran’s ongoing struggle for democracy, human rights, and national sovereignty into sharp international focus. From the embattled streets of Sistan and Baluchestan to the solemn arches of Ypres, Belgium, voices are rising—some in defiance, others in mourning, but all united by a common demand: freedom from tyranny, whether it wears a crown or a turban.
On December 12, the People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI) Resistance Units launched a coordinated campaign across Sistan and Baluchestan, Iran’s southeastern province long marked by unrest and repression. According to reporting from Iran’s opposition networks, the campaign disseminated revolutionary messages and slogans that rejected both the restoration of monarchy and the continuation of theocratic rule. The PMOI’s message was clear: only a democratic republic, grounded in popular sovereignty and respect for the rights of all nationalities, can secure Iran’s future. As their slogans echoed, “No to monarchy, no to the mullahs—yes to democracy and equality,” and “Dictatorship is dictatorship, whether with a turban or a crown.”
This campaign did not shy away from the regime’s harshest tactics. It openly condemned the Iranian government’s reliance on executions as a tool of repression, arguing that capital punishment is wielded to silence dissent and maintain the regime’s grip on power. The Resistance Units highlighted the growing opposition to executions within Iranian society, asserting that demonization campaigns and mass accusations serve as pretexts for the suppression and execution of resistance members. In a direct challenge to the authorities in Sistan and Baluchestan, the messages denounced attempts to intimidate the Baluch people into silence through the threat of death, reaffirming a commitment to an Iran without execution or torture.
Importantly, the campaign positioned the struggle for the rights of Iran’s diverse ethnicities as inseparable from the broader national resistance. It rejected accusations of secessionism, emphasizing that the guarantee of nationalities’ rights, as outlined by the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), is fundamental to the integrity of a democratic Iran. The campaign also acknowledged the sacrifices of those who have given their lives for freedom, democracy, and human rights, and condemned Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei for holding political prisoners under inhumane conditions. The message was resolute: freedom and democracy will be won through the organized resistance and uprising of the Iranian people themselves—not through foreign intervention or fabricated alternatives.
On the international stage, these calls for justice found a poignant echo. Just one day earlier, on December 11, the Menin Gate in Ypres, Belgium—a memorial to the more than 54,000 Commonwealth soldiers who died in World War I and have no known grave—served as the setting for a ceremony marking International Human Rights Day. As reported by Townhall, the event was charged with historical symbolism, drawing a direct line between the sacrifices made on the muddy fields of Flanders and those made by Iranians executed for supporting the democratic opposition, the PMOI/MEK. The ceremony honored some 100,000 Iranians killed by the regime over the past four decades, including children like thirteen-year-old Fatemeh Mesbah, who was hanged for distributing leaflets. Many, like her, were denied even the dignity of a marked grave, their families forbidden to mourn—a stark reminder of the regime’s relentless efforts to erase dissent from memory.
Struan Stevenson, former member of the European Parliament and coordinator of the Campaign for Iran Change, attended the ceremony alongside Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the NCRI, and former Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme. Stevenson drew a powerful comparison: “Just as the young soldiers of Passchendaele faced machine guns and artillery for liberty, Iran’s martyrs faced the rope, the bullet and the torturer’s chair for the same universal ideals.” He warned that forgetting such sacrifices dishonors the very foundations of freedom and called on the international community to stand with those resisting oppression in Iran—not tomorrow, but now.
Maryam Rajavi’s presence at the Menin Gate underscored the continuity between sacrifice and hope. Her vision for Iran—one of a secular republic based on the separation of religion and state, gender equality, and respect for human rights—stood in stark contrast to the regime’s ongoing barbarism. According to Townhall, her message resonated with the crowd and reinforced the resolve of those advocating for change both inside and outside Iran.
Yet, the challenges facing the Iranian people are not limited to internal repression. On December 14, Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi, in an interview with Al Jazeera English, addressed the broader geopolitical tensions facing the country. Araghchi stated, “We have never trusted the United States as an honest negotiator. The US has not been sincere in anything, and in my view, no one can trust America. However, this does not mean that diplomacy should be abandoned.” He acknowledged the ongoing threat of war, particularly from Israel, which he accused of engaging in psychological warfare to instill fear within Iran. Despite these threats, Araghchi insisted that Iran’s armed forces and people are fully prepared to defend the country under any circumstances, but that “there is no solution to existing issues other than a negotiated and diplomatic one.”
Araghchi’s remarks reflected a longstanding skepticism in Tehran regarding Western intentions, but also a pragmatic recognition of the need for diplomacy. He urged the United States to “respect the Iranian people and the system they have chosen for themselves,” while affirming that military attacks cannot destroy technology, knowledge, or the will of the Iranian nation.
Meanwhile, the shadow of terrorism and extremism continues to loom over both Iran and the global Iranian diaspora. In a recent commentary, social activist Leila Naseri recounted the brutal repression that followed the 1979 revolution, which forced thousands of Iranians into exile and spurred the formation of a broad resistance movement. Naseri emphasized that the threat of extremist violence is not confined to Iran’s borders. She cited a deadly terrorist attack in Sydney on December 14, 2025, which targeted the Jewish community and claimed 15 lives, as a grim reminder that no community is immune to extremism. Naseri also detailed a litany of extraterritorial attacks and assassination plots attributed to the Islamic Republic, underscoring the regime’s willingness to silence dissent wherever it may be found.
Naseri’s call to action was unequivocal: “Just as Iranians have stood against tyranny for decades, it is now essential for all societies—Iranian and non-Iranian alike—to unite against extremism, hatred, and violence; for peace, security, and a future in which no human being is targeted because of their beliefs, religion, or nationality.” She advocated support for Reza Shah II and the movement for the restoration of a national, popular government in Iran as the only path to ending the cycle of violence and repression.
As 2025 draws to a close, Iran stands at a crossroads. The convergence of grassroots resistance, international solidarity, and the persistent threat of external and internal violence has created what opposition activists describe as an “exceptional moment” in the nation’s history. The struggle for democracy and human rights in Iran is far from over, but the courage and resilience of those who continue to resist—both at home and abroad—offer a glimmer of hope that the arc of history may yet bend toward justice.
