Report of the 16th Stockholm Conference
On Saturday, September 12, 2009, to mark the 21st anniversary of the massacre of political prisoners in the 1960s, a program attended by more than 350 people was held in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden. At the 21st anniversary program in Stockholm, three generations of left-wing activists came together to give speeches, recite poems, and perform music. The program was broadcast live on the Internet. The program, which was broadcast via YouTube and Facebook, was widely welcomed by Iranians from different countries, especially Iran.
The program began with a welcome to the audience and a minute of applause in memory and respect for the victims of the 1960s and the youth who were murdered in the streets and torture chambers of the regime during the recent uprising of the Iranian people by the ruling murderers. Roya continued the program with the “Prisoner’s Anthem”. Next, Shahin Pooya, the host of the 21st anniversary of the Stockholm program, read the statement of the Iranian Political Prisoners Association (in exile) written on the occasion of the 21st anniversary of the recent uprising and massacre of the people. A short video clip titled “This anger, to whom should I say that they kill generation after generation” was the next program that was shown. In this video clip, three historical periods of the struggles and massacres of the Iranian people were shown: the Constitutional Revolution, the repressions during the Pahlavi monarchy, the 1950s and 1960s uprising, the killing of political prisoners in the 1960s, and the popular uprising of June and July 2009.
Nehzat Ashtarani, the deceased daughter of Sultan Ali Ashtarani, was the first speaker at the 21st anniversary of the Stockholm Rally. In her speech, titled “In the bloody flood of summer 1888, the harvest of hope sprouted and her mother was set on fire,” she portrayed the lives of a mother and daughter who lost their husband and father during the massacre of political prisoners in the summer of 1888.
Iman Shirali, a social and political activist, the son of the deceased Iraj Shirali, was the second speaker at the 21st anniversary of the Stockholm Rally. In part of his speech, he described the situation of the young generation, their wishes and demands in Iran. In another part of his speech, he said: The voices of people like my father and thousands of young people of that era have never been silenced in Iran. Never. Not just because we, their children, did not and will not let them. Because their words were words of justice and truth, and this cannot be silenced.
Abbas Samakar, an exiled poet and writer, was the third speaker at the 21st anniversary of the Stockholm Rally. In his speech, he compared the struggles of two generations and described popular organizing in the recent uprising.
At the beginning of the second part of the program, Pavan read a statement issued by the families of the victims on the occasion of the anniversary of the massacre. He concluded by calling for the Islamic Republic regime to be tried in an international people’s court.
Leftist activist Shokoofeh Montazeri, the daughter of the late Hamid Montazeri, was the fourth speaker at the 21st anniversary of the Stockholm Rally. In part of her speech, she said, referring to the recent uprising, “All these years I have wondered what my father was thinking about when they put the noose around his neck? Which of us was he thinking about outside waiting for him? Now I know none of us. At that moment, my father was thinking about a day like this.”
Hejir Plasci, a journalist and writer in exile, was the fifth speaker at the 21st anniversary of the Stockholm Roundtable. He gave a speech entitled “We Rise from Our Stomped Half.” In part, he said, “My generation came to Khavaran to defend radical politics. My generation wanted to bring politics back to society from the unmarked graves of Khavaran.”
Iraj Jannati Ata’i, a songwriter and playwright in exile, was the next guest at the 21st anniversary of the Stockholm Round. He brought excitement and enthusiasm to the anniversary program with his beautiful poems “Don’t Be Like Me”, “Always Arrive Late”, “I Will Become a Perfume” and “Bon Bast”. Two musicians, Yara and Masoud, accompanied Iraj Jannati Ata’i by playing songs by him.
Nahid Naimi was the next guest of the 21st anniversary program, performing a solo with her captivating voice. Nahid concluded her artistic program by performing the song “Khon Arghawanha” (Purple Blood) and the audience joined in.
Nader, a talented singer and regular at Stockholm anniversary programs, along with Saeed, a keyboardist, were the next guests at the 21st anniversary program of Stockholm. Nader and Saeed brought the anniversary program to its destination by performing several beautiful Balochi and Persian songs and the anthem “Khun Arghawanha”.
In the middle of the program, Shahin Pouya, the host of the anniversary program, gave a short speech praising the struggles of the families of the deceased and, in recognition of their resistance against the oppression and suffering they have suffered, presented a beautiful bouquet of flowers to the mother of a weapon fighter who lost her three sons and son-in-law in the struggle against the two regimes of the Shah and the Sheikh, on behalf of mothers, wives, and sisters.
The responsibility for filming, lighting, technical work, and sound recording for the 21st anniversary program fell to Mehdi and Ramin, colleagues who have always been with Stockholm anniversary programs.
The TV channels of the Communist Party of Iran-Komala, Asosat, the TV channel of the Kurdistan Workers’ Organization of Iran (Komala) and Rozhalat, the TV channel of the Komala Party filmed the program. Radio Pajhwok, the Persian section of the Swedish National Radio and several local Persian-language radio stations provided reports and interviews on the anniversary program.
The Foreign Committee of the Communist Party of Iran and the Swedish Committee of the Komaleh Party sent messages for the program.
Iranian Political Prisoners’ Association (in exile) – Stockholm Branch