Iranian opposition leader Reza Pahlavi received a “Freedom Prize” on Saturday in Frankfurt, in Germany’s central state of Hesse.
Police reported that approximately 18,000 people rallied in support of Pahlavi.
The ceremony was held at St. Paul’s Church, the historic site of Germany’s first elected parliament, the Frankfurt Assembly, which convened in 1848–1849.
Pahlavi is the son of Iran’s last shah, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, an autocrat who fled into exile after being deposed in the 1979 revolution.
The revolution was followed by Iran’s transformation into an Islamic republic and the consolidation of power around the Shiite Muslim clergy.
The award was presented by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, which is affiliated with the pro-business Free Democratic Party (FDP).
Reza Pahlavi’s Remarks on the Award
Pahlavi said that Iran “is a country not waiting to be taught democracy, but one being prevented from practicing it.”
“A people ready to die for the right to vote is willing to exercise the right to vote,” he said.
Rights groups say thousands were killed in a government crackdown on protests in January.
“You could not have chosen a people who better understand the meaning of the word ‘freedom,'” he said.
He stressed that he was accepting the prize only as a “trustee” until a democratically elected government comes to power in Iran.
“I hold it only temporarily,” he said. “One day I will place it in the hands of its rightful owners, not on foreign soil but in the capital, Tehran.”
The speech was accompanied by chants of “Long live the shah, long live Iran!” from the crowd.
Pahlavi has previously offered to lead a transitional government if Iran transitions to democracy, and has said he does not intend to use such a role to reinstate the monarchy under his father’s dynasty, instead leaving that decision to a future referendum.
Iranians Criticize Freedom Prize for Pahlavi
While Pahlavi has emerged as a figurehead for some factions within Iran’s anti-government movement, others have criticized his vocal support for Israel and accused him of failing to distance himself from his father’s autocratic rule.
According to the AFP news agency, Sahar Sanaie, spokesperson for the Society for German-Iranians in Hesse, said around 200 prisoners held in Iran signed a letter protesting Pahlavi’s receipt of the prize.
The letter described him as a symbol of a “bygone dictatorship.”
The Frankfurt branches of the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) and the environmentalist Greens boycotted the event, stating that he cannot be considered a legitimate representative of the Iranian people.
The socialist Left Party argued that the church could not be used as a venue because Frankfurt city statutes prohibit the use of places of worship for political gatherings.
Also Read
- Russia fires North Korean missiles at ‘key’ Ukrainian energy facility, Zelenskyy says
- Berkshire Hathaway more than doubles buybacks in third quarter as earnings decline
- United Against Jihadism: Persecuted Minorities Forge Alliance with Jewish Communities
- The Lions by the River Tigris: Restoring Mosul’s artefacts