Political Quotes

“I rise today to honor the profound courage and sacrifice of a woman whose story embodies the enduring struggle for freedom and human dignity in Iran, a woman known simply and lovingly as Aziz, meaning 'dear' or 'beloved.' Her full name is Aziz Rezaee, and she is a mother of resistance. Aziz was born Zahra Norowzi in 1929 in Tehran. Like many mothers around the world, she married young, raised a large family, and worked to give her children a better future. The tides of Iranian history pulled her family into the heart of political repression and terror. Aziz endured a heartbreak that no parent should ever face, which is the loss of nine members of her family: three sons, two daughters, and two sons-in-law. They were all killed across two successive dictatorships that feared the voices of those seeking democracy and basic rights. This happened first under the Shah and later under the clerical regime that replaced him. Her children's only so-called crime was their involvement in Iran's democratic opposition movement, a movement that dared to say that the people of Iran deserved liberty, justice, and respect for human rights. During the rule of the Shah, three of Aziz' children were imprisoned and tortured. One was killed in the street by secret police. Aziz herself was arrested in 1975 and spent more than 3 years in prison. She was tortured. She was flogged. She was hung upside down. She was forced into solitary confinement. Yet, she never broke.”