Dorien Rookmaker: Women Leaders in Iran Have Changed the Meaning of Political Power

Staff WriterFebruary 24, 2026
Dorien Rookmaker: Women Leaders in Iran Have Changed the Meaning of Political Power
At an international conference on February 21, 2026,

Former Dutch MEP Dorien Rookmaker addresses an international meeting honoring the 2026 International Women’s Day on February 21, 2026
Written by
Shahriar Kia

At an international conference on February 21, 2026, held ahead of International Women’s Day, former Member of the European Parliament Dorien Rookmaker stated that Iranian women in the Resistance have done more than provide inspiration — they have “changed the nature of leadership.” In remarks centered on women’s leadership and democratic transition, Rookmaker said the lesson of the conference was that women should not be treated only as role models, but as political leaders “on the basis of equality and not of authority.”

She also said the balance of fear in Iran is shifting, arguing that “fear has shifted sides” and that the regime now shows not strength but weakness in its escalating repression. “The change is going to come. Democracy is going to come,” she said, calling it a matter of timing rather than possibility.

The former Dutch MEP Rookmaker also devoted a significant part of her remarks to what she described as a smear campaign against the NCRI, saying she had initially been warned that the organization was “communist,” “probably a sect,” and would “brainwash” supporters. She rejected those claims as false and said she conducted her own review, explaining, “I am a risk manager—that’s my profession,” and that she questioned both NCRI representatives and people she identified as regime agents before deciding to support Mrs. Maryam Rajavi.

She said the regime-linked voices were “telling lies” and “incongruent,” and then extended that criticism to the monarchist camp, adding that among “the people who are supporting the Shah,” she found the same problem: “they were empty. They’re not fighting for a cause; they are fighting for money.” Framing the issue as one of political credibility rather than slogans, Rookmaker said outsiders should not choose Iran’s next leader, but can support “the one who is in the best place” to lead a democratic transition.

The full script of Dorien Rookmaker’s speech follows:

I’m so happy and honored to be standing here. Maryam Rajavi, thank you for all you have done. It is so much that if I were to spell it all out, it would take over a week, so I’m not doing this.

This morning, we had a session, and we are all so full of admiration for the way you are an example to us. In the West, we often speak of the role of women as a role model, and this is important, of course.

But this morning, we understood that you’re not [just] a role model and women shouldn’t be [just] role models. You can, but what you have shown us is that you changed the nature of leadership. You say it’s not that we have to be role models; we have to be women leaders because we will lead on the basis of equality and not of authority.

I’m so happy to be standing here because I’m grateful that we’re on the brink of a big, big change. The main shift is that fear has shifted sides. First, it was the people of Iran who were afraid of the regime, but now the regime is afraid of the people—not only in Iran but also the opposition here, and we can feel it, and they show it.

The change is going to come. People have already told us, and everybody here knows, the change is going to come. Democracy is going to come. It’s only a matter of time. We don’t know when, but it will.

A regime of terror like the one we’ve seen in Iran is madness. It has a face of madness. But when it’s going to crumble, it also shows a face of weakness. The kind of oppression that the mullahs’ regime in Iran is now showing demonstrates its weakness day in and day out, and this is very important.

When I got to know you, your organization, and the NCRI, I was at first a little bit reluctant because people warned me from all sides. They said, “The NCRI, they are terrible communist people, they’re probably a sect, and they will brainwash you. Once you’re brainwashed, you will only speak what they tell you to speak.” But of course, this is not true.

They said you’re a communist, and of course, communism is something that you should be far from. So, I did my own investigation. I am a risk manager—that’s my profession—and as a risk manager, you learn to ask questions of everybody to see if they’re telling the truth.

I asked questions of your people in the European Parliament, and I asked questions of other people from the Iranian regime—the agents. It was inevitable for me that the choice I made to support your organization and you, Maryam Rajavi, was the right one.

For instance, I could recognize the agents of the regime because they were telling lies and they were incongruent. But from the people who are supporting the Shah, I could see the same: they were empty. They’re not fighting for a cause; they are fighting for money.

I think the West, and probably the whole world, is in a sort of moral crisis. We feel an emptiness, and I think people need a larger goal, a larger cause to connect with. Especially in the West, I can see that is missing—in our country as well.

Young people are searching for a goal, for an objective to connect with that is larger than themselves. I think the Iranian people are unlucky because they have suffered so long under such a crazy regime, but they are lucky because they know what they’re fighting for: democracy in Iran.

I would call on everybody in the West, especially the European Parliament, to make this connection to this goal: democracy in Iran and the [ousting] of the current regime. We can be involved.

There are a lot of people in the Netherlands who say, “If we’re going to say what has to happen in Iran, we step out of line because it’s their country and they have to figure it out.” And I agree with them.

I think it’s the Iranian people who should decide who will lead them. It’s not our business, but we can support the one who is in the best place to do so, and I think this is Maryam Rajavi.

I want to thank you all. On the way to this meeting, I was sitting next to a lady who was telling me about her life—her life in Ashraf 3, her life in Ashraf 1—and it was such a nice story.

I am not going to tell it here because I told her, “You have to write it down.” I’m sure there are a lot of people in this room who have similar stories. I’ve heard a lot of them during the last years, and I would call on everybody who has a beautiful, compelling story to tell: write it down.

Write it down and share it with us, because if you share your story, I’m sure the good people in the West—and there are good people in the West—will support you and connect with your cause. Thank you.

Staff WriterFebruary 24, 2026
Arab-Islamic Committee in Defence of Ashraf
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