By H. Sheibani

Along with the other guys I was sitting in the dining hall. We were all very anxious and watching TV showing live tens of thousands of Iranians flooding into Paris. A huge crowd had gathered in Villepinte town hall and they were all in such high spirits. But this was still considered the quiet moments before the actual storm…

Finally, the right moment arrived. She came. Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, the opposition leader that terrifies the ayatollah dictatorship in Iran. None of us in Camp Ashraf, and the massive crowd in Paris, was so delighted and we were all screaming of joy. From the dining halls in Camp Ashraf all the way to Paris, it was full of joy. On that my friend, Akbar Madadzadeh, seemed to be the happiest person on earth.

Akbar was physically with us that day, but it appeared as if his spirit was somewhere else. Maybe in Paris near Mrs. Rajavi. Until the very last moment that the program was aired he was sitting in the dining hall and enjoying the rally.

The days passed on one after another until April 8, 2011. On that day Iraqi forces loyal to former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki – a puppet of the regime in Iran – attacked Camp Ashraf, gunned down dozens of residents and crushed many under HUMVEE military vehicles, including my friend Akbar…Up to the very last moment he stood against them until he too was gunned down with a bullet that ripped his body…

As a member of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran he had dedicated, and finally sacrificed, his life to bring about freedom in Iran. I see Akbar and many other fallen friends in the smiling faces of those gathering in Paris every year. This year, on June 13, once again Iranians from across the globe, along with the hundreds of international dignitaries that support Maryam Rajavi, will show there is a thirst for change in Iran. They will show there is a will that is seeking to bring about change in Iran. And they will show they are ready to rise for that very moment to free their country, Iran…