202 Iranian athletes and sports figures have thanked the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom in a statement for its decision to award the 2026 Freedom Prize to Prince Reza Pahlavi on behalf of the Iranian people. Prince Reza Pahlavi's press office published the statement on Tuesday, 27 October 2026.
The statement is dated 25 October and signed by the "Association of Freedom-Seeking Athletes of Iran". The signatories describe the prize as a sign of the international community's attention to Iranians' struggle for freedom, to the suffering of political prisoners and to the families seeking justice. The full text and the names of the signatories have been published on the website of the "We Take Iran Back" campaign.
The athletes' demands
In the statement, the athletes name Prince Reza Pahlavi as the only political alternative they trust and as their representative for the transition away from the Islamic Republic. They write that Iran's sports community has paid a heavy price: a number of athletes and champions have been killed, and others are in prison with heavy sentences, including death sentences. The statement recalls the uprising of 8 and 9 January 2026 and its bloody suppression.
The signatories demand an end to the Islamic Republic, a free and democratic transition, the preservation of Iran's territorial integrity, the separation of religion and state, guaranteed civil rights and a future for the country decided by the people's free vote. They call on governments to press for an end to executions, the release of political prisoners, an end to torture and clarity on the fate of detainees; to abandon the policy of appeasing the Islamic Republic; to support free internet access for the people of Iran; and to use the Iranian nation's assets transparently and for the people's benefit.
A wave of support before the Frankfurt ceremony
The statement follows a letter by 170 Iranian Christian clergy and activists in support of the same prize. The Friedrich Naumann Foundation has awarded the 2026 Freedom Prize to the people of Iran, and Prince Reza Pahlavi is receiving it in trust, to hand it one day to the elected representatives of the Iranian people. The award ceremony will take place on 7 November in St. Paul's Church in Frankfurt, and the Prince's supporters have called for a rally in Frankfurt on the same day.
On the same Tuesday, Prince Reza Pahlavi had called on Iranians in a video message to join the national cooperation campaign to save Iran.
202 Iranian athletes named Prince Reza Pahlavi as their representative for the transition away from the Islamic Republic.
Comments
No comments yet. Be the first.