After the IslamicRevolution the clerics and their supporters took over power as the new leaders in Iran. By organizing an undemocratic style of a so-called referendum, which was nothing but an emotional manipulation based on lies and by using misleading propaganda in order to choose the form of system, a dangerous ideology called The Islamic Republic gave the new power its legitimacy. Many well-known political figures becoming aware of this immediately started their widespread efforts to put an end to this nightmare of Mullahs in Iran.

November 4, 1979, nine months after Islamic Revolution in Iran designed by Soviet KGB, a group called “the Moslem Student Followers of the Imam Line” played a central role in the seizure of the United States embassy in Tehran and took American Diplomat as hostage for 444 days. Based on authentic documents that have been published three decades after the hostage crisis, many of those so-called students who stormed the embassy were in fact not students at all. They were instead special force of the newly created Revolutionary Guards backed by Soviet intelligence services. Office for Strengthening of Unity Between Universities and Theological Seminaries (OCU) was the name this group picked to have more influence in Iran’s post-revolution politics. During the crackdown on universities in 1980, which Khomeini called the Islamic Cultural Revolution, the OSU played a critical role in purging dissident lecturers and students many of whom were arrested and later executed. The Cultural Revolution shut down Iran’s Higher Education system for 4 years to completely Islamize it. It took a decade to see again the sign of students movement to resist Islamic regime of Iran.

On July 9th 1980 the last prime minister of Shah, Dr. Shahpour Bakhtiar, together with a number of airforce officers building a commandounit, was planned a coup d’etat in Hamedan Shahrokhi Airbase. The “Operation Shahrokhi Airbase” task was to seize control of the airbase and to overthrow the regime. The coup attempt was leaked and the regime was able to arrest the ones involved and shortly after executed them all.

The crackdown on universities in 1980, which Khomeini called the “Islamic Cultural Revolution” closed all universities for several years and left many individual student cores disabled of any sort of activities. In the early 90s the Islamic Regime was finally able to stage an image of stability to the outside world. This led to a period of frustration among those still struggling for freedom and democracy. It forced them to build their underground movement to fight the Islamic Regime.On July 9th 1999 a new wave of student protests came back to life. Soon after, key members of the movement were arrested and charged´with long term jail sentences and brutal tortures. In 2002 the movement took its shape based on a suggestion made by late Mohammad Bagher Fakhravar, brought individuals together to organize themselves. Arzhang Davoodi, Amir Abbas Fakhravar, Iman Samizadeh, Potkin Azarmehr, Dr. Bijan Karimi, Mohammad Shams and Parvin Ghaffari were among the members who formed the “Iranian Freedom Movement” in 2003 and later the “Confederation of Iranian Students” Arzhang Davoodi was then arrested on charge of founding the “Iranian Freedom Movement” and was first setenced to 25 years and later in 2014 recieved a death sentence and is currently being held on death row in an Islamic Regime prison.

On February 20, 2006, on the third anniversary of the foundation of “Iranian Freedom Movement” a letter was signed by more than 600 activists and members of various movements who came together demanding unity among freedom and democracy-seeking political and human rights activists by building the National Iranian Council. In March 2006 Mr. Abbas Amir-Entezam, a famous political prisoner who had experienced more than two decades of imprisonment in the Islamic Regime, wrote a statement inviting all activists inside Iran and abroad to support the National Iranian Congress and to join its quest in achieving freedom and democracy in Iran. At the same time a number of political prisoners drafted a“Freedom Charter” from inside prison and accordingly a manifesto known as “The Alasht Manifesto” was created. The freedom Charter created inside prison contained 10 paragraphs and was later published and signed by over 900 political activists. Our final version of the Freedom Charter has been inspired by this document.

On January 12th 2014 a number of Iranians with a strong core belief in freedom and democracy formed a committee who created a mission for the National Iranian Congress containing three goals. On March 21st 2014 the Founding Council was created. On November 21st 2016 the General Assembly of the National Iranian Council took place. After the Statute was approved an election was held for the three branches of the National Iranian Congress (Senate, Executive Cabinet and Judiciary) and its members were chosen and so the NIC officially started its activities officially.