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Russia holds memorial for Gen. Soleimani on 5th martyrdom anniversary
A memorial ceremony was held in Russian capital on Thursday to commemorate Iranian Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani who was assassinated by the United States in Iraq in 2020.
The event, titled “Spiritual Unity of the Peoples of Russia and Iran,” was organized by the All-Russian People’s Union and attended by Iran’s Ambassador to Moscow, Kazem Jalali, along with a number of Russian scholars and intellectuals.
Addressing the ceremony, the adviser to the head of RosGeo, Russia’s largest state-owned geological holding Dmitry Malyshev praised the late Iranian anti-terror commander Soleimani for his exceptional valor, honesty, and wisdom.
Malyshev noted that the ceremony coincided with the fifth anniversary of General Soleimani’s assassination, adding that participants were remembering heroes who, like Soleimani, served humanity.
“One could even say this occasion is a celebration for us,” Malyshev said, “because Qassem Soleimani is still with us today.”
General Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the second-in-command of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), and their companions were assassinated in a US drone strike authorized by US President Donald Trump near Baghdad International Airport on January 3, 2020.
Calling General Soleimani’s loss a tremendous tragedy, Malyshev said it was accurate to describe him as the victim of a terrorist act.
He concluded by saying that those responsible for the assassination — both those who carried it out and those who ordered it — would ultimately be held accountable.
Sergey Baburin, a former deputy of the Russian State Duma, said the assassination of General Soleimani was a very clear violation of international regulations, criticizing the silence of the international community towards the terrorist act.
Despite Trump’s claiming responsibility for the assassination, the advocates of international law did not condemn the US move.
Özgür Bursali, Secretary-General of Turkey’s Patriotic Party, was another speaker at the event who said General Soleimani had left behind “a very great legacy,” adding his path continues to be followed.
He described Iran as resisting “imperialism and Zionism in a heroic manner,” and said the party believes Soleimani was assassinated on this path, but that “thousands of other Soleimanis were born” as a result.
Bursali also argued that the world is approaching “the end of US hegemony and the power structure designed after World War II.”
General Soleimani was highly revered across West Asia because of his key role in fighting the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group in the region, particularly in Iraq and Syria.
Two days after his assassination, Iraqi lawmakers approved a bill that required the government to end the presence of all foreign military forces led by the US in the country.