The election held recently in Iran represents an internal conflict between two factions who are seeking to make the case to each other that they can do a better job at prolonging this brutal regime, former Democratic congressman told a conference at the European Parliament on Wednesday.
“The West should not confuse this as anything other than a power struggle. And the West should not look at this as anything order than a sign that the regime’s days are numbered” he added.
Below is excerpts of speech by former member of U.S. Congress.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman and thank you to the Committee for a Free Iran for convening this important meeting.
I want to thank Madam Rajavi for your continued courage and leadership.
I want to thank the MEK, NCRI for your constant exposition of these issues. I want to thank you for exposing the nuclear program in Iran.
We all owe an enormous debt of gratitude to the Iranian Resistance and the MEK for we would not have had that nuclear agreement, we would have not brought the world to tension at such an important period of time had it not been for the extensive intelligence that your organization which has wide support throughout Iran and the best testimony of that is all that the regime continues to do to suppress your democratic opposition, and continues to do to harass the people of Camp Liberty who are standing firm on behalf of democracy.
I want to thank you for all of that, and I think we all owe you a great debt of gratitude.
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Elections just held in Iran are really a sham. There was no opposition as we all know in this election. All the candidates had to first qualify by dedicating their allegiance to the Supreme Leader. Imagine that that is what you need to do to first qualify in an election. That does not sound to me like an election, it sounds to me like a selection.
This has been a process for all the candidates who want to preserve and continue the theocratic dictatorship.
Not a single one candidate is opposed to executions. Not a single one is opposed to the subjugation of women. All they are thinking about is who can do a better job at preserving the status quo, who can do a better job at protecting the dictatorship? What this reveals, is that both sides are worried about the stability of this regime.
Both sides know that the Iranian people are sick and tired of not having their basic needs and their political rights respected in Iran. Therefore, what this election really represents is an internal conflict between two factions who are seeking to make the case to each other that they can do a better job at prolonging this brutal regime. The West should not confuse this as anything other than a power struggle. And the West should not look at this as anything order than a sign that the regime’s days are numbered.
On human rights, both sides in this election have long extensive records of atrocities. Both sides fail to recognize freedom of speech, freedom of assembly. Both sides have bragged about the compulsory imposition of veils for women, compulsory subjugation of women. And on an international basis, both sides are on the same side when it comes to supporting Rouhani’s tenure, and making sure that he continues to support terrorism abroad, especially the IRGC’s participation in the atrocities in Syria.
Now people may wonder why is the European Parliament so concerned about this? The European Union is impacted daily by the flood of refugees, which is a direct result of the Iranian dictatorship’s suppression and genocide within Syria. This is a human rights issue, this is a political issue; but this is also an issue for you the European Union to consider, holding the Iranian regime accountable for.
This election is an insult to the true desire of the people of Iran, for a free Iran. Western governments should not be lured into the illusion that there is anything other than a scam going on within this regime.
In my country, there’s a phrase about how we call people who refuse to see the truth. And the phrase goes: “Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil.” And unfortunately, that has been the policy of most western governments, including my own, for too much of this period. But you can’t change a dictatorship from within.
And there is another phrase in my country, and it is: “If it walks like a duck, and it quacks like a duck, it’s a duck.” If this regime looks fascist, if it looks theocratic, if it looks like a brutal dictatorship, then it’s a brutal dictatorship! So what should the West do? I want to support what has already been said by my colleagues in this political process, and that is, no western governments should support commercial relations with Iran, no western governments should support diplomatic relations with Iran until: One, they stop the mass executions and genocide of their own people; Two, they release the hundreds of thousands that are being detained, and the tens of thousands that continue to be held prisoners for no other reason than their political thought and free speech, that must condition any relationship with this regime to allowing freedom of assembly and freedom of speech in a true and free democratic process.
And you know, if we did that, there would be no more regime, and that my friends, is going to be the future everyone has said.
The Iranian people are the most educated, the most, you know, embracing of democratic principles, and that is embodied in Madam Rajavi and her leadership, and the constitution of her organization.
We need to see a change in this great country, because the stand of this leadership is a stand on one of the great civilization in our world.
And I hope and pray that we continue in this fight, and I thank all of you for being part of this struggle, we must continue this struggle, so that we can one day, sooner than later, see the people of Iran have a real choice in an election.
