NCRI – The following is the text of a message by Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the Iranian Resistance, to a meeting on human rights in Iran at the United Kingdom House of Commons sponsored by the all-party British Parliamentary Committee for Iran Freedom.
Maryam Rajavi’s message to a meeting on human rights in Iran at the UK Parliament
September 15, 2015
We call on Britain, Europe and all the world to stand by human rights, freedom and the Iranian Resistance and respect the Iranian people’s desire for regime change. There is such power and influence in this struggle that the world needs
The British Human Right Session,
The honorable members of the British Houses of Commons and Lords,
Dear friends,
I salute you and appreciate your attention to the issue of Iran and its victimized human rights and freedoms, particularly, the prominent parliamentarians Messrs. David Jones and David Amess, the sponsors of this meeting.
It has been years that human rights and freedoms in Iran have comprised a common struggle for the Resistance movement and for the honorable members of the British Houses of Parliament in the British Parliamentary Committee for Iran Freedom.
The people of Iran must have the right to freedom from arbitrary arrests, torture and extrajudicial executions.
They must have the right to enjoy personal freedoms and security and be equal to others before the law. They must have the right to be heard in fair trials before the courts. They must have the right to have their house and private life and their manners of clothing and their movements protected against attacks. They must have the right to freely express their opinions, freely write and read and freely form any gathering they desire. They must have the right to have free elections.
How much longer must the Iranian people only dream of enjoying their most basic rights? How much longer must Iranians give their blood and lives to gain a miniscule part of these rights?
Unfortunately, the issue of human rights and freedoms in Iran were overlooked more than ever in the past two years while the nuclear negotiations and its ultimate agreement were ongoing.
Taking advantage of western governments’ ignorance and irresponsibility, Iran’s ruling mullahs stepped up their suppression and clampdown on freedoms over the past two years. According to Amnesty International, the number of executions in the first half of 2015 amounted to nearly 700 which is highest record of executions in the past quarter of a century. The number of executions in the two years of Rouhani’s tenure has exceeded 2000.
During this period, the record of human rights has deteriorated in all areas. Teachers and workers’ protests are responded to by expulsions from work. The rights and freedoms of lawyers, human rights defenders, web bloggers, reporters, new Christian converts, Bahaii’s, Sunni youths, Kurds, Baluchis and more than anyone, the women and youths of Iran are trampled every day.
In the meantime, the mullahs’ oppressive hand has extended beyond its borders and tightened the siege on Camp Liberty, the seat of Mojahedin members. So far, 27 people have lost their lives due to lack of prompt and timely access to medical treatment.
In addition, Intelligence Ministry teams, their Gestapos, gather at Camp Liberty’s entrance every day in the guise of the residents’ families and relatives to pave the way for yet another human catastrophe.
Experience has shown that the consequences of the ruling mullahs’ human rights abuses in Iran and their aggressions on other countries in the region do not remain within the boundaries of Iran and the Middle East, but it is an expanding threat against Europe and the whole world. For this reason, our common struggle for human rights and freedoms of the people of Iran is also a crucial struggle in defense of peace and security in the region and the world, and especially to counter Islamic fundamentalism and its terrorism.
We call on Britain, Europe and all the world to stand by human rights, freedom and the Iranian Resistance and respect the Iranian people’s desire for regime change. There is such power and influence in this struggle that the world needs.
I wish your conference success and I thank you all.
