Declaration of 4,000 MPs, including majorities of 30 parliaments
Call for urgent protection of Ashraf, condemning displacement in Iraq, and recognition of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
NCRI – In a large and exhilarating gathering held in the Villepinte Auditorium near Paris on Saturday afternoon, 18 June 2011, Iranians called for the immediate protection of Ashraf by the UN with assistance provided by the U.S. and EU. They also condemned any kind of displacement of Ashraf residents inside Iraq, and declared their support for Europe’s peaceful long-term solution for Ashraf. The participants described maintaining the terrorist tag against the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) by the US State Department as an illegal measure and tantamount to participating in the repression of the Iranian people and Resistance. The attendees called on the U.S. government to comply with last July’s verdict of the U.S. Court of Appeals in D.C. and immediately revoke the PMOI’s terrorist designation.
Hundreds of prominent politicians and MPs representing a broad range of political views from countries in five continents of the globe also took part in the largest gathering of its kind by Iranian exiles. In addition to expressing their support for the Iranian Resistance and defending Ashraf’s rights, the high-profile dignitaries also called for the recognition of the National Council of Resistance by the international community.
The event’s keynote speaker was Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the Iranian Resistance. Her address was followed by the following speakers:
Rudolph Giuliani, former New York City Mayor and Presidential Candidate (2008); US Congressman Bob Filner; Rita Sussmouth, former Speaker of the German Parliament (1988-1998); Judge Michael Mukasey, former US Attorney General (2007-2009); Ambassador John Bruton, former Prime Minister of Ireland (1994-1997) and EU ambassador to the US (2004-2005); Jean-Pierre Brard, Member of French National Assembly; Andrew Card, White House Chief of Staff of President George Bush (2001-2006); Tom Ridge, first US Secretary of Homeland Security (2003-2005); Alejo Vidal Quadras, European Parliament Vice President; Geir Haarde, former Prime Minister of Iceland (2006-2009); Lord Corbett of Castle Vale, Head of the Labour Peers group in the House of Lords; Nariman al-Rousan, Member of Jordanian Parliament; Aude de Thuin, author and founder of the Women Forum; Sid Ahmed Ghozali, former Prime Minister of Algeria; Robert Torricelli, former U.S. Senator; Carlo Ciccioli, Member of the Italian Parliament; Jean-Charles Rielle, Member of the Swiss Federal Parliament; and Henry Leclerc, Honorary President of the Human Rights League of France.
A number of French mayors, including Jean-Pierre Béquet, Mayor of Auvers-sur-Oise; Nelly Rolland, Mayor of Villepinte; and Maurice Boscavert, Mayor of Taverny, delivered speeches and declared the support of 5,000 French mayors for the Iranian Resistance.
The ceremony was held on the eve of June 20th, the Day of Martyrs and Political Prisoners in Iran. The master of ceremony for the first part of the event was Congressman Patrick Kennedy, Member of US House of Representatives until 2011. David Amess, Member of British Parliament from the Conservative Party, took over the event for the second part.
While being accompanied by Mrs. Rezaii (the mother of 7 martyrs), Mahin Saremi and a number of French MPs, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi honored the memory of 120,000 martyrs of the Iranian people, who have fallen during the three decade struggle against the clerical dictatorship, including the martyrs of the past two years and those who lost their lives as a result of the recent criminal attack against Ashraf.
Mrs. Mahin Saremi, the wife of PMOI supporter Ali Saremi, also took part in the gathering. Ali Saremi was Iran’s most prominent political prisoner and was hanged last year by the Iranian regime after enduring 24 years of imprisonment and torture. Mrs. Saremi, who herself was arrested and imprisoned several times since the 1980s, was recently condemned to 10 years of imprisonment but managed to flee from the Iranian regime and reach Paris. Akbar, the son of Ali and Mahin Saremi, is among the residents of Ashraf.
A large number of families of martyrs of the Iranian Resistance, especially the martyrs of the April 8th attack against Camp Ashraf, and many relatives of those currently residing in Ashraf, also took part in the event.
Moreover, a deceleration by over 4,000 MPs from 40 countries across the globe in support of the Iranian Resistance and especially Ashraf residents was unveiled at the gathering. The MPs, including the majority of the European Parliament, the majority of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and majorities of 28 national parliaments, called for the urgent protection of Ashraf by the UN, U.S. and EU, the immediate lifting of the siege on Ashraf – especially ensuring free access to medical services – and an impartial, comprehensive and independent investigation into the crimes committed on April 8th in Ashraf. They declared their support for the European plan for Ashraf, and decisively rejected the displacement of Ashraf residents inside Iraq, regarding it as a precursor to committing a new massacre. The lawmakers additionally called on the international community to recognize the National Council of Resistance of Iran.
In her speech, Mrs. Rajavi described the escalating feuds among the officials of the mullahs’ regime as the “trimmers before the regime’s downfall”, and a “reflection of discontent and crisis prevailing in the streets,” and said: “The April 8th attack on Ashraf upon the orders of mullahs’ regime was the regime’s reaction to contain the unyielding freedom-seeking power in the Iranian society and an attempt to preserve the balance of a faltering regime, because its demise is directly tied to the existence of its opponents. This is a reality the effects of which have been exacerbated by the storm of regional uprisings …The world community, particularly the United Nations and the U.S., are responsible for the protection and security of Ashraf residents. Inaction cannot be and should not take place vis-à-vis crimes against humanity under the pretext of respecting Iraq’s sovereignty. This is a flagrant violation of international obligations.
“As stated in Europe’s plans to resolve the Ashraf issue in a peaceful manner, the siege on Ashraf must come to an end. Armed forces must evacuate and an international and unbiased investigation must be initiated immediately about the April 8th massacre. The minimum and most imperative request for the protection of Ashraf residents until their final disposition is the stationing of a UNAMI monitoring team in the camp. We call on the U.S. and EU to provide the protection for these observers.”
In another part of her speech, Mrs. Rajavi said: “The U.S. bears the responsibility for blocking the path of change in Iran, because the main force of change in Iran has been entangled with a bogus terrorist tag. Taking into consideration the ruling of the U.S. Appeals Court and calls by US Members of Congress and high-profile and senior American dignitaries who are demanding the lifting of the terror label and recognition of the Iranian Resistance, is necessary now more than ever. We call on the U.S. to put an end to this listing and change the policy that is impeding the Iranian people’s path of attaining freedom.
“Now, it is time to open the Iranian regime’s crimes dossier and refer it to the Security Council for the Iranian people to see who actually sides with them and who sides with the mullahs on the international stage. This dossier should be referred to The International Criminal Court in The Hague by the UN Security Council. The Iranian people demand Khamenei’s arrest warrant to be issued and implemented, and that day will surely come.”
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
June 18, 2011