NCRI

Iran News in Brief – July 4, 2023

Sedighe Shahrokhi

free iran summit 3 2023 Maryam Rajavi (1)

THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS

UPDATE: 8:00 PM CET

Iran Protests on Tuesday

On July 4, several cities in Iran witnessed protests by retired employees and workers, all expressing their dissatisfaction with low pensions, economic problems, and the state’s lack of action. The cities of Qazvin, Ardabil, Mamasani, Tehran, Shush, Yazd, and Sanandaj were the focal points of these protests. Retired individuals in different sectors, including education, banking, and government, as well as workers from specific industries, voiced their concerns through rallies and demonstrations.

UPDATE: 8:30 AM CET

Speech by Maryam Rajavi on Day 3 of the Conference, “Onwards to the Democratic Republic” in Iran

NCRI President-elect Mrs. Maryam Rajavi’s speech: “Honorable dignitaries, dear compatriots, On the brink of the 35th anniversary of the massacre of 30,000 political prisoners, we pay tribute to those who gave their lives for freedom and cultivated the seeds of unwavering uprisings; they are indeed the martyrs of the Iranian people’s Democratic Revolution. The untainted blood of those innocent souls massacred in 1988 resonates today in the ongoing uprisings of the Iranian people and continues to inspire and motivate rebellious youths across generations. Thousands of PMOI heroes bravely stood their ground, defending their political identity and ideals. They marched to the gallows, shouting ‘Long Live Massoud’ and welcoming their martyrdom. Their aspirations and ideals remain just as relevant in contemporary Iranian society.”

Read more

Mike Pence and Liz Truss among VIPs who speak at Iranian dissident rally despite pressure from Tehran

Thousands of Iranian dissidents crowded the streets of a Paris neighbourhood on Saturday while western opponents of the government in Tehran gathered for a politically star-studded event aimed at poking a finger in the eye of the Ayatollah’s supporters.

Despite warnings from French authorities and the US Embassy in Paris that alleged threats of a terror attack made a large outdoor event unwise, there were no incidents over the weekend as Iranian dissident activists mingled with prominent current and former officials from the US, UK and other European nations. If that threat of a terror attack was real, it was hard to spot the concern of French authorities on Saturday, given that police did not provide more than a handful of officers to patrol the area, those on the scene told The Independent.

Read more

Iran’s Rising Executions: Alarming Increase in Death Sentences

At least 576 were executed in 2022, well above the 314 in 2021. “The death penalty is used to generate social fear and prevent further protests,” lamented the NGO Iran Human Rights. Iran’s regime carried out more than 350 death sentences in the first six months of the year, mostly on drug-related charges, according to Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights.

In May, at least 107 former world leaders signed an open letter in support of Iran’s pro-democracy protesters and demanded that the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) be blacklisted. The initiative is being carried forward by world leaders representing 45 nations.

“We believe that it is up to the Iranian people to decide their future. However, we recognize that for four decades, the democratic coalition National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) has consistently and tirelessly pursued democratic change. In this regard, we believe that the Ten Point Plan articulated by NCRI President Ms. Maryam Rajavi deserves support. Her commitment to free elections, freedom of assembly and expression, abolition of the death penalty, gender equality, separation of religion and state, autonomy for Iran’s ethnicities, and a non-nuclear Iran is in line with our own democratic values,” the letter states.

Read more

Confronting the Forces of Tyranny in Iran: A Call to Protect Democracy in Europe

Even as mass uprisings continue to weaken the Iranian regime, a segment of Western policymakers persist in their erroneous belief that the clerical regime should be engaged and appeased. Today, a growing number of former world leaders and experts are calling for a major change in that approach, one that aligns with the Iranian people’s yearning for a democratic future characterized by dignified self-governance. Last month, 117 former world leaders hailing from the United States and Europe released a joint letter calling on the international community to adopt a decisive policy against the fragile clerical regime in Iran.

As familiar appeasement patterns persist, such calls have mounted. There was global outrage among such international luminaries when French authorities announced a ban on a large opposition rally on July 1. That ban was subsequently overturned by a Paris court on June 30, dealing a heavy blow to the regime and the West’s policy of placating Tehran by pressuring its opposition.

Read more

Iran Resistance Renews Calls for Regime Change Amid Anniversary of 1988 Massacre

The National Council of Resistance of Iran is somberly marking the 35th anniversary of the mass killings of Iranian political prisoners with renewed calls for regime change and criticisms of the sputtering 8-year-old nuclear pact between Tehran and the West. Monday’s activities came on the fourth and final day of the 20th Free Iran Summit in Paris. Unlike previous days that featured scores of the NCRI’s high-profile political allies, many of the speakers Monday were survivors of the extrajudicial 1988 mass executions. Most of the victims of the killings 35 years ago — estimates are that as many as 30,000 political opponents of the then-Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini lost their lives over a five-month period starting in July 1988 — were members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran, or MEK, the militant wing of the NCRI.

Read more

Also, read Iran News in Brief – July 3, 2023
Exit mobile version