NCRI (Stockholm) – Mr. Malcolm Fowler, member of the British Law Society’s human rights committee in his address to the rally in Stockholm on Saturday by thousands of Iranians denounced insults published by a Swedish daily, Svenska Dagbladet(SvD), against women members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) residing in Ashraf City, northeastern Iraq.
Mr. Malcolm Fowler said: " It’s clear that the remarks quoted were nothing more than another leg in the campaign of misinformation by Tehran against its most popular opposition. However, we are here today to say that we wholeheartedly support the people of Ashraf and the Iranian people."
Text of speech by Mr. Malcolm Fowler, member of the British Law Society’s human rights committee
Stockholm, November 24, 2007
Ladies and gentlemen, friends,
I stand before you today as a lawyer and as a human rights activist, as a supporter of the Iranian people and of their resistance movement. I am here to show my support for the men and women of Ashraf who are dedicated to freedom and democracy in their homeland.
The Iranian people have suffered a great deal under the despotic rule of the ayatollahs of Iran. This is a regime famed for its persistent and systematic violation of human rights, it’s meddling in neighbouring Iraq and Afghanistan, its funding and sponsoring of international terrorism and its aggressive of the nuclear bomb. This regime has had every concession thrown its way to bring about change, each one of which has been thrown back. It is a regime incapable of change as it is built on an ideology of hatred.
In contrast, the Iranian Resistance movement is dedicated to a free, secular and democratic Iran. The national council of Resistance of Iran and its member organisation the People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI) have been dedicated to this struggle for decades.
I was therefore very much saddened to hear that unfounded and unsubstantiated allegations had been made against the organisation and its members in camp Ashraf by a Swedish daily newspaper. It is abundantly clear to all, that Ashraf is the place of hope and inspiration for Iranians, both in exile and those within Iran.
It’s clear that the remarks quoted were nothing more than another leg in the campaign of misinformation by Tehran against its most popular opposition. However, we are here today to say that we wholeheartedly support the people of Ashraf and the Iranian people. It is trough those in Ashraf that the Iranian people’s hopes and aspirations for a free and democratic homeland can be realised.
We too, look very much forward to the day when the unjustified and illegal terror tag placed on the PMOI is removed. This terror tag as well all know was only ever an olive branch to the Iranian regime. It had nothing to do with terrorism but was in fact yet a further concession to Tehran.
It is the Iranian people that hold the solution to the Iranian problem. As the resistance have said time and time before, they neither want war nor appeasement. Instead, the Iranian people, through their resistance movement can bring about democratic change in Iran.
