Iranian Political Prisoner Repeatedly Issued More Prison Time After Completing Sentences
July 5, 2017-- Iranian judicial authorities are refusing to free an elderly political prisoner who was incarcerated for visiting close family members that are members of a opposition group.MEK/PMOI
Ali Moezzi, a 65-year-old man who has been mostly without legal counsel since his arrest in 2008, has been transferred to the Greater Tehran Penitentiary despite completing his sentence on May 22, 2017 and being in poor health.
He is also facing more prison time.
“Ali’s sons are members of the Mojahedin-e Khalgh Organization (MEK) and were based in Camp Ashraf in Iraq,” Mohammad Moezzi told CHRI.
Iranian Resistance calls on all international human rights authorities, especially the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights Situation in Iran, and the Special Rapporteur on Arbitrary Arrests, to take immediate and effective measures to secure the release of political prisoner, Mr. Ali Moezzi.
Political Prisoner Ali Moezzi Transferred to Fashafouyeh Forced Camp and Call to Save Him
The Iranian Resistance warns about the risk to the life of political prisoner Ali Moezzi and calls on all international human rights organizations, particularly the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief and the Working Group on arbitrary arrests to take immediate and effective measures to address his situation who has been sent to exile to Fashafouyeh prison.
A number of women arrested during a sit-in in front of Evin Prison are imprisoned in Shahr-e Ray Prison. Some of these women went on dry hunger strike immediately after getting arrested and others started their dry hunger strike on December 17, 2016.
Ms. Elaheh Yassi's condition has been reported to be critical
Political prisoner Morteza Moradpour has been transferred from Gohardasht Prison in Karaj, west of Tehran, to Tabriz Prison in northwest Iran, while more than 45 days have passed since his hunger strike.
Deterioration of Political Prisoner's Health on the 45th Day of Hunger Strike
Thursday December 8, the political prisoner Arash Sadeghi in his 45th day of hunger strike was transferred to the prison infirmary due to severe breathing problems and heart palpitations to be connected to an oxygen device. Prison infirmary doctor described his condition as very worrying.
Political prisoner Golrokh Ibrahim Iraie issued a letter to her husband, Arash Sadeghi and international human rights organizations, supporting his hunger strike.
Political prisoner Arash Sadeghi has been on hunger strike for the past 37 days, protesting inhumane prison conditions and the arrest of his wife, Golrokh Ibrahimi Iraie. His conditions are currently reported as dire.
“The freedom lovers are the pride of history and freedom will never be imprisoned,” wrote Golrokh Ibrahimi to her imprisoned husband… “I know we have suffered injustice and you are protesting this with your all. The tomorrow that we yearn so is coming. You must remain to rejoice the morning of freedom alongside our country’s flag,” she added.
To international human rights organizations she wrote, “Despite the passing of one month from when my husband, Arash Sadeghi, launched his hunger strike, and despite the fact that his conditions are deteriorating and has once again suffered internal bleeding, and his blood pressure is 8 over 4 according to the prison clinic, his case has gone unnoticed with no action taken by the relevant officials… Read more
In an open letter smuggled out of prison, political prisoner Maryam Akbari Monfared blasted deputy Prosecutor of Tehran for harassing her daughter when she had referred to the office to receive a permit to visit her mother.
Civil activist and defender of children's rights Atena Daemi sent a letter out of prison after she was arrested and taken to Evin Prison on November 26, 2016
On Saturday November 26, a group of political prisoners in Iran in a letter addressing the organizers, guests and participants in a conference held on Saturday in Paris that called for accountability of the perpetrators of the 1988 massacre in Iran. The following is the excerpts of the letter:
Simultaneous with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on November 25, political prisoner Arash Sadeghi sent out an open letter explaining that his hunger strike aims to defend the freedom-loving women who are imprisoned
Maryam rajavi: The bill passed by US House of Representatives, mandating sanctions on the Iranian regime and officials responsible for #HumanRights abuses is a necessary response to the world’s top rights violator. I hope it is rapidly adopted as law and enforced. Khamenei, Rouhani and other Iranian regime officials must face justice for 120,000 political executions and the massacre in 1988.
U.S. Congress New Legislation: Yet Another Achievement By The Movement Seeking Justice For The Victims Of The 1988 Massacre By Mahmoud Hakamian
On Thursday April 26, 2018, the US House of Representatives passed H.R.4744 Act --holding the Iranian regime accountable for its brutality—with an overwhelming majority of 410-2.
The bipartisan legislation holds Iranian regime officials accountable for their role in human rights abuses and hostage-taking, and requires imposition of sanctions against them. The bill also condemns and calls for investigations into the 1988 mass executions of 30,000 political prisoners.
Previously passed by the Committee on Foreign Affairs of House of Representatives in March 2018, the legislation now has to pass the Senate and also be signed by the US President to turn into law.
Considering its bipartisan nature and the fact that it’s been passed with an absolute majority, it’s expected that the legislation won’t be faced with any real challenge before being enacted, following which the US President is obliged to submit a report to appropriate congressional committees within 270 days after the bill’s enactment date, determining senior officials of the Iranian regime who are responsible for human rights abuses, according to the criteria described in previous legislations. Read more
Secretary General of the U.N. Reports on the Situation of Human Rights in Iran The Secretary-General of U.N. transmitted to the General Assembly the report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, which has been submitted in accordance with Human Rights Council resolution 34/23.
During its thirty-third session, the Human Rights Council appointed Asma Jahangir as Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran. The present report outlines the activities carried out by the Special Rapporteur since the issuance of her first report to the Council (A/HRC/34/65), examines ongoing issues and presents some of the most recent and pressing developments in the area of human rights in the country.
It is noteworthy that recently Mrs. Maryam Rajavi the President Elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, in her speech on the anniversary of 1988 massacre of political prisoners in Iran stated: ‘It is essential that the UN Security Council refer this case to the International Criminal Court to arrange for the prosecution of the regime’s leaders and those responsible for the massacre. How the international community approaches this genocide and this crime against humanity is a litmus test of its adherence to the principles of human rights.
The following are excerpts of this report and relevant articles examining the violation of Human Rights specially the 1988 massacre of the political prisoners, mostly members and sympathizers of the PMOI/MEK. The titles for each article are chosen by us to clarify the subject of each paragraph an are not a part of the main report. Read more
TRIBUTE TO VICTIMS OF 1988 MASSACRE IN PARIS by-Jazeh Miller
Former member of the European Parliament and chair of Friends of a Free Iran, Struan Stevenson, has campaigned for freedom in Iran for many years. He spoke at the exhibition in Paris commemorating the anniversary of the atrocious 1988 massacre in Iran.In his speech at the City Hall of the first district in the city, Stevenson called for a comprehensive United Nations inquiry into the crime against humanity in which more than 30,000 political prisoners
were executed following a fatwa issuedby Iran’s Supreme Leader at that time.
Call on U.N. : Nobel Laureates Condemn Executions by Iran Regime Perpetrators Must Be Held Accountable
A group of Nobel laureates expressed grave concerns over continuing human rights violations in Iran. 21 Nobel laureates from the United States, Canada, Germany and Norway issued a letter asking United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterresto to use his good offices “through the UN Human Rights Council to closely monitor the human rights situation in Iran, inform the world of the violations taking place in that country and to strongly condemn such violations … ” and “an immediate halt to intractable arrests, torture and arbitrary executions. The perpetrators of such executions must be held accountable.” Pejman Amiri an Iranian dissident and freelance writer wrote in an article in ‘NewsBlaze’ on July 22, 2017 Read the article click here
Legacy of a dictator: Iran's 30,000 murdered, then and now
By Hassan Mahmoudi July 14, 2017-- In the wake of the 30th anniversary of the massacre of 30,000 political prisoners in summer of 1988 in Iran, the people of Iran and especially families of the victims are still waiting for justice and an international tribune.
In the summer of 1988, the political prisoners were systematically executed in almost two months. In a barbaric two-month purge, prisoners, including teenagers as young as 14, were loaded onto trucks in groups and hanged from cranes.
During the past three decades, the regime blocked all attempts to investigate the extent of the massacre. They even went farther to cover up the crimes by toppling and damaging cemeteries and headstones of martyrdom graves with bulldozers. Read more
THE U.S. RESOLUTION 188 PASSED TO CONDEMN THE 1988 MASSACRE OF POLITICAL PRISONERS IN IRANUS Congress Resolution Condemns Iran Atrocities and Calls for Actions
By: Dr. Majid Rafizadeh Huffington post , Jun 9, 2017- A resolution was recently introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives, condemning an atrocity that most Americans, and indeed most westerners, have never heard of: the 1988 killings of approximately 30,000 political prisoners in Iran READ MORE
A Call to Strip Immunities of the Perpetrators of the 1988 Massacre in Iran The Senior Member of the House of Commons and the Joint Chair of the British Parliamentary Committee for Iran Freedom, Sir David Amess on Thursday March 3rd issued an statement by undertaking a meta-partisan initiative in line with the international movement with 80 Members of parliament for justice for litigating those who are responsible for the massacre of 30 thousand political prisoners occurred in Iran in 1988.Read more
Some part of the Maryam Rajavi's remarks
Now the mullahs who plotted extensively to destroy all the members of the PMOI at Camp Liberty, have suffered a serious setback and there is not a day when they do not lament about the danger of the PMOI's resurgence within Iran.
Another sign the Resistance's rising phase is the escalation of popular protests and strikes in Tehran and other major capitals of Iran.
Some weeks, there are ten protests held in front of the mullahs' parliament. Bazaar merchants are on strike in a number of cities. Students stage protest gatherings at their universities. Political prisoners stage hunger strikes in Tehran's Evin Prison, Gohardasht Prison in Karaj and in prisons of other cities.
This is what our people want: This situation needs to be changed from despotism, poverty and regression to freedom, happiness and progress.
Today, the mullahs from both factions of the regime have failed to achieve their most important objectives in signing the nuclear agreement.
Yet, the nuclear agreement that could be the regime's way out of its crises has now become counterproductive. Khamenei describes it as "pure damage" while Rouhani's promises for the post-JCPOA era have proven to be hollow.
The US policy on Iran and the region during this time was based on rapprochement with the mullahs despite countless disastrous fallouts, including a devastated Iraq, a blood-drenched Syria, and the blocking of the road to change in Iran. It is not without reason that the ruling mullahs are so frightened by the approaching end of what they describe as a "golden era."
We have said this time and again since years ago, and I will repeat it again that the worst mistake of the United States in the region was its appeasement of the mullahs ruling Iran. From now on, the region would move towards peace and tranquility to the extent that the US distances itself from this disastrous policy. Likewise, the European Union may have a positive impact on the situation in Iran and the Middle East to the extent that it conditions the EU's political and commercial relations with Tehran on end to executions.
Let me sum up what our expectation, our people's expectation, and the expectation of the peoples of the Middle East from the international community are.
Our demand is that the international community merely stops its policy of giving concessions to the Velayat-e Faqih regime. Our demand is to end this silence and inaction over the crimes of the Iranian regime in Iran and the region. What we want instead is their respect for the Iranian people's quest for freedom.
Today, Khamenei has ever more strongly tied the fate of his decadent regime to the carnage of the people of Syria
The war in Syria has nothing to do with the people of Iran and the Iranian interests.
As for the present crisis in the region, any solution seeking to end war and insecurity, and address the problem of Daesh (ISIS/ISIL) in particular, must consider terminating the regime's meddling in the region and especially in Syria. Nothing is more catastrophic than cooperating with the Iranian regime to fight Daesh. This would strengthen the Iranian regime and its terrorism, and would nourish Daesh, politically and socially.
This movement relies on its own and its people's suffering and sacrifice. This principle has always illuminated the road for this movement. Fighting on, tirelessly paving the way, path breaking by making sacrifices, and deploying amazing determination of human beings move us along the road to victory.
A Historic Judgment on the 1988 Massacre of Political Prisoners in Iran
Sir Geoffrey Robertson, QC, former UN tribunal chief judge on Sierra Leone and prominent human rights barrister :
We can’t progress as a world society unless we do something about the worst unpunished atrocity in modern society since the Second World War following is the full text of his speech.
Bishop Jacques Gaillot Calls for Justice for 1988 Iran Massacre Victims
Bishop Jacques Gaillot, a clergyman and social activist, said that the search for justice for the tens of thousands of victims of the 1988 massacre needs to continue.
The two dissidents, Shabnam Madadzadeh, 29, and Arash Mohammadi, 25, told Rowan Scarborough of the brutality they had faced in taking part in public protest. Both were smuggled out of Iran via a clandestine network operated by the People’s Mujahedeen of Iran (MEK).
Shabnam Madadzadeh:a former political prisoner who secretly left Iran few months ago revealed atrocities of the Iranian regime inside prisons. She was 21 when arrested for her activities in a university in Tehran.
“Today, I stand in front of you to echo voices that seek justice and human rights, the voices of the activist and perseverant political prisoners in Iran. I echo the voice of my Christian and Bahai compatriots, whom the regime continues to imprison simply on the basis of their faith; the voice of the resilient women in prisons; The voice of my dear sister and my hero Maryam Akbari Monfared; an innocent mother of three who has spent more than 7 years in the regime’s prisons. When they arrested her, her daughter Sara was only four. But, even in the darkest and most difficult days, Maryam refused to surrender. Text of speech of Shabnam Madadzadeh
Arash Mohammadi, a 25-year-old former political prisoner and student activist is now on the stage to address the Paris conference. He was arrested in Iran numerous times for his activities against the mullahs' regime and in support of the PMOI between 2011 and 2014 and subjected to barbaric torture and inhumane treatment. He was realeased from prison in June 2014 and recently escaped Iran to join the Resistance and is here with us today.
Farideh spent over six years in prison in the 1980s and was witness to the 1988 massacre. Her son Iman was born in prison and her husband was executed by the mullahs' regime. Iman who was born in prison, was himself arrested and held in Evin Prison in recent years, they have both escaped in the past few months from Iran.
Rob Roberts is a UK-born journalist living in Paris he wort a good article and report about Call for Justice; gathering
The President-elect of the Iran resistance has reasserted her support and solidarity of the Syrian opposition’s struggle to end Assad’s bloodshed saying that the ‘Syrian people are not alone.
On Saturday November 26, a group of political prisoners in Iran in a letter addressing the organizers, guests and participants in a conference held on Saturday in Paris that called for accountability of the perpetrators of the 1988 massacre in Iran.
Follow Freedom for Iran on https://plus.google.com/u/0/115000766128351373575 Facebook https://www.facebook.com/freedomforiniran.blogspot.al/ Freedom4Iran @FreeIransyria
A seminar was held on Tuesday, November 22, 2016, at the Italian Senate, featuring two panels who discussed the situation in Iran. The panels were chaired by the Hon. Giulio Terzi and Senator Lucio Malan.
The panels discussed the dreadful human rights conditions in Iran including the wave of executions and the massive social clampdowns by the ruling regime, as well as, the clerical regime's extensive military interventions in regional countries, particularly in Syria. Some of the Iranian regime's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and Quds Force operations in support of terrorism and massacre of innocent citizens were also unveiled by the panel members.
Maryam Rajavi in her message to this seminar said: Click here for the text of message
MEP Delegation to Ashraf 3 Uncovers Iran Regime Lies
A high-level delegation of members of the European Parliament, including two members of the Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee and the deputy head of the Security and Defense Committee, have just returned from a three-day-visit to Ashraf 3 – the new headquarters for Iranian Resistance group People's Mojahedin of Iran (PMOI/MEK) in Albania.
This momentous visit, which came at the same time that 150 MEPs from all political factions and groups sign a petition condemning human rights abuse in Iran, showed the delegates the huge transformation of the site in just the past year.
Since the MEK moved from the accommodation arranged by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees into accommodation that they purchased for themselves, they have constructed a small city that now features shops, doctors’ offices, sports facilities, offices, restaurants, bakeries, housing blocks, meeting halls, and studios.
The Guardian Demonises Iran’s Democratic Opposition to the Benefit of the Ruling Regime
By Firouz Mahvi
The British newspaper The Guardian published a lengthy, 3-page article targeting Iran’s democratic opposition, the People’s Mojahedin of Iran (PMOI or MEK). Author Arron Merat, an Iranian-British citizen and well-known apologist of the Islamic Republic, has worked extensively to attack the opposition, and penned numerous articles encouraging tourism in Iran as “a must visit destination.”
The Guardian piece is a collection of baseless allegations, invented and disseminated by Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence, and lacks the minimum standards of a fair, objective article. It is but another attempt to demonise the only organized and serious opposition to the mullahs.
Clear Fabrication by the Clerical Regime's Mercenaries in Albania and the Channel 4 of England
he Security and Anti-Terrorism Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran disclosed in details in its statements of August 16, September 2 and September 19, 2018, that the dirty plans and campaigns of the clerical regime's agents and mercenaries around the Mojahedin’s residence in Albania under the cover of British Channel 4 reporters and Al-Jazeera (English) were completely done "on the orders" of the mullahs regime.
MEPs issue statement about the situation of Iranian dissidents in Albania
20, 2018 - Ten senior members of the European Parliament have issued a statement covering the Iranian regime’s terrorist plots and demonizing campaign targeting the Iranian opposition People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), especially their members in Albania.
This statement calls on the European Union to blacklist the Iranian regime’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) for its undeniable role in Tehran’s terrorism. According to an EU statement issued back in April 1997, “’visas [should] not be granted to Iranians with intelligence and security functions’ and ‘Iranian intelligence personnel from European Union Member States should be expelled.’”
The Iranian regime’s agents, active mainly under the disguise of reporters, are considered a general threats for the PMOI/MEK in Albania. The most urgent step necessary to protect these “refugees” is for the Albanian government to expel these intelligence agents of Tehran’s regime. Experience shows the security of the host country is jeopordized when Iranian regime spies and operatives are tolerated.
Iran stands at the threshold of another revolution. Following decades of unrests, protests and major revolts in July 1999 and the 2009 uprising, we are now witnessing the continuation of an uprising that began in late December 2017, quickly spread across the country and continues in various shapes and forms today.
Looking at the big picture, in one side we see a religious dictatorship squandering Iran’s vast national wealth, coupled with ruthless suppression and executions. While on the other side are the Iranian people and their resistance movement. Evident is the regime’s powerful crackdown machine is shrinking and weakening as the mullahs sink further into a growing crisis.
Let us see what regime insiders say about all this.
Khamenei envoy in IRGC: PMOI/MEK behind unrest in Iran
Fearing the link between the Iranian opposition People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) and increasing popular protests across the country, the representative of Iranian regime Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei recently said, “[PMOI/MEK] have the pulse of this unrest.”
A state-run outlet referred to Abolghasem Alizadeh’s remarks and wrote:
Iran regime website: PMOI/MEK have de facto potential for regime change
Considering the fact that the Iranian regime is facing the imminent threat of being overthrown, state officials and media simply cannot refrain from expressing their concerns in this regard.
Terms such as “mistrust,” “pessimistic” and “hopelessness” are used, along with warnings about the unknown road ahead.
On September 14th, without referring to a specific enemy, Saeedi, Friday prayer imam in the city of Qom, said this enemy’s main objective is to “create anxiety among the people” and “leave the public facing an impasse regarding their problems and make them lose hope in the heads of the three branches and various entities… this is very dangerous.”
Last month, internet behemoths including Facebook, Twitter, and Google Alphabet shut down several hundred fake accounts that belonged to the Iranian regime and its Ministry of Intelligence.
Following a report by cybersecurity company FireEye, the companies revealed how the Iranian regime and its broadcasting organization (formally called the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting IRIB), spread the fake news through fraudulent websites and social media accounts.
Shutting down part of Iran’s fake news network was a significant blow to the Iranian regime’s propaganda network.
Iran regime’s FM and Ambassador to London De facto confessions: Al-Jazeera English and Channel 4 programs against the PMOI were planned by the regime
After a dirty campaign for several weeks against the PMOI by agents and mercenaries of the clerical regime operating under the guise of reporters from Britain’s Channel 4 and Al-Jazeera English, the regime’s Foreign Minister, Javad Zarif, and the regime's Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Hamid Baeidinejad, unveiled that the threatening tactics around the residence of the People’s Mojahedin in Albania (disclosed in the statements of the NCRI Security Committee on August 16 and September 2) and the smear campaigns of Channel 4 (September 6) and Al-Jazeera English (September 16) were "ordered" by the mullahs’ regime. Their remarks are further proof that the lies propagated in these programs were a vengeful repetition of the mullahs' claims against the Iranian Resistance and meant to divert attention from the regime's cybercrimes and the closure of its fraudulent social media accounts. In 2002 and 2003, this very regime claimed through hired mercenaries and journalists that Iraq's weapons of mass destruction were hidden in the PMOI’s headquarters. The goal then was to divert attention from the Iranian Resistance’s revelations about the regime's clandestine nuclear facilities. Read more
Is Britain’s Channel 4 Working With Iran to Demonise Opposition?
Terrorism
London, 22 August - A trio who claim association with Britain’s Channel 4 are working with Iran to demonise the Iranian Resistance in Albania.
On Friday, August 10, a television crew set up outside the Albanian headquarters of Iranian Resistance group, the People’s Mujahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI/MEK), and began to secretly film the compound, despite not having received permission or having informed the MEK of this action.
When security guards at the complex approached the three-person film crew, noting that they were acting suspiciously, the group said that they were working for Britain’s Channel 4 television. Security guards demanded that the alleged reporters stop recording and hand over the footage, according to the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI). When the trio refused, the guards called the police.
IRAN LOBBY TERRIFIED OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF RESISTANCE OF IRAN (NCRI)
We know that the Iran lobby is terrified of the Iranian Resistance. We can see this in their constant attempts to slander dissidents through any means necessary in order to keep the Iranian Regime in power. But the reason why may surprise those who only hear about Iran through cable news.
Simply, the Iranian Resistance is unique among forces that seek to remove dictatorships from power. It not only advocates for regime change, but also represent the viable alternative to the mullahs.
Most revolutions fail because there is no stable government in place to take over, leading to chaos. The Iranian Resistance has formed a government-in-exile made up of several dissident groups (collectively known as the National Council of Resistance of Iran or NCRI) and it has working relationships with many of the world’s governments.
PMOI Debunks Baseless Allegations and Lies by Jason Rezaian
Jason Rezaian, parroting the Iranian state-run media, rehashed a litany of lies, and baseless allegations against the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran in his blog in the Washington Post on March 24.Rezaian for long had been a staunch advocate of one of the factions within the religious fascism ruling Iran, which the regimes portrays as “moderate”. Following the nationwide uprising when people chanted slogans such as “reformists, hardliners, the game is now over”, he is no longer in a position to openly advocate the non-existing moderate within the regime. Thus, by attacking democratic opposition and denying that there is a viable opposition, he is desperately trying to suggest there is no alternative to the mullahs. In his article Rezaian manifested his anxiety that the era of appeasing the clerical regime is over.
One of the most common reasons given for dismissing the Iranian Resistance, specifically the People’s Mojahedin of Iran (PMOI/MEK), is that it is unpopular within Iran. This is simply untrue.The MEK is the largest and most popular people’s resistance movement within Iran and it enjoys support from all sectors of the population. The Mullahs’ Regime, on the other hand, is highly unpopular among the Iranian people as evidenced by the hundreds of protests per day in 2017, which was admitted to by the Regime and finally by the recent nationwide protests and uprising in which the Iranian people clearly expressed their desire for regime change as
The People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) is a political group dedicated to bringing freedom and democracy to Iran.
They derive their political beliefs from a modern and tolerant version of Islam that is fully compatible with modern society – the exact opposite of the ruling mullahs’ Sharia Law, which is intolerant, extremist, genocidal, non-democratic, and misogynist – and the MEK believe that their interpretation is the true meaning of Islam.
In 1982, MEK leader Massoud Rajavi, said: “The Islam we want is nationalistic, democratic, progressive, and not opposed to science or civilization. We believe there is no contradiction between modern science and true Islam, and we believe that in Islam there must be no compulsion or dictatorship.”
This combination of tolerant religion and politics means that the MEK enjoys broad public support amongst the Iranian people and people all over the world, but it is also why the mullahs fear the MEK.
Today, we will look at some of those beliefs in more detail and explore why the MEK believe that Islam that the Quran, the Prophet Mohammad, and other religious leaders espouse the ideological principles of freedom, gender, ethnic and religious equality, human rights, and peace.
DEBUNKING THE IRAN REGIME'S LIES ABOUT THE MEK: NO, THE MEK AREN’T MARXIST
by Poorang Novak
It is no secret that the Iranian Regime (both Mullah and Shah) have used disinformation campaigns to attack and discredit the Iranian Resistance group, the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK).
One of those disinformation campaigns is the ‘Islamist Marxist’ label that the Shah’s Secret Police (SAVAK) originally used to disparage the MEK in order to undermine its support among the devout Iranian people because the Shah was scared of the MEK’s potential to mobilise Iranians- particularly the youth- against the monarchy. The Shah and SAVAK also used it to disparage other political opponents of the monarchy.
Why? Because of the public perception of the word in Iran as being synonymous with atheism, materialism, and Westernism.
Newspaper reports didn’t help clear up the matter because all opponents of the monarchy (and there were many) would be placed in the same paragraph, meaning that the MEK would be listed in the same paragraphs as the Communist Party and the Marxist People’s Fedayeen, which may have given the false impression that their policies were similar.
What You Should Know About Iranian Resistance Leader Maryam Rajavi
Maryam Rajavi is the leader of the combined Iranian Resistance forces, which fight for freedom and democracy in Iran.
She is president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), a broad coalition of resistance groups, with has the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) as its largest member, which serves as the government in exile for Iran.
Maryam Rajavi first joined the MEK in the early 1970s- not long after its founding- when they were fighting against the brutal regime of the Shah. Her family were also involved in the struggle against the Shah; her brother Mahmoud was also a member of the MEK and was held as a political prisoner during the Shah’s reign, while her sister Narges was tragically murdered by the Shah’s secret police (known as SAVAK) in 1975.
Still, her family fought on to attain freedom for all Iranians.
Shortly after joining the MEK, Maryam Rajavi became an official in its student movement (1973-79) before moving on to its social department (1979-81) following the Iranian Revolution. In 1980, she ran for Parliament in Tehran and received 250,000 votes, but the ruling mullahs banned anyone associated with the MEK from entering Parliament.
London, 25 Jan - One persistent myth about the People’s Mojahedin of Iran (PMOI/MEK) is that it is unpopular amongst the Iranian people, but nothing could be further from the truth.
The MEK is the oldest, biggest, and most popular resistance movement in Iran, but it should also go without saying that it far outstrips the Regime’s popularity among the Iranian people.
It is impossible to get precise numbers on support for the MEK within Iran, as Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini declared them to be enemies of the Regime in 1980 and criminalised the pro-democracy movement soon after, but their signs can be seen during every election and at every protest.
One of the best ways to measure support for the MEK may actually be through their television channel Face of Freedom (Simaye Azadi in Persian), which bypasses strict Regime censorship to bring unbiased news to Iran as well as programs on Iranian history, literature, culture, art, music, and comedy.
The channel has about 10 million viewers receives tens of thousands of hits to its website every day. In 2017, it held a telethon to keep the channel running and generated $5.5 million.
If the MEK is so unpopular, why does the Regime focus on them so much?
If the MEK were truly an unpopular, fringe group, then why would the Regime spend so much time and effort trying to eliminate the MEK?
In Tehran Friday Prayer: Board of Directors Member of Assembly of Experts expressed the regime’s fear of PMOI
Jan. 27, 2018 - Frightened by the continuation of the popular uprising in Iran, Mullah Ahmad Khatami, vice chairman of the Assembly of Experts and Friday Imam of Tehran, said: 'Do not think that the (risk of) overthrow is over. No, the enemies will not give up thinking about the overthrow even for a moment. We must be alert.” He added, 'The enemy is abusing new information tools; Telegram channel, Instagram and other tools in this field.”
Concerned by the growing popularity of the PMOI among the youth and rising people, Khatami said: 'You foiled the PMOI’s sedition in 1996, 2009 and January 2016. You should foil the next seditions and you can do that. You foiled the PMOI’s sedition; how? You informed that there is a team of them near our home. Go arrest them. They (the suppressive forces) went and arrested them and destroyed them ... Wherever you see the conspiracy, wherever you see the plotter, quickly notify the authorities, as your duty. '
While acknowledging the anger and disgust of the people from the state mullahs, Ahmad Khatami said: 'Their new plan is to weaken the clergy ... You saw, the rioters attacked some seminaries, worse than the Shah's regime attack on ‘Faizia’ seminary. The Takistan Seminary had such a situation. This indicates the depth of the hatred of enemies from the mullahs.” On January 5, he had also said about the attack on government buildings: 'They rushed into ... the office of some Friday Imams, the Islamic Propagation Organization, the Dispute Resolution Council.'
'Even a rial of our monthly salary is not from state budgets,' and 'the salary of a mullah is between 500 and 600 thousand tomans ... below the poverty line,” he said ridiculously to cover plunders by the mullahs. This criminal mullah is making these remarks whereas hundreds of millions of dollars of the country's budget are officially spent on educating government mullahs under the guise of 'Seminaries' or training non-Iranian terrorists under the title of foreign scholars. More importantly, a large part of the country's revenues and capital are stolen by mullahs and their corrupt children. This the reason for such a deep anger and hatred of the Iranian people against the Revolutionary Guards and government mullahs.
The criminal mullah Ghias al-Din Taha Mohammadi, said in the Friday prayer in Hamadan two weeks ago: during the uprising 'about 60 offices of the Friday Imams were attacked.' In most cities of Iran, clues to many crimes, robberies, moral and financial corruption are in the hands of the Friday Imams and their offices, who are representatives of Khamenei and are appointed by him.
Mullah Dorri Najaf Abadi, Friday Imam of Arak, and another member of the Board of Directors of Assembly of Experts and former minister of intelligence, said on January 17: in the course of uprising in Arak, 'Our house was attacked and I was at home. In recent events, the age of the protesters was very low. The people who attacked our home, although they had covered their faces, were under 30 years of age and even under the age of 18; of course, I only say about the Central province.'
DEBUNKING IRAN REGIME'S LIES ABOUT THE PMOI/ MEK: NO, THE MEK DIDN'T MURDER AMERICANS IN IRAN
There are a number of persistent and harmful rumours surrounding the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK) - mainly spread by the Iranian Regime’s propaganda machine, the Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) - that are designed to make the international community and the Iranian people themselves distrust the MEK.
In this series, we intend to set the record straight and tell you the truth behind the lies.
Make no mistake, the Iranian Regime is absolutely terrified of not just the Iranian people, but also the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK). This fear can be seen in the pro-regime protests that the mullahs organized, where paid protesters held signs like “Green Movement is supporter of Rajavi”, and in the many comments from Regime leaders themselves. It seems like even the Iranian Regime is being forced to admit that the Iranian Resistance is incredibly popular amongst the Iranian people. In early January, Supreme Leder Ali Khamenei said that the protest had been organized by the MEK months ago.
Iranian activists write slogans and graffiti on the walls against Iran Supreme leader, Khamenei
Tehran - January 19, 2018 - Death to Khamenei...
Isfahan - January 17, 2018, Students ... will not tolerate disgrace...
Isfahan- January, 2018 - Death or freedom...
Isfahan - January 18, 2018 - imprisoned students of uprising must be released, the families of the detainees will not remain silent
Kermanshah - January, 2018- Death to Khamenei ... Death to dictator...
Saqez-January 18, 2018- Death to Khamenei, Death to dictator...
Karaj –January 17, 2018 -The people of the world should know that Massoud is our leader...
Qazvin - January 19, 2018- This uprising continues until victory, death to corrupt Khamenei...
Qazvin- January 19, 2018 - Death to the clerical regime-Death to Khamenei...
THE MEK’S WRONGFUL TERRORIST DESIGNATION
After 15 terrible years, the US finally removed Iranian Resistance group People’s Mujahedin of Iran (MEK/PMOI) from its list of foreign terrorist organisations in September 2012, following countless court cases that found in the MEK’s favour and previous removals of the MEK from terror lists by the UK, France and the European Union.
But the MEK should never have been placed on any terrorist watch list in the first place, so how did they end up there, what effect did this have on the MEK’s fight for freedom in Iran, and how did the MEK finally get removed from the terror watch list? Let’s explore.
As Iran finds itself engulfed in domestic and external turmoil, the opposition in-exile enjoys the prowess and cohesion to elect a new secretary general.
A new administration in Washington has been ramping up the heat, punishing Tehran for meddling in other states’ affairs and advancing its ballistic missile drive. All the while Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has seen his representative rejected by two senior Shiite leaders in Iraq, the proxy war in Yemen going south and Tehran’s support to maintain Syria’s Bashar Assad in power eating up crucial resources. Internally, the Iranian people are stepping up their protests to significant scales.
In now daily protests thousands of investors are demanding their savings from state-run institutions, and the city of Baneh in western Iran recently witnessed clashes as locals took to arms to protest the ruthless killing of porters by state security forces. In a parallel significant development, the Iranian opposition People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran(PMOI/MEK) held its congress on Wednesday marking its 52nd anniversary and sitting to elect a new secretary general.
Since the major gathering of the Iranian opposition, MEK in Paris on July 1, the issue of necessity of regime change in Iran has gained traction.
“The only solution to free the people of Iran and establish peace and tranquility in the region, is the overthrow of the Iranian regime,” declared Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the Iranian Resistance, in the major gathering of Iranians in Paris on July 1. She reiterated, “The regime’s overthrow is possible and within reach, and a democratic alternative and organized resistance MEK exists that can topple it.”
Maryam Rajavi’s call for regime change in Iran was widely echoed and supported by other prominent U.S. and European speakers. Among the speakers were former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton. All supported MEK ’s call for regime change in Iran.
Referring to the MEK , Bolton, said: “There is a viable opposition to the rule of the ayatollahs, and that opposition is centered in this room today. I had said for over 10 years since coming to these events, that the declared policy of the United States of America should be … to change the regime itself. And that’s why, before 2019, we here will celebrate in Tehran!”
After the MEK and Iranian resistance’s July 1 rally in Paris, Fox News reported, “The Trump administration is potentially considering seeking a strategy to try to topple the regime.” The resistance, however, only needs American political and perhaps economic support to effect “regime change from within.”
MEK'S POPULARITY AMONG IRANIAN YOUTH, REGIME'S NIGHTMARE
CONTRARY TO IRAN LOBBY CLAIMS, REGIME CHANGE DOES NOT END IN WAR
One of the great falsehoods of the Iran lobby and the appeasers of the clerical regime in Tehran is that any effort at regime change would inevitably lead to war. This by-line can be seen in every article by the Iran lobby and the appeasers attempting to underscore the growing global support for the Iranian opposition (MEK/PMOI) and the Iranian people’s quest for regime change.
History teaches us though that the longevity of any regime born out of violent conquest is ultimately short-lived.
The Iranian regime that was born out of a revolution overthrowing the Shah, which was in turn hijacked by the mullahs and turned into a religious oligarchy. The original aim of the revolution was the formation of a secular, pluralistic democracy. That dream still exists in the hearts and minds of the overwhelming majority of the Iranian people and resonates in the various forms of protest in Iran, despite the repressive measures by the regime. Therefore, the call for “regime change” is primarily the Iranian people’s demand.
What Is the Right Policy Towards Iran and the MEK? By Jubin Katiraie
It is sometimes now that many US officials have been talking about Iran and the actions that US must take towards Iran. In a hearing in the congress, the Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, in response to a question about the US policy towards Iran said: “Well our Iranian policy is under development. It’s not yet been delivered to the president, but I would tell you that we certainly recognize Iran’s continued destabilizing presence in the region, their payment of foreign fighters, their export of militia forces in Syria, in Iraq, in Yemen, their support for Hezbollah. And we are taking action to respond to Iran’s hegemony. Additional sanctions actions have been put in place against individuals and others.”
“We continually review the merits both from the standpoint of diplomatic but also international consequences of designating the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in its entirety as a terrorist organization,” he added. “As you know, we have designated the Quds [Force]. Our policy towards Iran is to push back on this hegemony, contain their ability to develop obviously nuclear weapons, and to work toward support of those elements inside of Iran that would lead to a peaceful transition of that government. Those elements are there, certainly as we know.” READ MORE
Who is the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK)
If you want to get more information about PMOI/MEK , this is an excellent article for getting to know the PMOI. WASHINGTON, Nov. 20, 2016 / PRNewswire-USNewswire Formed in 1965, the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), the largest and best-organized Iranian opposition movement, is the main component of the coalition, National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), which acts as the [ 1,059 more word ]
The NCRI and MEK, have been committed to a secular, democratic, non-nuclear republic; gender equality; freedom of religion, thought, press, and association; support for peace in the Middle East; and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The president-elect of the NCRI is Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, who addressed a rally of 100,000 in Paris, well attended by dozens of prominent speakers from all over the world.
A. The MEK role was critical in preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear bomb
The MEK has been instrumental in exposing Iran’s nuclear weapons program. Relying on a vast network inside Iran, MEK revelations of the weapons program significantly contributed to the world peace and the national security of the United States.
These revelations triggered the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspections of the uranium enrichment facility in Natanz and Heavy Water Facility in Arak in 2002 for the first time, and since then, the majority of the visits by the IAEA inspection teams have been to the sites first exposed by the MEK.
Senior U.S. officials including President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice have repeatedly pointed to the role the MEK had played in getting the world attention on Iran’s nuclear weapons program.
In March 2005, President, George W. Bush, emphasized that the MEK‘s revelation of Natanz prompted an international campaign to stop the nuclear weapons program of Iran. “Iran has concealed its — a nuclear program. That became discovered, not because of their compliance with the IAEA or NPT, but because a dissident group pointed it out to the world.”
Many of the key front companies exposed by the MEK such as Mesbah Energy, Novin Energy, Kalaye Electric, Kavoshyar Company, and Farayand Technique were eventually sanctioned by the Treasury Department. In July 2011, the MEK exposed a new nuclear organization overseeing the entire nuclear program and run by the military, known as SPND. The U.S. Government designated that entity in 2014. In addition, many companies, key nuclear experts, and military institutions exposed by the MEK have been sanctioned by the United Nations Security Council resolutions 1737, 1747, and 1803.
If it were not for the MEK nuclear revelations, Tehran would have had the bomb by now. Congressman Brad Sherman (D-CA) told a House Foreign Affairs Committee Hearing “We all owe a debt of gratitude to the MEK for bringing this information to the world, and causing the United States and the world to focus on the problem.”
B. MEK exposed the terrorist network of Iran
The MEK has played a key role in exposing the terrorist operations by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and its entity, the Qods Force. MEK‘s actionable intelligence on Qods Force operations in Iraq saved many lives, and thwarted many terrorist operations by the Iranian regime.
MEK documented the details of the Qods force production and shipment of advanced EFP’s (Explosively Formed Projectiles), the number one killer of U.S. forces in Iraq. MEK also exposed Iran’s involvement in the bombing of the Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia, which killed 19 American servicemen.
C. MEK enjoys extensive bi-partisan support in U.S. Congress
Over the past two decades, MEK has gained extensive support among a large bi-partisan group of members of congress. Congress strongly rejected MEK‘s FTO designation, which it viewed as a goodwill gesture to Tehran, as 99 members (52 D and 47 R) called for the group’s delisting. Secretary Clinton revoked the designation in 2012, after being urged by the U.S. Court of Appeals- DC Circuit.
Congress held hearings in the House and the Senate strongly supporting the safety & security of thousands of MEK members based in camps Ashraf and Liberty in Iraq, as they were being subject to attacks instigated by Tehran. There were several pieces of legislations in support of MEK members in Iraq, e.g., H.Res.704 with 224 co-sponsors (126 D and 98 R).
In addition, the National Defense Authorization Act for the fiscal year 2016, signed by President Obama and became law, included a language in support of the “security and protection” of MEK members in Camp Liberty, Iraq.
Secretary of State John Kerry lauded the resettlement of all members of “exiled Iranian opposition group, the Mujahedin e-Khalq, or MEK,” from Iraq to Europe in September 2016, emphasizing that “their departure concludes a significant American diplomatic initiative that has assured the safety of more than 3,000 MEK members whose lives have been under threat…I first became involved in this effort when I was in the Senate … I’m very proud that the United States was able to play a pivotal role in helping to get this job done.”
Also, the U.S. military fully protected all the MEK members in Iraq and recognized them as “protected persons” under the 4th Geneva Convention, long before the group was delisted.
D. MEK has been leading the opposition against the regime at home and abroad
MEK has been in the forefront of opposition to the mullahs since early days of the 1979 revolution, when it soon become the number one target of the Iranian regime’s repression.
The rulers of Iran view the MEK as an existential threat due to its support at home, and undermining the regime’s Islamic extremist ideology among a vast majority of the Iranian population, especially the youth. MEK‘s modern, tolerant and democratic view on Islam has been the antithesis to the Islamic fundamentalists and the velayat-e faqih system. The MEK has been the main victim of repression in Iran. In summer 1988, the Iranian regime, by direct order of Supreme Leader Khomeini, massacred 30,000 political prisoners, most members of MEK. Over 100,000 of its members have been murderedsince 1981, and many of its supporters are currently jailed in notorious prisons across the country. Most of those arrested and sentenced to death after the summer 2009 uprising in Iran, belonged to the MEK.
After having failed to physically eliminate the MEK, Tehran waged an international effort to have the MEK designated as a terrorist organization, which eventually failed after all the designations were overturned in Europe and the U.S. with the help of over 20 court rulings. Eventually, Tehran embarked upon a multi-million-dollar campaign of character assassination and demonization, which described the MEK as a cult, to justify the policy of appeasement. None of those efforts succeeded.
CONTACT: Ali Safavi, 202-747-7847, www.ncrius.org
Parliamentarians Call to Save Political Prisoner Ali Moezzi in Iran
