International conference in Geneva

Dear Friends,
Allow me to applaud all of you for holding this conference.
Members of the Geneva Parliament,
Representatives of human rights organizations,
Political personalities and the distinguished diplomats,
I salute you all.

I extend my gratitude to the majority of the Swiss Parliament for the initiative in adopting a declaration in support of Camp Ashraf and the Iranian Resistance.

This conference takes place as the spring of freedom arrives for the peoples of North Africa and the Middle East.

They are no longer putting up with lives shaded by dictatorship and poverty.
That is why they have decided to make sacrifices in their quest for democracy and freedom.
A recalibration of western policy towards the Middle East and especially towards the dictatorship ruling Iran is now inevitable.
The Iranian people have in recent weeks arisen again to demand democratic change.
Under these circumstances, siding with the ruling religious fascism in Iran would be even more disgraceful than ever.
At the same time, we have witnessed the clerical regime’s blatant threats against countries in transition.
We have also witnessed a shameful policy that has so far overlooked human rights for the people of the Middle East.
Today, the killings and human rights abuses perpetrated by despotic regimes in the Middle East and North Africa have provoked global outrage. That said, the number of political executions under the mullahs in Iran is seven times higher than in other countries of the region.
The human rights situation in Iran, therefore, must be placed at the top of the United Nations agenda.
I remember when Prof. Kazem Rajavi was assassinated in Coppet, near Geneva, on the orders of the Iranian regime’s officials. His only so-called crime in the eyes of the mullahs was his defense of human rights.
It is truly shameful to see that instead of punishing the mullahs’ regime and its officials, their travel ban to Europe has been lifted to enable them to attend the Human Right Council session.
In the aftermath of the popular uprisings in the region against repression and human rights abuses, it is high time for the UN Human Rights Council to abandon its previous approach towards the regime in Tehran.
It is unacceptable to exercise silence in the face of repression and executions, particularly the execution of women in Iran.
What I am referring to is a catastrophe that is taking place in Iran; a persistent war waged against the Iranian people.
On average, there are 2000 people arrested every day.
Hundreds meet their fate at the gallows and the numbers continue to rise with every passing year.
Prisoners are systematically tortured and raped.
All this makes it imperative for the Human Rights Council to take on new commitments and responsibilities in defense of human rights standards in Iran.
Since this conference is being held in Geneva, I find it necessary to highlight a glaring paradox.
On the one hand, Switzerland hosts various international human rights organizations, placing this European country on the side of those helping the oppressed.
On the other hand, the Swiss government is one of the most important trade partners and active appeasers of the regime in Tehran, which remains to be the greatest violator of human rights in the world.
Switzerland has doubled its trade with the regime since Ahmadinejad took power as the regime’s president. In 2010, when international sanctions against the regime were expanded, Switzerland exported 900 types of commodities to Iran, which the regime desperately needed.

Now, let me turn to the mullahs’ repressive measures against Camp Ashraf, a place feared most by the regime.
Since the beginning of 2009, Ashraf has been under a crippling siege imposed by the Nouri Al-Maliki government.
A range of restrictions have been imposed on visits by Ashraf families and their lawyers.
The inflow of essential items, even basic foodstuffs and clothing, has been restricted.
In recent months, specialist doctors and surgeons have been barred from visiting patients at Ashraf hospital.
And a variety of medicine has also been banned.
The regime’s policy is to bring about the gradual death of patients in Ashraf suffering from illnesses.
Mehdi Fathi is just one example. Deprived of timely treatment, he died on December 10, after suffering from tremendous pain and anguish. Another example is Kazem Nematollahi, whose kidneys are not functioning properly because he has been deprived from receiving the required medical treatment.
Here you see the photographs of those in Ashraf who need urgent medical care and specialist doctors. But the Committee for the Suppression of Ashraf in the Prime Minister’s Office has been impeding their access to medical treatment.
Since a year ago, agents of the Iranian regime’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security have installed powerful loudspeakers around Ashraf’s premises, blaring propaganda into the camp round-the-clock and making threats against the residents.
In the absence of a serious international reaction, the number of the loudspeakers has increased from 20 to 210.
One factor involved here is the threats posed by the ruling dictatorship in Iran.
The mullahs are today engulfed in uprisings by the youth. They cannot maintain their stability and see no future for themselves. They are doing their utmost to eliminate Ashraf in order to demoralize the Iranian society and contain the uprisings.
In view of this, the preservation of Camp Ashraf is of extraordinary significance.
Another factor is the status of the Iraqi government, which owes its power to its patrons in Iran.
On February 25, when the Iraqi people took to the streets to participate in peaceful protests, police forces murdered dozens of demonstrators in the streets. Previously in July 2009, they had murdered 11 residents of Ashraf.
The Iraqi government has neither the capacity nor the intent to protect Ashraf.
That is why the US decision to transfer the camp’s protection to the Iraqi government marked a major mistake.
It violated international law, not least because the US government had signed an agreement with each and every Ashraf resident, expressing a commitment to protect them.
In this respect, the United Nations has the responsibility to put Camp Ashraf under its own monitoring.
Therefore, we propose the following:
1. A United Nations team must be based at Ashraf to permanently monitor the situation there.
2. US forces must assume responsibility to protect this monitoring team.
I ask all governments and international agencies to:
1. Halt the purchase of oil from the mullahs to avoid providing the regime with the required resources which it can then use to suppress the Iranian people.
2. Refer the regime’s human rights abuses dossier to the UN Security Council. We emphasize the need to appoint a special rapporteur for human rights in Iran. The elimination of this position since 2002 has been part of a policy of giving concessions to the regime. It must end. Political ties with the regime must be made contingent upon the release of all political prisoners and a halt in executions.
3. Take steps to issue an international arrest warrant for the mullahs’ Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei for committing crimes against humanity.
4. Take urgent action to end the siege on Ashraf, lift the ban on the inflow of medicine and dismantle the loudspeakers at the camp’s premises.
I wish your conference all the success.
Thank you very much.