Speech in Largest gathering of Iranians – Villepinte

Justice Prevails – Protection for Achraf

In the name of God,
In the name of Iran,
In the name of Freedom,

In the name of the uprisings and democratic revolutions across the Islamic World, in the whole of the Middle East and North Africa,

In the name of the galaxy of martyrs, 120,000 fallen heroes and heroines on the 30th anniversary of June 20, 1981, when the resistance against tyranny began.

In the name of Moussa Khiabani, Ashraf Rajavi, Sedigheh Mojaveri, Neda Hassani, Asiyeh Rakhshani, Saba Haftbaradaran, Saeed Chavoshi, Hanif Kafaii and Mansour Hajian, the 36th martyr of the April 8th massacre at Ashraf.

In the name of the steadfast Ashraf, the city of honor and hope, the torch and the guiding light in the Iranian people’s struggle for the overthrow of the religious dictatorship ruling Iran,

And in the name of justice, which finally prevailed eight years after June 17, 2003.

Dear Compatriots,

Remarkable friends and supporters of the Iranian Resistance,

71 years ago today, General Charles de Gaulle, the leader of the French Resistance, announced the start of resistance against Nazism while in exile. His voice still resonates today: “Whatever happens, the flames of resistance must not be and will not be extinguished.”

Indeed, the Resistance will not be extinguished and is intent on realizing the ideal of freedom.

So, we salute the women and men of Iran’s uprising; we hail the Resistance’s activists inside and outside of Iran, especially those staging protests in Washington, D.C., and Geneva month after month in defense of Ashraf and the Iranian people’s freedom.

We also salute the political prisoners across Iran.

And representing those brave prisoners, my dear sister Mahin Saremi is here with us today.

She was repeatedly arrested since June 20, 1981, and sentenced to 10 years in prison after her final arrest. But she succeeded in escaping from the mullahs’ henchmen. We hail her courage and salute all political prisoners.

We honor the memory of her martyred husband Ali Saremi, the most prominent political prisoner in Iran, who spent a total of 24 years in prison.

Hail to all the martyrs, to all those incarcerated and to their brave mothers and families.

And hail to the families of all martyrs and prisoners for their brave role in the uprisings.

Dear Compatriots,

I congratulate you on 30th anniversary of the resistance, the largest and most enduring resistance in the history of our nation.

This is indeed a cause of honor and pride for all Iranians.

In the words of the Resistance’s Leader Massoud Rajavi,

– It has been proven that a viper will never give birth to a dove, meaning that this regime cannot be reformed.
– It has been proven that the notion of moderation within the velayat-e faqih regime [absolute clerical rule] is a mere myth.
– It has been proven that no alternatives can be found within the ruling theocracy.
– It has been proven that this regime lacks any social, historical and political legitimacy; that it is fundamentally alien to the people’s sovereignty and vote.
– It has been proven that this regime is demagogic and inhumane; that it cannot stay in power without committing torture, execution and hangings; without war and export of crisis and terrorism.
– It has been proven that the regime’s pleas for incentives, appeasement and conciliation, as well as the terrorist designation and the bombing of, and fabricating dossiers against, its most serious opponents acted as a lever to forestall the tide of change that would have brought the mullahs’ downfall.
– And it has been proven that while appeasement prolonged the regime’s rule for two decades, it does not provide it with the legitimacy and stability, which it can never attain.

Indeed, false hopes have vanished and it is Iranian history, society and the Resistance, which say no to appeasement, no to submitting to the velayat-e faqih constitution, and no to the totality of religious fascism.

On the contrary, we yes to freedom, democracy and equality, yes to the separation of church and state.

And now, one can see a faltering regime.

In the course of an endless cycle of eliminating other factions and increasingly closing its ranks, the regime is devouring its own factions, just as:

– Khomeini’s designated successor was purged [1988],
– His prime minister for eight years is under house arrest,
– The main pillar of Khomeini’s rule, [Ali Akbar] Hashemi Rafsanjani was humiliated and removed from the leadership of the Assembly of Experts at the end of 2010, and now a vicious power struggle has erupted between Khamenei and Ahmadinejad.

Through successive blows, the Supreme Leader has attempted to rein in his hand-picked president Ahmadinejad, who is no longer satisfied with having a limited role.

But by doing this, Khamenei is in reality shooting himself, and consequently the whole regime, in the foot.

All this is a byproduct of the discontent and crisis in the streets, the effects of which have been rattling the regime at the top.

It is the final tremor before the eventual downfall of the regime.

And so let us tell them to continue to shake and fear even more because our nation cannot wait to overthrow them.

Look at the young people who created the uprising. Look at this enthusiastic throng yearning for freedom.

They are prepared and ever present to wipe out this regime and all its evil from the four corners of our nation.

Indeed, you are ready and the democratic revolutions of the Middle East have come to your aid.

The Syrian regime, the mullahs’ most important strategic ally, is on the verge of collapse.
The regime’s alliances across the entire region are disintegrating.

From Afghanistan to Iraq to Syria, everywhere, the people are calling for the eviction of the Iranian regime from their countries.

The mullahs’ regime is as bankrupt as ever. International sanctions are increasingly closing up its breathing space.

And the plan to eliminate subsidies, the regime’s largest economic project over the past 30 years, is in the quagmire of defeat.

The net result of this situation is that Khamenei and Ahmadinejad are at loggerheads.

Eight years ago, in an attempt to put up a line of defense against the Resistance and popular uprisings, Khamenei initiated the ultra-reactionary project of “principalism,” placing Ahmadinejad in charge of executing this plan.

That initiative, which the regime sought to use to break out of the impasse by resorting to international adventurism, buying off its revolutionary guards and the Bassijis, has now failed.

Indeed, the phony notion of moderation has failed and the fascist notion of principalism, too, has run aground.

In contrast, the democratic alternative to the clerical regime is standing prouder than ever, victorious and leading the way.

So, we tell the ruling mullahs to continue to plunge even deeper into desperation and aversion!

The day of reckoning has arrived. Your end has arrived.

Listen to the chants of the Arab Spring: The people demand the overthrow of the ruling regimes.

Indeed, we say to the ruling mullahs: you cannot escape the inevitable fate of being overthrown.

Indeed, the people of Iran also seek the overthrow of the velayat-e faqih in its entirety and they will ensure that it happens.

Dear Compatriots,

The April 8th attack on Camp Ashraf was an attempt by the regime to contain the rising force of freedom in Iranian society, especially after the resumption of the uprisings in February 2011.

On July 28 and 29, 2009, eight weeks after the start of the uprisings in Iran, the Supreme Leader desperately needed to attack Ashraf to preserve the internal balance of power. The regime’s survival is directly related to the destruction of its opposition.

This reality has been tested many times over the past 30 years. And now, the political firestorms in the region have exacerbated the crisis and shaken the regime to its foundations.

For this reason, armored columns attacked Ashraf to destroy it completely.

But the combatants of Iran’s freedom, albeit empty-handed, waged an unprecedented resistance in the face of the armored columns and neutralized the plan to massacre the residents and to destroy Ashraf.

Your enemies sought to destroy Ashraf. But Ashraf has now been recognized across the world as the burning flame of resistance to attain the Iranian people’s freedom.

They wanted to extinguish that fire. But Ashraf lit a fire in the hearts and minds of millions of Iranians that can never be extinguished.

This is the Iranian people’s honor, the zenith of the ten-year long perseverance of Ashraf.

Hail to this generation, which is the embodiment of unwavering steadfastness and opposition to surrender and submission.

And hail to a leader and a mentor who taught this generation how to persevere, nurturing it with values such as piety, honesty and humility. This generation is the Iranian people’s treasure trove in their struggle to achieve freedom.

Hail to Massoud Rajavi, this generation’s leader and mentor.

Dear friends,

The assault on Ashraf also brought to light an important reality: the need to protect the residents of Ashraf as a national and international duty and responsibility.

The world community, in particular the United Nations and the United States, are responsible for the protection and security of Camp Ashraf residents.

And we tell them that you have no right to invoke Iraqi sovereignty to justify your inaction in the face of crimes against humanity and war crimes. This blatantly violates your international obligations.

One hundred days ago, the European Parliament declared that the concept of sovereignty and domestic laws cannot override the need to prevent human rights violations. The UN Security Council resolutions on Libya have obligated UN forces and UN member states to protect citizens and unarmed residents subjected to violence.

Invoking Iraqi sovereignty as an excuse to attack Ashraf has been soundly rejected by nationalist Iraqi leaders as well.

In his letter to Nouri Al-Maliki, Dr. Iyad Allawi referred to the Iranian regime’s demands to attack Ashraf. “We must deal with this sensitive issue in accordance with the honor, prestige and dignity of the Iraqi people and not based on the whims of this or that party,” he wrote.

Dr. Allawi added, “My letter to you about the Mojahedin-e Khalq is rooted in the heart of Iraq’s civilized culture and our people’s progressive values, our religion and international norms to which Iraq is a party.”

The Al-Iraqiya leader, who called for Maliki’s impeachment last week, spoke in clear terms to the people of Iraq about that country’s new dictator: “The Iranian regime helped Maliki to become prime minister… He imprisoned innocent people and brought corruption and human rights violations to new heights… They are looting, plundering, burning and shedding blood. Wherever they go, they destroy it.”

Indeed, the attack on Ashraf had nothing to do with Iraq’s national sovereignty. The massacre was planned in Khamenei’s office and was meant to defend the velayat-e faqih rule [in Iran]. It was an attack on the pillar of the Iranian people’s freedom.

Hail to those in Ashraf who hoisted the flag of resistance in the face of the evil religious fascism.

I want to emphasize: As the European proposal has reiterated, the siege of Ashraf must end immediately. Armed forces must withdraw from the Camp and an impartial investigation into the April 8th massacre must commence at once.

What is the reason for preventing international delegations from entering Ashraf?
Why did you prevent the European Parliament delegation from visiting Ashraf?
Why did you prevent the US Congressional Delegation from visiting Ashraf?
Why did you not allow Arab convoys to go to Ashraf?
What do you have to hide other than a grave crime against humanity and a war crime?
A crime against the international community as the judgment of the national court of Spain stressed.

So, until the final resolution of this matter, it is doubly important for the UN to assume the protection of Ashraf and for UN observers to be stationed in the Camp.

We ask the US and the EU to only provide the protection for these observers.

This is the least costly and the most urgent demand to protect the lives of the Mojahedin in Camp Ashraf.

Majorities in the French Senate and National Assembly as well as 5,500 French mayors have announced their admirable position in this respect. Lawmakers and the elected representatives in 40 countries from five continents have also made their position known.

This is the most vociferous affirmation of the righteousness of the struggle of the Iranian people and their brave children.

The people of Syria have every right to demand that Bashar Assad’s armored vehicles and heavy weapons be removed from their residential quarters.

The people of Libya have every right to say that firing on civilians by Qaddafi’s forces must be stopped.

And the residents of Ashraf have every right to say that the barrels of guns must be turned away from their temples.

I must also emphasize that the US bears the responsibility for handing over the protection of Ashraf to a government in Iraq whose intention to suppress the residents was already made clear.

Similarly, the US is responsible for blocking the path of change in Iran by shackling the main force for change through an unwarranted label.

I call on the US to abide by its Court’s judgment and heed the call by Members of Congress and senior former US government officials, who do not lend any credibility to the terrorist label. Accordingly, we call on the US to end this scandalous designation and abandon the failed policy of engagement with the Central Banker of terrorism. This would also serve the interests of the American people.

Indeed, the right of the Iranian people to bring down this brutal dictatorship should not be trampled upon more than it already has been.

I remind you of the words of Abraham Lincoln, who said, “The government, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it, or their revolutionary right to dismember or overthrow it.”

We call on the US to end this discredited label and to change the policy that has so far acted as a barrier to achieving the Iranian people’s freedom.

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

Your perseverance defeated the greatest conspiracy against the Resistance movement.

The conspiratorial case against the Resistance that began on June 17, 2003, with hundreds of thousands of pages of trumped-up accusations and at least 10,000 documents fabricated by the regime in Tehran, one of the largest investigations in the history of France, collapsed.

I congratulate you on your perseverance which defeated the largest conspiracy against the Iranian Resistance.

Your gathering today, therefore, is being held to celebrate victory and to feel proud.

For eight years, they conspired to block the path of an enchained people’s resistance movement. But, this Resistance prevailed and was vindicated.

Indeed, now, in its remarkable judgment, the French Judiciary has attested to the legitimacy and the righteousness of the Iranian people’s just resistance against religious fascism.

This judgment is a source of pride for the people of France who supported the Resistance, especially the honorable and renowned lawyers, jurists and other personalities.

I salute them all, and regard them as the voice of conscience of France and the whole of Europe.

This development represents, at the same time, the most important link in the advancement and victory of your resistance against the campaign of demonization.

One has only to recall the flood of disgusting allegations against the Resistance movement.

Accusations such as torturing and murdering our own members, the cult of personality, being a sect, killing hundreds of thousands of Iraqi Kurds and Shiites, money laundering, forming criminal associations, imprisoning youngsters and women against their will, lack of popularity inside Iran, and most important and prevalent, the allegation of terrorism.

And now those who had originally churned out these allegations are buried under the rubble of these accusations.

Indeed, what was the purpose of all these slanders?

Throughout the past three decades, these allegations justified the hanging and torture of the Iranian people and the suppression of their Resistance.

But your Ashraf-like perseverance crushed this venomous onslaught.

You were victorious in dozens of courts in Europe and the US.

You destroyed the allegations and the proscription against this movement in the UK, in the EU, in France and in Germany’s 16 provinces.

And you will no doubt succeed in revoking the terrorist designation of the Mojahedin by the US State Department.

Now, it is time to address the files on the mullahs’ crimes. The UN Security Council must take up this dossier so that the Iranian people come to know who is standing with them and who is standing with the mullahs on the international scene.

The Security Council must refer the mullahs’ file to the International Criminal Court at The Hague.

The Iranian people want an arrest warrant issued and enforced for Khamenei and that will become reality.

Dear Compatriots,

The age of advancement and victory for democratic revolutions has dawned.

It belongs to all women,

It belongs to the young people,

It is the era of rising up and maximizing the struggle,

It belongs to students, workers and teachers,

And to the oppressed Iranians in Kurdistan, Baluchistan, Khuzestan and all over Iran,

Indeed, it is time to end the religious dictatorship.

We can and we must bring victory to the Resistance and the uprising for freedom.

The mullahs are in a mad dash to obtain nuclear weapons in order to survive.

In our efforts to create a prosperous society, we are pursuing a power that is a million times stronger: The power of free choice, with each and every Iranian citizen, especially women and youth, playing their part and assuming responsibility in the affairs of their nation.

Our goal is to establish a free and democratic republic based on the separation of church and state and gender equality and with emphasis on women’s equal participation in political leadership. We want a non-nuclear Iran.

Our platform could be summed up in three words: Freedom, Equality and the supremacy of the people’s vote.

This has been our ideal from the outset.

We are not fighting and making sacrifices to be able to grab on to power.

We have not even set our sights on sharing power and the ability to govern.

Our biggest mission is the establishment of the people’s sovereignty and democracy.

Having learned from Massoud Rajavi, we would be content to remain in opposition and would feel honored to sacrifice ourselves for the sake of giving the Iranian people the ability to choose freely.

Dear Compatriots,

I am always asking whether there will come an end to the pain of millions of Iranian women and men; and whether there will come a day when they can enjoy a life, without fear, and full of happiness and freedom.

I want to give them an answer as loudly as possible: Yes, I and all of us have accepted to endure all the possible hardships in order to keep alive this hope and to realize this aspiration. We have sacrificed everything to see the dawn of that bright morning, and that prosperous, secure and tranquil livelihood for all Iranians.

We are confident, with every fiber of our being, that freedom will prevail.

The path to change and to revolution, the path chosen by the generation of the uprising, is glowing brilliantly. And by virtue of its glorious perseverance, Ashraf stands as the proof of victory.

Hail to Freedom,

Hail to Ashraf,

And hail to the people of Iran.