Maryam Rajavi’s speech at ceremony in honor of Camp Ashraf martyrs

2 August 2009 The following is the English translation of excerpts of speech by Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran at the ceremony held in honor of Ashraf martyrs on 2 August 2009 in Auvers-sur-Oise, France:

The following is the English translation of excerpts of speech by Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran at the ceremony held in honor of Ashraf martyrs on 2 August 2009 in Auvers-sur-Oise, France:

Auvers-sur-Oise, August 2, 2009
When I saw the pure and innocent dead bodies of my dear Siavash [Nezamolmolki] and Hanif [Emami], I was deeply envious for not being there on the side of my brothers Hassan [Nezmolmolki] and Ali [Emami], and my sisters Shayesteh and Asefeh [Emami] to say farewell to those dearly beloved [martyrs].

I think about not being there to say farewell to and pray for Mehrdad, Amir, Fardin, Mohammad-Reza, Hossein, Alireza, and other martyrs. Why wasn’t I there to care for every single one of your wounds myself?

And, a hundred other such thoughts race through my mind!

I salute you for representing the Iranian nation’s honor and dignity.

And, hail to those wounded and ailing prisoners who have been taken hostage.

Dear God, please bestow upon me the honor to be on the side of Ashraf residents during the greatest struggle for freedom, in the most vital trenches for defending the Iranian people and in the most sensitive bastion for defending dignity and resolve even as,

Soil rains from above,
A storm of bullets and stones hits
Batons, axes, clubs, and iron rods come down
And, as we navigate through tear gas, grenades and boiling water,

As we face armored vehicles intending to run over Ashraf residents,
And, in front of loaders, which pick up the residents like a hillock or come down on their heads.

What words can one use to describe all this cruelty?

On the other hand, what words can one use to describe all that courage and perseverance?

Suffice it to ask, what salvation could be greater? And what degree of innocence more striking?

Indeed, with all your bravery, resolve, decency and purity, and with all your honesty and sacrifices, you lay bare the high summits of your just cause. And how gloriously you revealed the innocence of this resistance and proved the right of the Iranian people to resist.

Similarly, you revealed how deep, wrong and infinite the gutters of the mullahs’ brutality and barbarity and the dishonor of their agents in Iraq run.

You truly shook the entire world. You awakened people’s conscience and echoed the cries of pain of a deprived people to everyone.

Yes, this is Ashraf’s red-colored uprising, the most glorious heroic chapter in the Iranian people’s history of liberation!

For those who ask where the brave sons and daughters of Iran get their bravery and courage from during the nationwide uprising, look no further than Ashraf. Inspired by such vanguards, they rise up to form that kind of uprising.

The message of Ashraf’s legendary resistance is that perseverance and uprising for freedom does not recognize an end.

The absolute clerical rule could not overcome the disenchanted population whether in Evin, Kahrizak [torture chambers] or the streets of Tehran or Beheshte Zahra [cemetery]. Similarly, it does not have the ability to overcome the PMOI in Ashraf.

And what evidence could be more convincing than this to show that the Supreme Leader’s curse has been shattered?

The strategic front for the Iranian nation’s struggle is the steadfast and blood-stained Ashraf!

Why did the absolute clerical regime task its lackeys in Iraq to carry out such a brutal attack against Ashraf City in the midst of the nationwide uprisings of the Iranian people?

Because the concern of Ashraf is the same concern for the Iranian people’s uprising for freedom. And, the uprising for the overthrow of the murderous Supreme Leader resembles Ashraf which has expanded to encompass the entire nation.

Several months ago when Khameini ordered senior Iraqi officials, including Nouri al-Maliki, to annihilate Ashraf as soon as possible, he had saddled his horses to catapult his dictatorship.

Therefore, before anything else he wanted to destroy the main threat to the existence of his regime, namely Ashraf City.

However, this time around Khamenei attacked Ashraf from a position of defeat and desperation in the face of the Iranian people’s uprising.

That day Khameini committed a great mistake; And today he has committed a mistake one hundred times greater, because he has made his puppet in Iraq disgraced and despised. He also showed that incidentally all of his fear from the PMOI and Ashraf City is due to their strong roots in the heart of Iranian society.

As far as the Iranian regime-sponsored government of Iraq is concerned, attacking Ashraf means that this government has tied its political fate to that of a regime which in the midst of the Iranian people’s uprising has no future.

I must also recall that in the months before transferring the protection of Ashraf we repeatedly warned senior American officials about the consequences of such a transfer.

The horrendous crimes committed by Iraqi forces against Ashraf residents proved the extent to which these warnings were serious and real.

Yes, this disgrace, namely the suppression and massacre of the PMOI, will be a stain on the Maliki government just like the massacre of the Iranian people by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Iran.

Today we must also warn that if the American government fails to implement immediate measures to protect Ashraf residents and end the siege, attacks, and bloodshed by Iraqi forces, the US will be accountable for crimes committed against the residents of Ashraf.

Of course, the shame brought about by such reticence in the face of crimes being committed against humanity in Ashraf has now been recorded in the Obama administration’s legacy.

Since the start of the nationwide uprising, I repeatedly told Western governments that if you are not prepared now to support the Iranian people’s revolt to push aside the absolute clerical rule’s tyranny, then at least stay neutral.

Now, once again, I warn that if the American government ignores its commitments regarding the protection of Ashraf residents it would violate that neutrality for the benefit of the clerical regime.

It is also clear that thanks to the Iranian people’s resistance and uprising, the windfall profits for the regime have come to an end and there are no longer any domestic or international factors capable of diverting the increasing momentum of the regime’s overthrow.

If in 1988 the world did not see what went on behind the walls of [prisons like] Evin, Gohardasht, Dizelabad, and Adelabad, and what enormous crimes Khomeini and his henchmen committed against the PMOI, namely the massacre of 30,000 PMOI prisoners, this time around in the span of two or three days the whole world was informed of this humanitarian catastrophe and condemnations came in one after another.

Here, I especially want to express gratitude to honorable Iraqis, members of the Iraqi Parliament, and the country’s political figures, parties, tribal leaders, and all women and men who rose up in Iraq in support of the PMOI.

I also wish patience for the great family of Ashraf residents and families of Ashraf martyrs, all the wounded sisters and brothers, and all those who shed tears and prayed for Ashraf during the past several days inside Iran and throughout the world.

These days I found out that the PMOI in Ashraf City have initiated an indefinite hunger strike. Their strike, with injured and beaten bodies, is of course painful for myself and all of us.

At the same time, our compatriots in various locations around the world have also initiated their own hunger strikes and extensive sit-ins, like the residents of Ashraf and in defense of them.

I pray for the health of each and every one of them.

I am certain that the power of the world’s conscience is on the side of Ashraf in this struggle, and I hope that human rights organizations and international authorities rise up in support of their legitimate demands as soon as possible and prevent the continuation of this catastrophe and its consequences.

I salute my compatriots across Iran who have combined their voices in support of Ashraf with the cries of “Death to dictator” these days, and thus dealt a stronger blow to Khamenei by linking their protests with Ashraf.

This is the response to the murderous dictator and he must know that he will never escape the determination and will of the PMOI and the arisen people. However much he increases the brutality it will have the opposite effect.

I thank all of you, my dear friends, and I salute you