Speech by Maryam Rajavi to the Iranian Rally in front of European Union headquarters in Brussels

Dear Compatriots,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Distinguished speakers,

Let me begin by saluting you for the magnificent rally you have organized in defense of freedom and democracy in Iran.

Let me also send my greetings to members of parliament in Europe, political personalities, peace and human rights advocates, and equality movement activists who have joined this rally in support of freedom-loving Iranians.

Your voice is the voice of the Iranian nation.

You are the voice of the Iranian nation that has kept the banner of democracy and freedom aloft in the face of warmongering by the theocracy ruling Iran

You are the voice of a nation and a Resistance that holds the key to peace, friendship, stability and security in the region that would be realized by bringing down the terrorist, warlike dictatorship.

Compatriots,
Supporters of the Resistance,

We are standing at an extraordinary juncture of history.

Two weeks ago, the mullahs’ President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad engaged in a demagogic tirade, threatening to set the regional and Islamic nations ablaze and beating the drums of war in a bid to conceal the dire state of a regime that is on its last legs.

His speech, a revolting call for religious war proved, as the Iranian Resistance predicted four months ago, that owing to deep crises and fundamental weakness of their regime, the mullahs have, in a pre-emptive move, declared war on the international community. At the same time, his remarks demonstrated that the policy of appeasing this regime has failed.

In recent months, they have maximized political repression and arrested young people by the thousands. They have launched an all-out effort to acquire nuclear weapons and dramatically increased their meddling in Iraq in order to devour that country.

In such sensitive circumstances, this gathering with the mantra of freedom and democracy points out the correct policy and roadmap to everyone.

The message is pure and simple: Refer Tehran regime’s file to the Security Council, impose comprehensive sanctions on it, remove the terror tag from the Resistance movement.

In this way, the Iranian people and Resistance will rid Iran of the ruling theocracy.

The Iranian people reject compromise and leniency toward the clerical regime as well as foreign military intervention. They seek to achieve freedom and democracy.

Your rally today and hundreds of gatherings elsewhere outside Iran in recent months demonstrate this reality.

The uprising in Khuzistan Province last April, in which 62 protesters were killed, reflected the same reality. The uprising by our Kurdish compatriots last July, in which a large number of people were wounded and killed, points to this reality. The steadfastness of combatants of the National Liberation Army of Iran in Ashraf City reflects the same reality.

Let us hail all those who rose up and resisted in Ahwaz, Sanandaj, Mahabad, Tehran and Ashraf.

Your message and that of all those seeking freedom is loud and clear. The message to the European Union is this: Remove all restrictions from the Resistance movement. Remove the disgraceful terror tag. The Iranian people will definitely remove the mullahs from Iran as you shall see.

In the past two weeks, Western countries have condemned the pernicious remarks by the mullahs’ President. They have expressed surprise and indignation toward these repugnant diatribes and underscore the dangers they pose. Long overdue, the reaction is in no way sufficient. What is necessary is to take action and impose sanctions on this regime.

More importantly, Western leaders keep mum on the fundamental fact that Ahmadinejad’s warmongering is a direct consequence of their policy of appeasement. Neither do they utter a word about the destructive implications of their own policy toward Iran. Was the Iranian people’s resistance movement not targeted with a variety of slanders because Western countries sought to offer the regime concessions? Was the place of the victim and the executioner not changed repeatedly because the West sought to mollify the mullahs and restrict the resistance movement?

Didn’t all those who sought to curry favor with the regime, stab this Resistance in the back as a first installment in their deal with the regime? And why are they now silent about the violation of the rights of victims of the regime?

Today, it has become obvious that appeasers have in effect reared snakes in their sleeves. Certainly, some secrets will be laid bare tomorrow. Many deals, many bribes, much collusion in slanders and in fabrications to crush this Resistance.

Allow me to say to our compatriots in Brussels that under no circumstances would we allow the file on human rights in Iran be pushed into oblivion for the sake of dealing with the mullahs. We will pursue every single page of this voluminous file and every drop of blood that has been unjustly shed until victory day.

The blood of 120,000 martyrs to the cause of freedom will not be forgotten. The martyrdom of 30,000 political prisoners in 1988 will not be forgotten. The cases of mutilated Christian clergymen, the serial murders, the murder of Zahra Kazemi and thousands of other crimes remain open until the day the regime is brought to account for each and every one of them before the Iranian nation.

Dear compatriots,
Three years ago, the major and unprecedented developments in Iran, Iraq and the region proved important facts.

– It was proven that the policy of appeasement and leniency will not moderate the theocracy ruling Iran. What is more, it brought to power the most extremist faction of the ruling theocracy.
– It was proven that negotiations with Western countries will not dissuade the mullahs from pursuing nuclear weapons, but give them political refuge to complete their nuclear program.
– It was proven that the policy of appeasement will not remove the danger of war. To the contrary, as reflected in the bellicose remarks of Ahmadinejad, it beats on the drums of war.
– It was proven that slandering the Mojahedin would not tame the mullahs. To the contrary, it paved the way for greater suppression of the Iranian people and export of fundamentalism and terrorism.
– It was proven that the bombing and disarming of the Mojahedin in Iraq upsets the geopolitical equilibrium between the regime and the whole region.
– It was proven that the bombings and terrorist attacks in Iraq are either carried out directly by the clerical regime or are being mainly supported by Tehran. The U.S and British military and German intelligence services acknowledged this reality, although the policies of those governments are essentially one of compromise and tolerance of the mullahs.
– It was proven that as long as the mullahs’ dictatorship remains in power, it will show enmity to Middle East peace and will act as the main obstacle to the establishment of democracy in Iraq. The de facto domination of Iraq by the mullahs and its imposed influence will destroy Iraq’s nascent democracy.
– It was proven that only this Resistance has the prowess to challenge and act as the antithesis to the mullahs’ regime. This resistance is the key to ridding the Middle East from the hydria of Islamic fundamentalism whose heart beats in Qom and Tehran. It was this Resistance movement that exposed the threat of Islamic fundamentalism for the world to see. It was the resistance that uncovered the mullahs’ secret nuclear sites; and it was the Resistance that exposed the regime’s meddling in Iraq.

The message that you are today delivering in front of European Union headquarters is the same message that has been proven correct by the events of the past three years; that the removal of the terror tag from the Iranian resistance movement is today overdue and a hundred times more necessary than before.

US Administration officials today point out in their statements and speeches that there is no difference between those who commit terrorist crimes and a regime that supports them. They warn of the dangers of Islamic fascism and the rogue regime in Tehran. They confirm the Iranian resistance’s position that the Iranian regime must be dealt with resolutely.

Still, we must emphasize that confronting terrorism can be only be effective when the godfather of international terrorism – the mullahs’ regime in Iran – is dealt with.

An end to insecurity and the killings in Iraq can only happen when the rule of the fundamentalists in Iran is brought to a close.

I repeat that without delisting the main Iranian resistance movement, the policy of appeasement will continue.

Today, Western policy towards Iran is utterly confused. This confusion is a result of unwise decisions to appease the mullahs in the past. But this does not need to be the case and another, correct policy is available:

Deprive the mullahs’ regime of its opportunity in Iraq; deny it nuclear weapons; remove the unjust terror tag from the Mojahedin. Accordingly, I outline the most important demands of the Iranian people as follows:
1. The Iranian people want the Iranian regime’s nuclear file to be referred to the UN Security Council without delay and sanctions should be imposed on the religious fascism ruling Iran
2. The leaders of this regime must be held accountable for their crimes against humanity in an international court of law, in particular for the massacre of 30,000 political prisoners in 1988
3. This regime should not be allowed to represent Iran at the United Nations.
4. The disgraceful terrorist listing of the Iranian Resistance movement must be revoked and obstacles in the path of the Iranian nation be removed.

Dear Compatriots,

We stand at a historical juncture in Iranian society. Will we allow repression, reactionary Islam, and warmongering to keep a stranglehold on the life of our people? Or shall your will and the power of the Iranian nation make freedom and democracy prevail in Iran?

I am confident that your and the Iranian people’s struggle and steadfastness, and the sacrifice of this nation’s sons and daughters, will achieve the liberation and prosperity of our nation.

The broken and aggrieved hearts of our compatriots in Iranian towns and villages will finally be healed. The heart wrenching scenes of street hangings of teenage girls and boys will finally come to an end. Insecurity, aggression, murder and discrimination against defenseless women will cease. Hunger and poverty of millions of Iranians shall be replaced with prosperity and happiness.

I wholeheartedly believe in your victory and the freedom of our nation.

Remember, however, that the Iranian resistance has defeated plots and the suppression against itself, only through selfless sacrifice and enormous suffering of its members and with the support of the Iranian people.

Ashraf city is a symbol and model of our nation’s steadfastness. The best and most courageous of Iranian men and women in Ashraf city have been the target of the most unrelenting pressures and attacks but have upheld the bastion of Iranian freedom. They have exposed a hidden occupation of Iraq by the religious dictatorship in Iran. They created a successful front against fundamentalism which has been joined by millions of Iraqis and many political parties, unions and democratic and progressive forces.

In the past two-and-a-half years a barrage of plots by the mullahs’ regime, pressure from nine countries, a siege and numerous limitations, had created a precarious situation for Ashraf city. Every single person in Ashraf had to decide how deeply they were committed to their ideals and their political, moral and human principles. Fortunately, the heroic Mojahedin in Ashraf successfully and proudly weathered the storm.

The regime will keep up its tactics until it is overthrown. The weaker the mullahs find themselves, the greater their conspiracies against Ashraf city. This is because Ashraf is the heartland of the Resistance. Needless to say, regardless of all hardships and pressures, the Mojahedin in Ashraf will insist even further on their ideals and political dignity.

We hail them once again and their heroic leader, Mojgan Parsai, who led this steadfastness skillfully and discredited and defeated the mullahs’ regime.

Massoud Rajavi had once said: If this resistance and its focal point, Ashraf city, remain steadfast, the world will remain steadfast vis-à-vis the anti-human mullahs.

These three years have proven him right. It has been shown that the destiny of our country will be determined by the Iranian people and resistance. It will be determined by you!

This will once again be our guiding principle in our march to victory. Therefore, everything is in your hands. Everything depends on your resolute will. Intensify your efforts and rise to the occasion to achieve freedom for the Iranian people.

Hail to Freedom,
Greetings to the Great Iranian Nation