Maryam Rajavi’s speech at the Fofi’s meeting in Brussels

FOFI European Parliament, November 11, 2009

First of all, I would like to congratulate you all on the occasion of the formation of the new session of Parliament and your success in the course of the elections. During the past several sessions, I have seen European parliamentarians actively supporting democratic change in Iran. Allow me to praise the members of this Parliament, in particular the ‘Friends of a Free Iran parliamentary inter group’ and ‘International Committee of In Search of Justice,’ for their role in support of Ashraf City.

It was exactly a week ago, on November 4, when the people of Iran rose up once again. In comparison to uprisings in the past five months, there were more cities rocked by widespread protests. Larger crowds took to the streets in Tehran and 20 other major cities across the nation. These people came from all sorts of social backgrounds and demographics. They ranged from 15 or 16 year old students to elderly men and women.

But they all chanted one slogan in unison against the dictatorship.

They were all voicing one demand: The regime must be changed, to the extent that a large portrait of Ali Khamenei, the regime’s Supreme Leader, was pulled down by people in Tehran and stepped on.

Protesters also deplored Mr. Obama’s leniency towards the mullahs.

Moreover, they chanted, “We do not want nuclear weapons.”

They also chanted, ‘Peace for the world, democracy for Iran.”

This was the true voice of the Iranian people.

As the leader of the Iranian Resistance declared on November 4, “All these developments reflected a nationwide determination for the overthrow of the despised absolutist rule of the clerics and achievement of freedom and popular sovereignty instead.”

The regime, on the other hand, has intensified its suppression of the people in Iran, its meddling in various countries of the region, and its efforts to produce nuclear weapons.

You yourselves witnessed how this regime sabotaged nuclear talks in October. This is because it wants to acquire a nuclear weapon.

The mullahs have a clear road map. In accordance with instructions handed down by Khamenei himself, they have exploited nuclear talks as a means for gradual progress towards manufacturing nuclear weapons. Simultaneous with the talks, all three aspects of the nuclear weapons program, that is, uranium enrichment, development of missiles and building warheads, are being advanced.

The regime is currently engaged in a program called ‘P 111’ to build nuclear warheads.

Meanwhile, the regime is also trying to produce 20 percent enriched uranium on Iranian soil. To this end, it is asking to buy uranium from abroad in search of the first pretext to allow them to produce 20 percent enriched uranium as soon as a problem arises in its procurement.

The truth is that the regime needs the bomb more than ever before in order to restore its status to where it was prior to the recent uprisings. That is why the international community must exercise resolve when dealing with the regime.

Dear friends,

As a new era begins with regards to Iran, the role of the Iranian Resistance, its solution and prospects have gained increasing prominence.

Allow me to outline the political program of the Iranian Resistance in brief:

• Our aim is to overthrow the absolutist regime of the clerics and establish a pluralistic democracy in its place;
• Our solution is the third option, which is opposed to both the policy of appeasement and also foreign military intervention and relies on democratic change by the Iranian people and their resistance. The validity of this solution has been established by the current uprising in Iran;
• We have been calling for free elections in Iran and we will continue to call for free elections under the auspices of the United Nations and not the Velayat-e Faqih (or absolute rule of clerics);

In our opposition to the religious tyranny in Iran, we rely on the Iranian people and their national solidarity.

Rejection of the clerical regime is the common goal of the absolute majority of the Iranian people, regardless of their political or ideological outlook or religion or ethnic affiliations.

The Iranian Resistance has proposed a plan for the creation of a national solidarity front. This front would encompass all political parties, groups and personalities that reject the clerical regime in its entirety and seek the establishment of a secular republic.

As soon as the nationwide uprising started, we even called on the regime’s rival factions to reject the Velayat-e Faqih regime in its entirety and declared that we would welcome them if they were to do so.

In recent months, after Iraqi forces attacked Camp Ashraf at the behest of the Iranian regime, all Iranian groups and personalities condemned it in unison despite their divergent, and in some cases contradictory, political tendencies and positions. Such an unprecedented unity among Iranians was a clear indication of progress towards national solidarity.

As for the future:
• We seek the establishment of a secular and pluralistic republic;
• In the future Iran there will be no execution or torture;
• Women will enjoy equal rights with men in all areas including political leadership;
• We seek a nuclear-free Iran;
• We seek to live in peace and harmony with our neighbors and the rest of the world.

Dear friends,

In parallel to the killing of protesters inside Iran, the mullahs have also been plotting to suppress Ashraf, where 3,400 members of the PMOI reside. They consider the suppression of Ashraf crucial to their efforts to contain the Iranian people’s uprisings.

We just saw some of the scenes of the deadly attack against Ashraf on July 28 and 29 after which 11 defenseless residents were killed, more than 500 were injured and 36 were held hostage for 72 days. The hostages’ release and return to Ashraf was made possible as a result of their own steadfastness and that of Ashraf residents in conjunction with an extensive worldwide campaign.

This represented a devastating blow for the mullahs. But now they plan to displace the residents of Ashraf inside Iraq in order to set the stage for a larger massacre. This plot poses a particular threat to the lives of the 1,000 women residing in Ashraf.

The forcible displacement of Ashraf residents inside Iraq, after 23 years of legal residency in that country, is unlawful and would violate International Humanitarian Law and international human rights. The presence of Ashraf residents in Ashraf, Iraq, is in compliance with international laws and is widely supported by the Iraqi people.

Ignoring our warnings over the past year about the threats posed by the mullahs’ plots against Ashraf paved the way for the mullahs to carry out the July 28 massacre. I hope governments and the international community would heed our warnings this time around.

Our solution for Ashraf is very clear:
– The United Nations must formally prohibit forcible displacement of Ashraf residents within Iraq;
– The American government must provide the necessary guarantees to prevent attacks and violence against the residents of Ashraf and their forcible displacement within Iraq until the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq at the end of 2011;
– The Iraqi government must comply with the April 24 resolution of the European Parliament, end the siege on Ashraf, recognize the rights of Ashraf residents under the Geneva Conventions and refrain from their forcible displacement within Iraq.

I rely on your help for the realization of this solution.

I should mention that Ashraf was built entirely by its residents using the financial resources of the Resistance.

From the outset in 1986, the territorial integrity of Ashraf has always been respected. This was also reaffirmed by the United Nations in the 1990s.
On this basis, Ashraf’s territorial integrity must continue to be respected and protected against any attack or aggression.

Today, the Iranian regime is engulfed by the Iranian people’s uprisings and is in its final stages.

We call on EU member states to adopt a firm policy in defense of the Iranian people’s human rights and to prevent the regime from using its economic and diplomatic ties with the EU in order to justify suppression of the Iranian society.

My compatriots, I count on your efforts more than ever before in support of an Iranian solution to the Iranian problem.