Maryam Rajavi at press conference in the Parliamentary Assembly of the council of Europe: Immediately free those arrested in Iran uprising

I have come here to call on Europe and the world to take urgent action for the release of thousands of young souls who have been arrested during the uprising.

Dozens of protesters have been shot dead and 8,000 arrested.

Every day we hear the news of a prisoner killed under torture.

The regime’s officials, however, ridiculously claim that they have committed suicide
while in detention. A number of them are missing.

Many families are anxiously passing days and nights, not knowing anything about their children. The mullahs are not willing to account.

But Europe is silent.
Torturing prisoners to death is a crime against humanity. But I have not heard of any European government protesting this news. Why?

Where is Europe’s commitment to human rights?

Doesn’t the European Human Rights Convention also include the people of Iran?
But people are not going back into their homes.

Iran is in an explosive state and protests are continuing throughout the country.
The regime is engulfed in crises. In the past month, the value of the country’s official currency has dropped 15 per cent. The regime is doomed to fall and the Iranian people are determined to continue their struggle until they put an end to the mullahs’ religious dictatorship and establish freedom in Iran.

In such circumstances, on behalf of the Iranian people and the Iranian Resistance, I urge the Council of Europe, the European Union and its member states, and the United Nations to stand beside the people of Iran and not the ruling religious fascism. Specifically, I call for the adoption of the following steps:

1. The International Community, particularly the Council of Europe and the European Union, must adopt effective and practical measures to compel the clerical regime to free all those arrested during the uprising.
The regime must understand that it must pay a high price for opening fire on demonstrators and killing them under torture.

2. The regime must announce the names of all those arrested and all those killed under torture. They must account for those missing and if they have been murdered, the regime must announce where they have been buried.

3. An international delegation must be formed for inquiry about those killed and detained during the uprising and those who have been killed in custody. The Iranian regime must be compelled to allow this delegation to visit Iran.

4. The religious dictatorship ruling Iran does not enjoy any legitimacy. It does not have any future and investing in it is doomed to failure. All diplomatic and economic relations with the regime, must be halted. Comprehensive sanctions
must be imposed on Iran’s rulers for decades of crimes against humanity.
Iran’s economy is concentrated in Khamenei’s headquarters and in the hands of the IRGC.

Trading with this regime fuels its killing machine and its export of war and terrorism.

-Immediate freedom of the prisoners of the uprising
-Freedom of expression and association;

-No more repression and no more compulsory veil;

Now and just today.

After 39 years, enough is enough!
Thank you all, very much.