Press Release: British MPs David Jones and Bob Blackman visit Ashraf 3 and meet Mrs. Maryam Rajavi
On Thursday, 23 February 2023, the Rt. Hon. David Jones MP, former Minister for Wales and Brexit, and President of the British Committee for Iran Freedom, and Bob Blackman MP, visited Ashraf 3 in Albania, and held talks with Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) for the transfer of sovereignty to the people of Iran.
Mr. Jones and Mr. Blackman also addressed the gathering of thousands of senior officials and members of the People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI/MEK).
During the visit, Mr. Jones and Mr. Blackman presented Mrs. Rajavi with a statement signed by 250 members of both Houses of the British Parliament from all parties in support of the Iranian people’s nationwide uprising, the Iranian Resistance, and Mrs. Rajavi’s Ten-point Plan for the future of Iran. In presenting the signatures in two separate books, they said: “It is time to recognise the right of the Iranian people to defend themselves and overthrow this regime and to establish a democratic, secular republic.”
250 members from both Houses of the British Parliament recognised the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) as the democratic alternative to the clerical regime and deserving of full support.
The statement stated: “The United Nations Security Council should hold to account those responsible for committing crimes against the Iranian people, especially the regime’s Supreme Leader Khamenei and the current president, Ebrahim Raisi, and bring them to justice.”
This statement also pointed out: “By taking enormous risks, the Resistance Units and the organised Resistance by the PMOI/MEK play a serious role in organising and continuing these protests and resisting suppression.”
Mr. Jones and Mr. Blackman reminded that the people of Iran have been severely suppressed under the regimes of the Shah and the mullahs, and for this reason they have explicitly rejected any type of dictatorship. This is echoed in the slogan of “Death to the oppressor, be it the Shah or the Leader (Khamenei)” by protesters in all Iranian cities. For the people of Iran, the names of Shah and Ayatollah are synonymous with oppression and totalitarianism.
They emphasised: “It is absurd to think that the people of Iran, who longed for freedom above all else, would return to a past where they were oppressed and denied their fundamental freedoms.”
The 250 signatories of this statement called on the United Nations, its member states, and other international organisations:
The prospect of change in Iran has never been this accessible. It is time to recognise the right of the Iranian people to defend themselves and to overthrow this regime
Strongly condemn the killing of demonstrators in Iran and take urgent measures to stop this repression. The dossier of this regime’s crimes must be referred to the United Nations Security Council and those responsible for committing such crimes must be brought to justice in particular regime’s Supreme Leader Khamenei and current President, Ebrahim Raisi.
Guarantee free access to the Internet for the people of Iran.
The people of Iran have a democratic alternative whose goals are enshrined in the Ten-point Plan articulated by Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI). This alternative deserves all-embracing support.
Any dialogue or dealings with the Iranian regime or the continuation of relationships with it must be predicated on the release of all those arrested during the recent uprising.
Rt Hon David Jones MP, President of the British Committee for Iran Freedom
Bob Blackman MP, Co-President of the the International Committee of Parliamentarians for a Democratic Iran (ICPDI) and prominent member of the British Committee for Iran Freedom
23 February 2023
- Tags: Human Rights, Iran, Iranian opposition
