Maryam Rajavi’s Speech in Brussels-part one

Speech by Mayam Rajavi

My fellow compatriots,
Friends of the Resistance,
The obstacle of the terrorist allegation has crumbled. The spell has at last been broken. With perseverance and determination, you courageously rose above the flames of injustice and rendered law and justice victorious. Your resistance established the right of the Iranian people to struggle for freedom. This marks a decisive turning point on the course of democratic change in Iran. It is the beginning of a momentous era and a prelude to the liberation of our enchained homeland.

Sample ImageFollowing is the text of speech by Mrs. Mayam Rajavi, President-elect of the Iranian Resistance before a cheering crowd in Brussels on Januray 27

My fellow compatriots,
Friends of the Resistance,
The obstacle of the terrorist allegation has crumbled. The spell has at last been broken. With perseverance and determination, you courageously rose above the flames of injustice and rendered law and justice victorious. Your resistance established the right of the Iranian people to struggle for freedom. This marks a decisive turning point on the course of democratic change in Iran. It is the beginning of a momentous era and a prelude to the liberation of our enchained homeland.

I congratulate all Iranians as well as advocates of justice and democracy for this victory. Congratulations to the champions of perseverance in Ashraf City, and congratulations to the Iranian Resistance’s leader, Massoud Rajavi, who had said that victory in the struggle against the terrorist allegation is inevitable.

My dear friends!

My only purpose for coming here was to see you, and I only have one message: You prevailed over the political motivation of European governments to appease the mullahs. So, you will certainly prevail against the mullahs’ regime.

Massoud Rajavi once said: “Before asking anyone else to lend us a hand, we must look at our own two hands, and seek our own human potentials and capabilities.” He also said: “No one is going to obtain their rights or their freedom and justice for free. You have to fight for it. [As an Iranian epic story goes] In order to achieve freedom and justice, you have to put on your armor and cross the seven seas of suffering and blood with relentless commitment and faith.” And, you proved this.

It was right here on this street seven years ago when you began your campaign against the unjust allegation of terrorism. History will never forget that day. That day you declared, “We will never surrender.”

Throughout these years, those who instigated the label repeatedly stated that they listed the PMOI at the behest of the mullahs’ regime. They disgraced themselves for the benefit of the mullahs and eventually had no choice but to accept the rule of justice. But, if justice were to be implemented, then all the material and moral damages to the Iranian Resistance and the people of Iran must be compensated.

Do you remember those courageous men and women who were martyred during the most devastating bombing campaign? They were the martyrs of Iranian freedom and independence. Do you remember the June 17th fiasco, and Sedigheh and Neda? Recall the raids and arrests, the confiscation of documents, archives and assets, and the imposition of all sorts of blockades and restrictions.

Indeed, this label resulted in much harm to the Iranian people. It endowed the mullahs with a pretext to set up construction cranes to hang Iranian youth. Indeed, this listing was a decree to end the resistance.

However, you did not sit by and watch silently. Your campaign led to more than one hundred resolutions and statements from the European Parliament, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, as well as parliaments in various countries.

Your campaign led to dozens of inquiries and official parliamentary protests, non-stop flow of letters and complaints from 8500 lawyers and jurists across Europe, and drafting of 21 specific legal opinions by some of the most prominent legal minds such as Lord Slynn, Prof. Eric David, Prof. Antonio Cassese, and Prof. Henry Lebayle, among others. Hundreds of political, legal and press conferences took place. About 50 large-scale demonstrations and 800 protests were conducted by you across the globe; A thousand visits to embassies of European countries; Thousands of letters of protest and objection; And thousands upon thousands of hours of hard work.

But all these efforts and protests would meet the hard and black walls of oil and gas contracts, of geopolitical interests, of dormant senses of conscience, and of hardened hearts.

During the past seven years, the courts continually and repeatedly ruled to annul the terror allegation against the PMOI. The [European Court of First Instance] in Luxembourg issued four rulings, and the UK High Court and Court of Appeal handed down three verdicts. But, regrettably, the EU Council of Ministers ignored all these.

What was the logic behind such defiance, and what were the methods utilized in the process? Their decision, according to the UK [High Court] tribunal, was “perverse.” Their methods, according to the Court of First Instance, were tantamount to abuse of powers. Through blatant schemes, the decision taken by some of the large EU governments were imposed on the rest of EU Member States. All this went through a never-ending blind cycle, for which the French media used the analogy of a snake biting its own tale.

Lastly, they resorted to confidential documents. But when these documents were presented in court, it became clear that the reason they were kept confidential was incidentally, to quote the UK Chief Justice, because they “reinforced the conclusion that the PMOI is not involved in terrorism.”

To sum up, your resistance was not spared from even a single stone being hurled. Every conceivable obstacle was placed on your path with every imaginable deception utilized to keep this listing in place.

The big powers refused to de-list the PMOI until the very last minute. You know that in the past couple of days they even initiated a pointless appeal in order to appease the mullahs.

Indeed, it was the never-ending struggle of the Iranian Resistance, your inspirational persistence, the solidarity of parliamentarians and honorable European personalities, and the just court rulings which eventually compelled them to end the unjust label. When it came to the Iranian Resistance, they never voluntarily submitted to law and justice.

You will recall that two years ago at your gathering in Paris, I had said, “The crux of the matter is the Iranian people’s rights which have been given to the mullahs through this label.” And, turning to those “in charge of the dark chambers,” I also said that “even if you hide the Iranian people’s rights in the mouth of a dragon, we will take it out.”

Take pride in your resistance which today has fulfilled a part of the Iranian nation’s rights after an unfair and unequal battle. Yes, it was indeed a tough and unequal battle. On the one side, there you were without the support of any powers or governments, and on the other side the biggest powers of Europe from whom the regime had secured commitment and cooperation for suppressing the Iranian Resistance.

But, you did not surrender to any power. You upset the political balance of power. It was you who brought about what was right and just, and it will be you who will eventually establish freedom in Iran.

It was an unequal battle because the mullahs enjoyed the support of some of the biggest oil and gas companies in Europe lobbying at presidential palaces to keep the PMOI on the terror list. But, the power of the solidarity of the people of Europe defeated that agenda.

One of the biggest European powers had hired an army of experts to discredit the court ruling. But your quest for justice defeated that agenda. The regime’s officials and envoys in European capitals went back and forth to sign deals. They resorted to all sorts of threats and enticements. They, along with their allies, had marshaled a huge force. However, your faith and sense of resistance was much more superior.

As the Holy Quran says, “Many a small army defeated a large army by GOD’s leave. GOD is with those who steadfastly persevere.”

Indeed! You worked hard and vigorously all over Europe, from the east to the west and from the north to the south. There was no location left for you to visit and there was no door left for you to knock on. You brought those with an awakened conscience to your side and alerted the conscience of the rest.

Take pride in your ethics and faith, which cannot be destroyed by exhaustion or weakness and hopelessness. You are neither working to make a name for yourselves nor do you expect to get something in return for your efforts. In truth, your hard work and sacrifice, your persistence, compassion and humility deserve the respect of every human being. In the course of the sit-ins, you continued to brave the cold weather and exhaustion until your bodies turned weak. But your determination was long-lasting.

You stood on the streets for so long that in the end parliamentarians declared that we have become aware of the depth of your faith and ideals through your persistence.

Whenever I would see the determined faces of our mothers, fathers, youth and adolescents on television, I felt a deep sense of admiration and humility. I knew that the celebrated persistence of Ashraf is an inspiration for your campaign. I salute you, the legendary heroes, the “Arash”, of our time. You put all your lives and belongings on the tip of Arash’s arrow and let it fly for the sake of the freedom of your people.

I salute those in Ashraf and those inspired by Ashraf. One can witness in your expressions the inevitable triumph of freedom in Iran.

You, the free and liberated women and men, are truly powerful wherever you are, whether in Iranian cities or Ashraf City or right here, or all four corners of the world. What faith you have in freedom, democracy, and equality, and in the human capabilities to bring about change to the environment and to build a new world.

That is how you achieved victory in this campaign. Each and every one of you pioneering women and men, as well as those competent individuals who have accepted responsibilities in the resistance movement, such as Zahra Merikhi and other brothers and sisters who are breaking new ground during hard times, are the symbols of a generation who struggles for freedom, has not surrendered to the dominant balance of powers, and has turned seemingly impossible feats into real possibilities.

You have truly traversed a long path and have gained a load of experience. This is the path which leads to the Iranian people’s freedom, and to the rebuilding of tomorrow’s Iran, a country which will defend peace, friendship and brotherhood throughout the region.