Speech at ceremony in commemoration of 4 victims of the most recent rocket attack on Camp Liberty
And in the name of heroic Mojahedin, Bijan Tehrani, Abbas Namvar, Mahmoud Bornafar and Yahya Ziarati.
With their blood, they represented the Iranian nation’s pledge to overthrow the ruling theocracy and establish freedom.
And in the name of 52 brilliant stars shining in the Galaxy of Ashraf, whose perseverance made them eternal.
Distinguished guests,
We have gathered here to pay homage to the heroism and sacrifice of four Mojahedin freedom-fighters in Camp Liberty.
Before all else, I want to underscore the struggle in which you conquered the darkness spawned by a barrage of missiles, with the help of your iron resolve, and, as always, managed to obtain victory.
At 9:15 pm local time on December 26, the deafening howls of missiles abruptly filled the skies of Liberty Prison. From the moment the missiles were first heard, there were only a few seconds for each resident to find shelter. With the blink of an eye, there were explosions and the ensuing flames billowing from burning trailers.
Thirty-six missiles struck Liberty; some of them packed 20 times more destructive power than 107mm Katyusha rockets. The enemy seemed to have counted on all the elements: including complete darkness, the element of surprise, and the timing of the attack, which was the day after Christmas and the start of the holiday season in large parts of the world. In addition, the enemy was well aware that Liberty is only 0.5km2 in size, with crammed trailers that would be torn into pieces, each turning into shrapnel.
Everything was arranged to produce shock and surprise in the residents of Liberty. But, the women and men there were brave, ready and vigilant, and ultimately neutralized the impact of that heavy assault.
What the enemy has always failed to take into account is the fighting spirit and perseverance of the combatants of freedom.
The martyrdom of four members of the Mojahedin in this attack was of course heart-wrenching for all freedom-seekers. But the enemy had planned to carry out a massacre that was larger in scale.
The combatants of freedom defeated this criminal plot, demonstrating once again that wherever they congregate, that location becomes the bastion of determination and the will to fight; a place that embodies the campaign to overthrow the regime, with no trace of weakness and surrender; only faith, conviction and steadfastness.
So, to you, Mojahedin of freedom, heroes and heroines,
We extend our warmest greetings and commendations. Your boundless determination defeated the cold and blood-soaked night despite great pain, torment and injury.
The four Mojahedin in whose tribute we have gathered here today had a message: Neither the gallows, nor torture; neither massacres nor missile attacks can shake the determination of the Iranian people and resistance to bring about a revolution and attain freedom. And this is a battle that sees no other objective for itself but complete triumph over the ruling theocracy.
Bijan Tehrani was among the deputies of Giti Givechian and among senior officials in charge of security and counterintelligence in the National Liberation Army of Iran. He was a 34-year veteran of the Mojahedin.
Abbas Namvar and Mahmoud Bornafar were former commanders of the National Liberation Army of Iran and 30-year veterans of the movement. And Yahya Ziarati was a 25-year veteran of the organization. He suffered a heart attack when a missile landed near him, and died 9 days later.
On the day of the attack, we appealed for transferring Yahya and two other seriously wounded residents to Europe, committing that we will pay for all the expenses. But nothing was done.
Truly, each of these lofty martyrs was a symbol of virtuous and emancipated human beings; the embodiments of humankind’s ability to rebel against surrender and humiliation in the midst of the darkest and most complicated of circumstances. They heralded light and hope.
Their voices are still with us singing:
Our anthem is heard above the battle ground and promises the coming of final triumph.
The Iranian regime’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and operatives of the terrorist Qods Force are rejoicing over these attacks. But this actually reflects their fear of the Mojahedin’s campaign to overthrow the ruling mullahs.
And we say to them that you can never rid yourself of the Galaxy and the Volcano of Ashraf.
As the Iranian Resistance’s Leader Massoud Rajavi said, “As long as one Mojahedin member is alive, the campaign to overthrow the mullahs will march on.”
And we say to the enemy: If you think that through missile attacks on Liberty, you can disrupt even for a second the struggle to overthrow the ruling theocracy, you are gravely mistaken. And if you think that Iranian youths and political prisoners will be intimidated and disheartened over the martyrdom of heroes of perseverance, you are absolute fools. Because, the overthrow of your regime and the liberation of the Iranian people is the roadmap for all the Mojahedin, from the very first one who was sent to the gallows to the last one fighting the battle for freedom.
So, allow me to repeat what Massoud Rajavi had said before: “You know full well and feel with flesh and blood that Liberty and Ashraf are the battle ground and test of our resolve. For the past 48 years the Mojahedin have either been on the battle scene or in prisons, from one encounter with the mullahs and colonialists to another. As [the late Prime Minister Dr. Mohammad] Mossadeq said, fight and we will fight.”
To the mullahs we also say: If you think that you can overshadow the crime against humanity at Ashraf by the barrage of missiles on Liberty; that you can hide the crisis of overthrow in which your regime is engulfed, through massacre and bloodshed; that you can conceal your crime by perpetrating it during Christmas and the holiday season, you are disillusioned because this resistance movement and each and every one of its supporters and sympathizers will eventually rally an outraged world in protest.
Distinguished guests,
The September 1 massacre at Camp Ashraf, which the regime assumed would mark the end of this resistance, turned into a brilliant epic of perseverance.
For this reason, the heroism at Ashraf was a source of inspiration for political prisoners across Iran, universities, and any group of people who yearns for freedom.
Similarly, at Camp Liberty and in eight countries around the world, hundreds of members and supporters of the resistance staged a historic and unprecedented hunger strike. They spread the message of the martyrs’ blood and hoisted the banner of Iran’s freedom and human rights.
On the other hand, look at the rulers of Tehran and Baghdad and the extent to which they are shaking in fear of the exposure of the facts surrounding that attack on Ashraf.
For the past four months, the Iraqi government has not returned the bodies of the 52 martyrs because it fears anything that would refocus attention on this crime.
The mullahs and their accomplices are making the same mistakes which other dictatorships made at the end of their reign.
They have been defeated by Ashraf, Liberty, and the resolve of the Ashrafis.
Indeed, the serial defeats of the ruling theocracy have been set in motion and they will continue until this regime’s overthrow.
Since four months ago, the Iraqi government and its paymasters are trying to hide facts surrounding the massacre at Ashraf. International organizations have been and remain obligated to conduct an independent investigation. So far, they have taken no such step.
Meanwhile the Spanish Court has opened investigation into the role of the Iraqi Prime minister’s national security advisor for crime against the international community as well as crime and abduction at camp Ashraf.
The working group on enforced or involuntarily disappearances, the working group of arbitrary detention of the UN and four other UN special reporters have asked the Iraqi government to give details about the hostages’ whereabouts.
But the international community has not taken any step in this regard.
Fortunately, the National Liberation Army has published its well-documented, thorough and comprehensive reports which laid bare before the Iranian people and the world public the facts surrounding the massacre at Camp Ashraf as well as the legal foundations of the legitimate campaign waged by Ashrafis. It demonstrated that the Iranian Resistance, owing to the righteousness and legitimacy of its perseverance, has been the first to request, and is the first beneficiary of, an independent, comprehensive and transparent investigation.
In addition to putting the spotlight on the major developments of recent years, in fact this report marks a victorious advance against the Iranian regime and its operatives. It is at the same time a historic indictment of the West’s policy of weakness and humiliation as well as the disgraceful betrayal of its commitments.
The report by the National Liberation Army of Iran blew the bubble of the hollow show of force by IRGC’s commanders and made clear that the mass execution was nothing but a repeat of the ruthless conduct of the regime in using traitors in its torture chambers.
The report showed that the tug-of-war over the Mojahedin’s property at Ashraf and the campaign to neutralize the slanders proliferated by Khamenei and Maliki are all part of the battle to liberate the Iranian nation.
What shined through this report was the righteousness of the National Liberation Army, which will have the final word in the struggle to overthrow the theocracy and to establish freedom.
The report’s televised footage of the struggle and the martyrdom of heroes and heroines of Iran’s freedom, who challenged the blood-thirsty enemy with their bare hands, inspired admiration and pride among all freedom-loving people and patriotic Iranians.
The report showed that even amid a full-fledged siege, the resistance movement reached the zenith of steadfastness and had the ability and competence to expand the army of liberation and obtain freedom.
Honorable guests,
Why do the mullahs and their Iraqi puppets bring upon themselves the shame of committing such a crime and attack on Camp Liberty?
This is because for them, something matters much more than the resulting disgrace: forestalling the prospects of being overthrown.
In Tehran, the Supreme Leader is engulfed in crises, with the nuclear weapons program, which he thought would guarantee his political survival, now turning into a noose around his neck. And in Baghdad, his godson, Maliki, is fighting for his political survival as popular protests increase every day.
The mullahs are in dire need of destroying a movement which has the ability to steer and organize the tremendous weight of dissatisfaction and the burning desire of Iranian society for freedom towards overthrowing the regime.
At the same time, the Iranian and the Iraqi regimes perpetrate crimes with impunity because of Western governments’ policy of appeasement.
As they commit their crimes against humanity, they benefit from the despondent and shameful policies of the West.
For all of them, this is a source disgrace.
We have repeatedly warned the US government, the UN Secretary General and European governments to uphold their commitments regarding the protection of the Ashrafis. So, why are they not doing anything?
Had they commenced the investigation they themselves had officially called for, the path to further crimes would have certainly been blocked.
Had the protective equipment and the means to build bunkers at Liberty been provided, the casualty rate in these attacks would no doubt have been lower.
I must in particular emphasize that while the resettlement process outside Iraq is extremely slow and gradual, protecting the residents’ lives has become an urgent and pressing issue and something must be done about it today.
In the past three years, the Iranian Resistance has held talks with competent officials and departments from more than dozens of countries to actively participate in admitting the Ashrafis. But, each time, despite their agreement, progress has been halted.
We are aware that behind the scenes, the mullahs have either threatened or enticed many governments not to agree to the resettlement of even one resident in their country.
As such, we must continue to emphasize on providing protection and security for the residents of Liberty.
That is why I reiterate the warning once again that, “the U.S. government and the UN would bear full responsibility for whatever happens to PMOI members at Liberty.” This is because the U.S. has the responsibility and the capacity to relocate all the Liberty residents to its soil and has so far refused to do so.
Accordingly, I call upon the international community, especially the United States, the European Union, the UN and the Security Council to:
Compel the Iraqi government to accept the minimum security requirements at Liberty. These include:
Returning the 17,500 T-walls, providing sufficient number of concrete bunkers, bringing protective helmets, vests and medical equipment from Ashraf to Liberty, allowing the residents to engage in construction, to build dual layer roofs for trailers at Liberty, and to expand the total area in order to reduce its vulnerability level; and
Conduct a comprehensive, independent and impartial UN investigation into the September 1st massacre at Ashraf;
Compel the Iraqi government to release the seven Ashraf hostages at once;
Set aside political considerations and transfer the residents of Liberty, especially the wounded and the sick, to European countries or the U.S.
Here I must also pay tribute to the memory of my beloved and graceful sister, and a devoted PMOI member, Roya Doroudi, who lost her life as a result of the medical siege and delays in her treatment. Full of life, enthusiasm, happiness and joy in her struggle, Roya set a benchmark for perseverance and resistance at any cost. Endowed with a unique and liberated spirit, she was always ready to help her other sisters everywhere, like a light-winged butterfly. I salute her honorable soul.
Distinguished guests,
Although on the eve of the New Year, the ruling theocracy in Iran and its puppet faction in Iraq carried out a bloody Christmas massacre against the Iranian people, two points lie beyond any measure of doubt:
First, with every coming day in the New Year, the mullahs will be further engulfed in the crisis of overthrow;
Second, a resistance movement, which has remained proud and steadfast and blossomed amid a siege, forced displacement, massacres and missile attacks, will triumph and will bring victory to its beloved people.
Indeed, we have vowed to stand in the face of the ruling religious dictatorship and on that path attain new heights and build a new future.
Hail to freedom,
Hail to the freedom-seeking Mojahedin at Liberty
Hail to the people of Iran
Hail to all of you.
