Maryam Rajavi: Stop appeasement of the mullahs; safeguard the rights and protection of residents of Ashraf and Liberty

Speech to a European Parliament meeting in Brussels

Mr. President,
Honorable Members of the European Parliament,
Dear Friend,

It is a privilege to be here, at the seat of European Democracy, and meet you.

Dear Friends,
Eight years ago, I said here, From the West, we seek neither money, nor weapons. We only want the West to be neutral between the Iranian people and the Resistance, on the one hand, and the ruling regime, on the other. I said that we and our nation have the necessary wherewithal to bring change to Iran and if external obstacles, especially the terrorist designation, are removed, the third option, namely change by the Iranian people and Resistance will become reality.

This struggle, begun many years ago, continued for another eight years. Finally, through the suffering of the Iranian nation and the sacrifice and unrelenting round-the-clock efforts of members and sympathizers of the Resistance movement as well as unsparing support by such noble personalities as yourselves across the globe, we succeeded in crushing the terrorist label in its birthplace, the United States.

And now, I have again come to the seat of European democracy to say, now that after the removal of this label in the UK, the European Union and France, this designation has also been revoked in the US, our people and Resistance’s message is that from the West, we seek neither money, nor weapons. We only seek a definitive end to the policy of appeasement with the criminal rulers of Iran and the recognition of the Iranian people’s resistance against religious fascism and for freedom and democracy.

This step is indispensable. This is the only answer to the mullahs who are striving for nuclear weapons. It is the answer to terrorism, fundamentalism and a regime which, as the primary supporter and partner of Bashar Al-Assad, is directing the daily massacres in Syria.

My message is that by learning from the past, do not allow the mullahs to again prevent the adoption of correct and imperative policy and do not allow the mullahs to succeed in steering the West toward a policy that serves the interests of religious dictatorship.

Whether seeking to remedy its disastrous mistakes which were to the detriment of the Iranian people, or whether attempting to preserve global peace and security, you must respect the desire of the Iranian people for regime change. Time is running out and the international community cannot waste another eight years.

There is no doubt that the velayat-e faqih regime will most certainly be brought down by the Iranian people and Resistance. Nevertheless, European and US policy could impede or expedite this trend.

And if this trend is delayed, it would exact an even greater price from the Iranian people and world peace and security later on. For this reason, recognition of a movement which holds the key to change in Iran is of the essence as never before.

We want a free Iran, where people’s vote has primacy, a republic based on separation of Church and State, gender equality, peace and friendship with regional countries and a non nuclear Iran.

Dear friends,

The revocation of the PMOI designation in the US was the mullahs’ greatest defeat on the international scene in the past three decades. Politically speaking, it has tipped the balance of power to the detriment of the Iranian regime.

This achievement, which until recently was viewed impossible by many experts, is the outcome of important factors which will no doubt mark a breakthrough in subsequent achievements of the Resistance.

The foundational factor was the PMOI’s organizational cohesiveness and abilities as well as the unsparing support of the Iranian people inside and outside Iran and the perseverance of the Mojahedin in Camps Ashraf and Liberty. These enabled us to stay the course in the face of this great injustice and defend the rights of our movement and our people. This provided us with the opportunity to utilize two other factors.

The most important factor was the victorious legal campaign by the Iranian Resistance, which led to the landmark judgments by the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in July 2010 and June 2012. The State Department, of course, delayed the implementation of the judgment by more than 600 days, but as it wrote in its September 28 letter to the Court, it finally abided by the Court’s ruling.

The State Department letter notes, “In the June 1, 2012 ruling entered in the above-captioned case, this Court ordered “the Secretary to either deny or grant PMOI’s petition [to revoke its designation as a Foreign Terrorist Organization under the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act] not later than four months from the date this opinion issues.” Slip Op. 12. We hereby notify the Court that the Secretary has, after the required notification of Congress, revoked PMOI’s designation, effective today.”

Another factor was the formation of a front opposing the policy of appeasing the mullahs, which was comprised of a majority in the US House of Representatives, several prominent Senators, and the most distinguished statesmen from both parties and among the most senior officials of the past four administrations. They have affirmed that the terrorist label was part and parcel of the policy of appeasement and had no basis in reality.

This front has been under enormous pressure from the Iranian regime’s lobby which is well entrenched within the US foreign policy apparatus. They went even as far as starting investigation and even threatening to take legal action against them, but they did not retreat.

This bi-partisan coalition, unprecedented in US history, joined the PMOI litigation and submitted an amicus brief to the Court. This was merely the continuation of the front formed here in Europe many years ago under the leadership of Dr. Vidal Quadras, who brought together 4,000 parliamentarians on both sides of the Atlantic under the banner of the International Committee in Search of Justice, which expanded to Canada, Australia, the Middle East and North Africa.

The Iranian people and Resistance will forever remember the commendable role played by the honorable Members of the European Parliament in this campaign.

I also want to extend the Iranian Resistance’s gratitude to Mr. Struan Stevenson, the Friends of the Free Iran Parliamentary Group and distinguished parliamentarians for their unique role.

I want to use the opportunity to urge the European Union and all European governments to adopt a new policy vis-à-vis the Iranian regime, which would discard the policy of appeasing the religious dictatorship ruling Iran.

Of course, since last July, Europe has boycotted the purchase of Iranian oil, which comprised 18 percent of its exports. Although this is a necessary step, nevertheless, the prevailing penchant is to placate the religious fascism ruling Iran.

By way of Iraq, the mullahs have established an aerial corridor to provide weapons to Assad’s machinery of genocide. Why is Europe silent? How much longer is Europe going to be a spectator as the mullahs’ nuclear weapons program advances?

Take a look at the extensive business dealings between the mullahs and European companies. Despite the sanctions, they have succeeded is purchasing key industrial items from Europe.

For how long will passivity toward the mullahs’ dangerous missile program continue? This is while these missiles have a large part of Europe within their reach. Why is Europe silent about the presence of agents of the mullahs’ intelligence services on European soil? And why is the activity of the front companies of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps in Europe being tolerated?

These are all pieces of the ominous policy of appeasement, which only serves to prolong the mullahs’ rule and the pain and suffering of the Iranian people.

Dear Friends,

You are aware of the status of the Iranian opposition in Ashraf and Liberty.

The painful and bloody history of the past 10 years, especially the events of the past three years, make is clear that if it were not for the West’s appeasement policy, these tragedies could have been averted.

Ignoring two massacres at Ashraf and a forcible relocation as well as silence over turning Liberty into a prison, as characterized by the UN’s Working Group on Involuntary Detentions, are examples of this policy.

Now, the Iraqi government is poised to loot the property of the residents of Ashraf and prevents their transfer and sale. A British company has purchased their property, but Iraq does not allow the representatives of the company to go to Ashraf to complete the contract.

By any standard, the residents of Ashraf and Liberty are considered refugees. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees has declared them “people of concern.” And they are protected under the Fourth Geneva Convention.

This, the United States and the European Union are duty bound to compel the Iraqi government to stop pressuring them and recognize their right to ownership of their property and to allow them to sell their moveable and immoveable property.

I call on the European Union to urge the UN and the UNHCR to declare Camp Liberty as a refugee camp and not allow their rights to be violated on the pretext that Liberty is a “Temporary Transit Location.”

And finally, it is necessary that the European Union take responsibility towards resettling the residents of Liberty.

Let me summarize,

In the new era, which began with the revocation of the PMOI’s terrorist designation in the United States, the adoption of a new policy by the European Union vis-à-vis the Iranian regime is an inevitable imperative.

Thus, the Iranian people and the Resistance urge EU leaders, especially Ms. Ashton, to pursue a policy which would

First, halt any appeasement of or concessions to the religious dictatorship ruling Iran;
Second, safeguard the rights, security and protection of the residents of Ashraf and Liberty; and
Third, recognize the Iranian people’s Resistance.

I thank you all very much.