Paris was again host to a conference focused on Iran, its regime, and their deplorable human rights situation. On November 28, Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) spoke at a conference hosted by the Committee for the Support of Human Rights in Iran (CSDHI) and the Committee of Mayors of France for a Democratic Iran.
Rajavi expressed her gratitude for the event
The gathering focused on the 1988 Massacre of 30,000 political prisoners, many who were supporters or members of the PMOI/MEK. Rajavi expressed her gratitude for the event, as it keeps the international community focused on these events, instead of putting them to the side.
“It is very significant that today’s conference has focused on justice and truth about the victims of the 1988 massacre in Iran because the United Nations Third Committee has once again censured the mullahs’ religious dictatorship for its violations of human rights. The UN resolution calls for action to end the impunity of perpetrators of these crimes,” said Rajavi in her opening remarks via video conference. She also indicated the regime had no love for its own people, noting those who were victims of the recent earthquake are being ignored by the regime.
She noted the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, Asma Jahangir, said in her report, “The families of the victims have a right to remedy, reparation, and the right to know the truth of these events and the fate of the victims without risking reprisal.
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Yet, these families are suffering tremendous oppressive measures from the regime as it attempts to downplay or ignore the massacre. However, the stance of the regime has just given it the ability to hide the criminals, those who played a part in the massacre, in plain sight.
Wrong policy of appeasement toward Iran
“The international community’s appeasement of the Iranian regime and the immunity enjoyed by its officials over some 40 years has emboldened these criminals,” said Rajavi, noting the part the international community has played in allowing #Iran to get away with this crime against humanity.
“We should not forget that the regime’s organs and incumbent leaders were all complicit in the massacre in 1988.”
Still, Rajavi pointed out efforts by the international community to rein in the Iranian regime have impacted its stability, along with the increasing protests by the Iranian people on a number of issues. The regime currently limits large gatherings, for fear of an uprising that could topple it.
It has been noted unlike other countries during the #Arab Spring, Iran has a viable alternative to the regime in the form of the NCRI.
Rajavi also called for an international investigation into the massacre and an end to the immunity of the regime and its officials for their part in this crime.
“The time has come for the regime’s leaders to account for their crimes. The campaign calling for justice for the victims of the 1988 massacre is spreading in Iran. And dozens of protests are taking place every day with the demand of ending the rule of dictatorship in the country,” said #Rajavi.
She also spoke about the concerns of the international community, noting they should be alarmed by the actions of the regime in the Middle East, particularly in Syria, Yemen, and Lebanon.
To create real change in the behaviour of the regime, the international community must hold them accountable.
European Union should follow United States on enlisting IRGC as terrorist organisation
Rajavi encouraged the European Union to follow the United States in declaring the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation. Another step, according to Rajavi, would be to create serious obstacles against the presence of the IRGC and its proxy militias throughout the region.
“The international community needs to move ahead, making all relations and trade with the regime contingent on the end to torture and executions in Iran. The UN Security Council must undertake effective measures to have Iran’s criminal rulers face justice.
Ending impunity for the regime’s leaders will lead to the victory of human rights. At the same time, it will bring closer the end of this regime, and the end of all suffering of the people of Iran and the peoples in the region, paving the way for a free and democratic Iran,” said Rajavi.
Other speakers included former Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner; former Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Human Rights, Rama Yade; former Prime Minister of Algeria Sid Ahmed Ghozali; Ingrid Betancourt; and other human rights activists and activists for the Middle East, especially Syria.
There was also an exhibit at the conference, honouring the victims of the massacre and political prisoners today. It should also be noted that the UN continues to receive complaints regarding the massacre, often at great risk to the families of the victims.
