Over 200 British MPs urged their government to adopt a firmer stance towards Iran ensuring that all future negotiations are conditional on the mullah regime’s honouring of human rights. A meeting was held on Friday at the headquarters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) at Auvers-sur-Oise in northern Paris joining together a cross-party delegation of MPs and members of the Iranian Resistance.
The President-elect of the NCRI, Maryam Rajavi
Present at the event was the President-elect of the NCRI, Maryam Rajavi, who outlined clearly the joint position between UK MPs and the Resistance movement: “Some apologists claim that after the nuclear agreement, the Iranian regime would move towards moderation. Yet, we can see that the situation is otherwise: Human rights abuses in Iran have worsened after the nuclear deal, as has the mullahs’ meddling and aggression in Syria”
She went on the criticise Western governments for their policy of appeasement and conciliation with President Rouhani, who last week visited a number of European countries to meet with their leaders. A “misguided approach”, Mrs. Rajavi contended that closer relations between the West and Iran had only encouraged the mullah regime to further meddle in regional conflicts, notably in supporting Bashar al-Assad in Syria.
“If this religious fascism were not in power in Iran, we would not have a shattered Iraq today with all its painful tragedies. Likewise, in Syria, there would not have been this violent war and genocide and Yemen would not have been turned into a killing-field by the regime’s agents,” she said.
Aside from Iran’s activities in the wider region, the domestic human rights situation has come under increasing scrutiny from international organisations in recent weeks. Just last month, Amnesty International released a damning report detailing the extent of the abuse against child offenders in the country. Currently, there are 160 individuals below the age of 18 waiting on death row.
Lord Clarke of Hampstead, a former Labour Party Chairman, stated that the “Iranian regime continues to hang children. Rouhani is no moderate. He must be prosecuted. We in the UK Parliament stand with the PMOI(MEK) and NCRI to bring freedom and democracy to Iran.”
Over 200 British MPs urged their government to adopt a firmer stance towards Iran
David Jones MP also highlighted the desperate situation of journalists and bloggers inside the mullah regime who have faced severe crackdowns on the free operation of their work under Rouhani. This evidence, he said, provided clear evidence refuting the perception of Rouhani a ‘reformer’ among foreign powers.
In fact, since Rouhani took up his tenure in 2013, there has been over 2300 executions, harsher suppression of women and minorities, and four separate rocket attacks on the Camp Liberty refugee camp for the People’s Mujahedin of Iran (PMOI).
The meeting comes just two weeks before parliamentary elections are due to be held in Iran, where candidates are handpicked by the mullah leadership for their compliance. Mr. Jones argued that this makes a mockery of the democratic process and that no candidate could call themselves a reformer while adhering to the principle of absolute theocratic rule.
The cross-party delegation expressed their support to the 10-Point-Plan for a future Iran laid out by the NCRI. After his speech, Mr. Jones presented Mrs. Rajavi with a a framed copy of a statement of support signed by 200 British parliamentarians. Sir Alan Meale, Labour MP for Mansfield, emphasised: “We must support opposition leader Maryam Rajavi’s movement to bring democracy to Iran”.
Other speakers at the event included Mark Williams MP, Martyn Day MP, Dr. Matthew Offord, Jim Fitzpatrick MP, Toby Perkins MP, and Mike Freer MP. Audience members were also shown a photo exhibition depicting the Iranian people’s long-standing resistance against oppressive dictators.
Leave Your Comments