Reporting by PMOI/MEK
July 11, 2021—Saturday marked the first day of the Iranian Resistance’s three-day Free Iran World Summit, a virtual event that brought together people from more than 50,000 locations. The message of the event, whose audience included 1,029 politicians, 11 former Prime Ministers and 70 former ministers, was that Iran is ruled by criminals that are in their weakest state, and the people of Iran are ready for change.
In her keynote address to the summit, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, described Iran’s current situation as “distinguished by three major developments.”
“First, the regime is politically and socially in a state of emergency, grappling with rampant crises;
“Second, Iranian society has entered a phase of upheavals and uprisings since December 2017.
“And third, a nationwide network has emerged, which is comprised of courageous, selfless rebels who keep alight the flames of the Resistance Units’ fight against symbols of religious fascism,” Mrs. Rajavi said.
Madam Rajavi stressed that the past 40 years have proven numerous times that “the threat for government policies has always been complacency with this regime; the danger of giving in to the regime’s blackmail and sacrificing the Iranian people’s Resistance and human rights for commercial and political interests.”
Rajavi also reiterated that the regime “will not change unless it is overthrown through an uprising.”
“Our will and that of our people can be summed up in these three words: freedom, democracy, and equality,” she said. “As far as the international community is concerned, we ask it to recognize the struggle of the Iranian people to overthrow this regime and recognize these three concepts.”
Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the NCRI
Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who addressed the conference for the first time, said that the most important conflict in Iran is “the divide between the people and the organized opposition seeking freedom and democracy on the one side, and the entirety of the regime on the other.”
Pompeo stressed that the idea of “moderates” within the regime is misplaced. He also said that the U.S. can play a leading role in weakening the regime, as was proven by the “maximum pressure” policy during his tenure. “The regime is at its weakest point in decades,” Pompeo said.
“Engagement with the regime will make lengthen the time that the regime has to behave as it has for these past decades denying basic human dignity and opportunity to the Iranian people,” Pompeo warned. “We must continue to support the Iranian people as they fight for a freer and more democratic Iran in any way that we can.”
Sec. Michael Pompeo, 70th United States Secretary of State
Iran’s president is a murderer
One of the key points raised by speakers at the Free Iran World Summit was the regime’s new president, Ebrahim Raisi, a key figure in the 1988 massacre of more than 30,000 political prisoners in Iran. Raisi’s appointment as the regime’s president, the speakers stressed, only underlines the undeniable nature of this regime and the futility of trying to curb its hostility through concessions.
“For nearly 33 years the world had forgotten about the victims of the 1988 massacre,” Slovenian prime minister Janez Janša said. “This should change. A United Nations Commission inquiry is of crucial importance to shed light over the horrible 1988 massacre. This is especially important in light of the fact that the Iranian regime’s next president will be Ebrahim Raisi who is accused by Amnesty International of crimes against humanity for his role in the [1988] massacre.”
Janša also stressed the need for an international inquiry into the 1988 massacre and the role Raisi has played in this crime against humanity.
Janez Janša, Prime Minister of Slovenia
“This year’s sham election reached a new low even for this regime. The winning candidate, to be clear not the elected candidate, the chosen winner did not even pretend to be a moderate,” former Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper said. “Shame on any government in the world that would sit down and try to negotiate anything with an administration led by Ebrahim Raisi.”
“Amnesty International’s call must be honored that there should be an investigation of Ebrahim Raisi for crimes against humanity. That man has much for which to answer and he is the very embodiment of the bloodthirsty tyrant,” said John Bercow, Speaker of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom.
Former Italian foreign minister Franco Frattini, emphasized that, in light of Raisi’s presidency, Europe has some serious thinking to do about its Iran policy. “My colleagues in Europe should seriously consider not to sit at the same table with the Iranian regime officials whatsoever,” he said. “We have to be very frank and very strict in respecting our constitution and the charter of fundamental rights of European Union. Don’t legitimize and don’t recognize the legitimacy as a serious interlocutor a country whose president deserves to be held accountable.”
John Bercow, Stephen Harper, Franco Frattini
Bi-partisan support for the Iranian people in U.S. Congress
The event featured speeches from several members of the U.S. Congress, both Democrat and Republican. The lawmakers reiterated their support for the Iranian people’s aspirations for freedom and democracy.
“Standing up for a free and democratic Iran is not your burden alone,” said US Senator Jeanne Shaheen. “The United States and the international community stand in support of your efforts. Human rights have long been a pillar of U.S. foreign policy. As we continue to engage Iran human rights must be a principle part of the U.S. approach.”
“We’re seeing the fruits of that appeasement in the form of constant attacks by Iran and by its terrorist armies on American forces and on our allies across the Middle East,” Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) said. “I will continue leading the fight in the Senate to hold the Iranian regime accountable for their malign activities and to return U.S. policy to one of maximum pressure until this evil and despotic regime finally collapses.”
“We must take a unified stance in opposition to the oppression and tyranny that the hardliner Ebrahim Raisi represents,” Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) said. “I continue to urge President Biden to work closely with Congress to identify an effective and bipartisan approach to the threat posed by a nuclear Iran.”
“The regime in Tehran must be held accountable for treating women as second-class citizens and for persecuting human rights advocates journalists and ethnic minorities,” said Senator Margaret Hassan (D-NH).
John Cornyn, Ted Cruz, Margaret Hassan, Jeanne Shaheen
Many of the members of Congress who spoke at the Free Iran summit were co-sponsors of the House Resolution 118, which calls for “support for the Iranian people’s desire for a democratic, secular, and nonnuclear Republic of Iran” and condemns “violations of human rights and state-sponsored terrorism by the Iranian Government.”
We must not forget what this regime is and what it has been capable of doing. The world should not forget the mass murders carried out by the Iranian regime in 1988,” Congressman Brad Sherman, (D-CA), the lead Democratic sponsor of House Resolution 118, said. “There are so many around the world who stand in solidarity with the Iranian people and who are working for a new chapter in that great nation’s history.”
“Although the Iranian regime has become more oppressive and extreme, the international resistance to them has become stronger and more resolute,” Congressman Tom McClintock (R-CA). “The more the story of Iran is told of its proud ancient heritage of freedom and civilization, and of its current curse of despotism and terror, the more the world has rallied to its cause.”
Tom McClintock, Brad Sherman
European politicians support the Iranian Resistance
European politicians who spoke at the event underlined the need to counter the Iranian regime’s malign behavior and to support the Iranian Resistance.
“We express our deep concerns about ongoing human rights violations in Iran,” said Pandeli Majko, Minister of State for Diaspora of Albania and Former Prime Minister. “The Iranian people boycotted the last presidential election. Raisi is accused of crimes against humanity by international human rights organizations. He is elected now as president.”
“The recurring acts of unprovoked aggression and violence by the Iranian government against its own people, against its neighbors, and against the global community of nations have hurt countless Iranians, and other people in the region and around the world,” said Lulzim Basha, Chairman of the Democratic Party of Albania. “We stand firmly against the Iranian regime’s illegal and terrorist practices on our soil and its structured enterprise to export fundamentalism to Albania. We support the Iranian people’s desire for change and commend Madam Rajavi and her efforts to offer the people of Iran the perspective of a free, secular, and democratic country.”
“We should not just say great words about sacrifice of Iranian people, but we should be united and have discussions in our parliament and congress, and we should push our governments to stand strong against brutal atrocities of the regime,” said Fatmir Mediu, Chairman of the Republican Party of Albania. “I believe that all agents and mercenaries of their intelligence and security agencies should be expelled from Albania and the rest of Europe.”
Pandeli Majko, Lulzim Basha, Fatmir Mediu
“An agreement with Iran may be possible but it must take account of Iran’s human rights abuses its exports of terror its explicit threat to the security of Israel and its attempt to destabilize its regional neighbors,” said former UK Secretary of State Defense Liam Fox. “Above all we must return to the position that we will stop, not delay Iran’s nuclear weapons ambitions.”
“The world would like to see Iran as a factor of peace and stability. The people of Iran should be able to choose their own destiny,” said Michèle Alliot-Marie, former Minister of Justice, Minister of the Interior, Minister of Defense of France.
“European and U.S. governments should not forget the extreme suffering inflicted on the Iranian people whenever they agree to meet with representatives of the regime,” said Giulio Terzi, Foreign Affairs Minister of Italy. “From day one Iranian Resistance leader Massoud Rajavi said about this regime that a viper does not give birth to a dove, and this has been fully demonstrated today.”
Liam Fox, Michèle Alliot-Marie, Giulio Terzi
