‘Iran’s days are numbered’ US Congressman in urgent warning to Islamic regime

WARNING: Dana Rohrabacher said the Iranian regime's days are numbered

The Republican said the end of the Islamic Republic is in sight, saying the regime could be kicked out of power “in the blink of an eye”.

Protests in the country have continued this month after first erupting late last year due to anger at soaring unemployment and economic problems.

These spiralled into bigger demonstrations as citizens vented their anger at the regime ruled by religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

But despite Tehran clamping down on the protests, with hundreds of demonstrators rounded up and arrested, Mr Rohrabacher said they signal the end for the regime.

He was speaking yesterday at a conference in Paris organised by the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) and the People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI).

Criticism Increases over Iranian Justice Minister Speech to Human Rights Council

United Nations Human Rights Council Investigating Israel for War Crimes Israel Investigated for War Crimes By the UN Human Rights Council Highlights from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu\'s Speech before the United Nations General Assembly Netanyahu described the United Nations Human Rights Council as an “oxymoron,”Across the Internet, viewership of the UN’s livestream channel increased tenfold when the Israeli PM took the podium. Almighty God is always right, and what HE is doing in Israel today is Always right. Israel is an extremely secular and sinful nation, with legalized abortions, homosexual marriages and a very high drug and crime problem. Many of the Orthodox Jews in Israel hate everything that is not Orthodox Judaism, especially the Lord Jesus Christ. They will soon embrace and accept a false mes

siah. 

DO NOT LET THE CRIMINALS INTO INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS

By Mahdavi Nasim

For the victims of violence and crimes against humanity are, Tuesday 27 of the February is a bitter and painful day because the Human Rights Council, which is supposed to monitor the human rights situation in the world and defend the rights of the suppressed people, is going to  host One of the worst criminals in the world, the documents of the criminality's participation in genocide and aggression against humanity are publicly available.

It is very disappointing for victims of crimes around the world that the Human Rights Council will host a criminal

To understand more, a look at the background of Alireza Avaei reminds us that the world should not be a safe place for criminals and be welcomed as champions in International and Human Rights Committees.

The task of human rights organizations and crime victims is to push the United Nations and European countries to prevent the criminals to the Human Rights Council.

Alireza Avaee must be arrested for the crime of crimes against humanity, so that all criminals learn from this lesson.

Avaei was a perpetrator of the 1988 massacre of political prisoners and a member of the Death Commission in Khuzestan Province that sent many political prisoners to execution during the massacre. Between 1979 and 1988, he was the General and Revolutionary Prosecutor in Dezful and Ahvaz.

During the 1988 massacre, he was the Prosecutor-General of Dezful and on Khomeini’s order was appointed as a member of the Death Commission in Khuzestan Province, and he was responsible for the execution of many prisoners in Dezful’s UNESCO Prison. According to eye-witnesses, prisoners who were minors were hanged in groups of two or three in a secluded area behind the UNESCO Prison’s courtyard on the orders of Avaei.

Based on the definition of the Rome Statute, the 1988 massacre constitutes a crime against humanity. Following a fatwa by Khomeini, more than 30,000 political prisoners, mostly members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI / MEK), were arbitrarily executed in a matter of a few months.

In later years, Avaei was head of the mullahs' department of justice in the provinces of Lorestan, Markazi and Isfahan. He was President of the Judiciary in Tehran Province from 2005 to 2014. Afterwards he became Deputy Interior Minister, and in July 2016 Rouhani appointed him as Head of the Presidency’s Inspectorate Office.

 Avaei’s name was added to the European Union’s sanctions list in October 2011 for human rights abuses and direct participation in the torture and massacre of political prisoners.

While blacklisting Avaei in 2011, the EU stated: “As President of Tehran Judiciary he has been responsible for human rights violations, arbitrary arrests, and denials of prisoners’ rights and increase of executions.”

An addressBased on these sanctions, Alireza Avaei will be denied access to the countries of the union and his assets will be confiscated in the European Union.

Iran's cyber warfare against its people must not stand

New cyber revelations from the People’s Mujahedeen of Iran (MEK), the Iranian opposition movement, about the scope of mass surveillance by the Iranian regime are significant. Why? They show the desperation of the Iranian regime in confronting the uprising that began nationwide last December and has continued to this day.  

Anti-government protesters  chanted slogans indicative of a revolution: “Death to the dictator,” “Death to (Supreme Leader) Khamenei”, “Death to (Hassan) Rouhani,” “Don’t be afraid, we are all together,” “Forget about Syria, think about us,” “Not Gaza, nor Lebanon, my life for Iran,” and “Reformer, Hardline, the Game Is Now Over.”

WHY MARYAM RAJAVI BELIEVES IRANIAN WOMEN SHOULD BE FREE TO DRESS FREELY

by Mahmood Hakamian 

Last week, we featured a piece on gender equality and how it is imperative to the Iranian Resistance movement. In that piece, we outlined ten areas that Maryam Rajavi and the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) would tackle in order to make gender equality a reality in a Free Iran.

One of those areas was freedom of dress and today we will examine why Maryam Rajavi believes that choice in clothing is such an important area to achieve gender equality in.
What are the laws regarding women’s clothing in Iran?

Under the mullahs’ Sharia law, women are supposed to remain veiled in public. The law is incredibly unpopular in Iran and many women defy it at any given opportunity.

When was this law introduced?

The mandatory Hijab was introduced in the early days of the Iranian Regime and many Iranian women, especially those involved in the NCRI member group the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), protested against it and held demonstrations to oppose the law.

How does Maryam Rajavi feel about forced veiling?

As we said in our earlier piece, Maryam Rajavi believes that women should be free to choose their own clothing and that the government should not interfere. She believes that the forced veiling law, along with every other sexist law that deprives women of their individual rights, turns the country into a prison for women.

Maryam Rajavi said: “Iranian women must be free. They must be free to choose what they believe in, what they want to wear and how they want to live. And [the Iranian Resistance repeats]: no to compulsory veil; no to compulsory religion; and no to compulsory government.”

What happens to the women who defy the mandatory hijab law?

If the women are caught by the so-called morality police, over 20 police entities who are in charge of enforcing the religious laws of Iran and suppressing people caught drinking alcohol or attending mixed-gender parties, then they can face arrests, fines, torture, floggings, beatings, rape, or any other inhumane punishment that the Regime authorities can think up.

Why does the Regime react so harshly?

The Regime is increasingly unstable and has to come down hard on any form of dissent in order to keep their tenuous grip on power.

Maryam Rajavi said: “Clamping down on women on the pretext of mal-veiling is one of the most effective means to repress society and silence any voice of dissent. The mullahs have no scruples in enchaining women on so-called religious grounds.”

She continued: “Misogyny is at the core of suppression against society as a whole, since preserving the ruling theocracy is predicated on it. Such misogyny does not arise from blind, religious zealotry or trying to safeguard societal chastity, or even preserving the foundation of the family. Misogyny under the cloak of religion has become systematic and persistent because it is a lever to maintain the monopolistic domination of the velayat-e faqih. Misogyny is the raison d'être for dozens of the regime’s suppressive agencies.”

What would Maryam Rajavi do about forced veiling?

Maryam Rajavi would repeal the forced veiling law and any employment legislation that allow workplaces to fire or discriminate against women who do not wear the hijab.

Maryam Rajavi said: “Written or unwritten laws on controlling the clothing or behaviour of women under the rubric of “mal-veiling,” which have violated Iranian women’s right to freedom and security, shall have no place in tomorrow’s Iran.”

Maryam Rajavi speaks at International Women's Day event in Paris

On February 17, Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, addressed the conference "Women Force for Change, Iran Uprising and the Role of Women". During her address, she spoke about the role of women in standing up to the regime.

Khamenei Regime Only Has Two Paths, Hopefully, Both Lead To Their Demise!

Khamenei Regime Only Has Two Paths, Hopefully, Both Lead To Their Demise!

Iran news in brief, February 22, 2018

International Women's Day Conference – Paris 2018

A conference entitled, “Women Force for Change, Iran Uprising and the Role of Women,” held in Paris on Saturday, February 17, 2018, on the occasion of the International Women’s Day.

 The keynote speaker at this conference was the NCRI President-elect Maryam Rajavi.

Dozens of prominent women including political personalities, lawmakers, jurists, judges, and women’s rights advocates from 23 countries in five continents participated and declared their solidarity with the women of Iran, the Iranian Resistance, and the Iranian people’s uprising.

A delegation of mothers of martyrs, a delegation of Iranian women’s associations and rights activists, as well as a delegation of youth supporting the Iranian Resistance also spoke at the conference.

The MEK's Religious Beliefs

The People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) is a political group dedicated to bringing freedom and democracy to Iran.

They derive their political beliefs from a modern and tolerant version of Islam that is fully compatible with modern society – the exact opposite of the ruling mullahs’ Sharia Law, which is intolerant, extremist, genocidal, non-democratic, and misogynist – and the MEK believe that their interpretation is the true meaning of Islam.

In 1982, MEK leader Massoud Rajavi, said: “The Islam we want is nationalistic, democratic, progressive, and not opposed to science or civilization. We believe there is no contradiction between modern science and true Islam, and we believe that in Islam there must be no compulsion or dictatorship.”

This combination of tolerant religion and politics means that the MEK enjoys broad public support amongst the Iranian people and people all over the world, but it is also why the mullahs fear the MEK.

Today, we will look at some of those beliefs in more detail and explore why the MEK believe that Islam that the Quran, the Prophet Mohammad, and other religious leaders espouse the ideological principles of freedom, gender, ethnic and religious equality, human rights, and peace.

A Dynamic Islam

While the mullahs see Islam as mechanical and deterministic, the MEK believes that the real interpretation of Islam is dynamic and never impedes social progress. The MEK believes that Islam promotes science, technology and civilization, which improves the lives of ordinary people.

The MEK explain this through the story of Prophet Mohammad’s 23-year mission during which time some Quranic verses were declared ‘resembling’ to reflect changes and advancements in society.

The MEK does not see the Quran as prescriptive, explaining that less than 10% of verses in the Quran are edicts, so it should not be seen as a legal text that does not allow for humans to make their own laws that are suitable for the period in time that they are living.

Fundamentalists see the edicts as unchangeable dogma that must be obeyed at all costs – unless, of course, it is the fundamentalist that breaks them – but the MEK believe that the Quran emphasizes that these edicts are subject to change over time.

In fact, the MEK see fundamentalists as frankly un-Islamic.

A Democratic Islam

The MEK believe that democracy is a key feature of Islam, highlighting the Quran and the Prophet Mohammad as saying that freewill and individual responsibility is what separates the humans from the animals and God’s will is realised through democratic governance.

In 1980, Massoud Rajavi said: “Freedom is a divine blessing…Anyone trying to restrict human freedom has neither understood Islam nor mankind and the [anti-monarchist] revolution. Freedom is indispensable to the survival of mankind as human beings. Otherwise, human beings would be no different from animals and could not be held responsible for anything.”

That is why the MEK see the ballot box as the sole condition for political legitimacy, as a free and fair election offers the people free will.

The MEK believe that fundamentalist mullahs who reject free will, individual choice, and democracy are spreading an interpretation that is incompatible with Islam and therefore meaningless. The process of installing an unelected head of state and rigging elections to ensure that your party wins is also undemocratic and therefore un-Islamic.

IRAN RESISTANCE GROUP MEK CALLS ON INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO SUPPORT PROTESTERS

By INU Staff

INU - The Iranian Regime is involved in “warmongering and belligerence” in order to fuel crises in the Middle East, according to Iran’s organised democratic forces, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK).

The Iranian Regime’s regional aggression has also been criticised by the Iranian people during their ongoing nationwide anti-regime protests, and the MEK are advising that the international community back the protesters’ calls for regime change in order to avoid Iran starting another war in the Middle East.

MEK representative Shahin Gobadi said: “The regime’s warmongering and belligerence is a major source of concern and tension in the region that can lead to a major war. But it can be averted. Years of policy of appeasement by Western governments emboldened the Iranian regime. The overthrow of the Iranian regime and establishment of peace and democracy in Iran would have a lasting impact in establishment of peace and tranquillity in the region.”

The area is on the edge of all-out war, as tension rise between Iran and its neighbours over Iran’s support for terrorism and proxy militias.

Indeed, Iran has tens of thousands of fighters in Syria, where they have spent $100 billion propping up the Assad Regime since 2011, is in direct conflict with Saudi Arabia over Iran-backed terrorist groups in Lebanon and Yemen, and is at odds with Israel after the downing of an Israeli fighter jet.

Gobadi said: “Export of terrorism and Islamic extremism, including warmongering and meddling in the region, has been a strategic pillar of survival of the regime and a cover for its domestic repression. Syria has been the lynchpin of this policy.”

Protests

The popular people’s protest has featured slogans such as “no to Syria” and “think about us” as the Iranian people call on the mullahs to end their foreign wars and return the money to the public purse.

The protests, which began over a draft budget that slashed subsidies for the poor in favour of additional military spending, have spread to 142 cities and morphed into a protest against everything wrong with the Regime.

The protesters, recognising that the Iranian Regime isn’t listening to their cries, have gone so far as to call for the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, an offence punishable by death in Iran.

So far, at least 50 protesters have been killed in the streets, 8,000 arrested, and 12 have died under torture.

The Iranian Regime, desperate to portray itself as stable and popular, has organised pro-regime demonstrations to retaliate against the people’s protest and in honour of the 39th anniversary of the Iranian Regime, in which paid actors will burn the US flag.

This is nothing new. Iran has been doing this for years in order to make it seem as if the Iranian people are in favour of the Regime and deter the international community from acting. Still, revolution is in the air.

Gobadi made this call for the West to support to the protesters ahead of a meeting in Paris on Friday, in which representatives from 11 European countries will back the protesters.
Gobadi said: “The wall of fear has been cracked, and nothing including arrests, killings and torture can prevent the advancement of the protests to overthrow the regime. The regime’s own officials repeatedly talk about super challenges facing their regime and precarious prospects that loom on the horizon. After 39 years of rule, the clerical regime has never closer than being overthrown by the people than today.”

IRAN REGIME’S MILITARY OFFICIAL ADMITS TO LEADING ROLE OF THE MEK / PMOI IN RECENT UPRISINGS

by Mahmood Hakamian

“The protests that erupted recently across Iran involved setting fire to the State Security Force’s motorcycles, breaking the windows of religious seminaries in Abhar and Zanjan, setting fire to police kiosks in Arak, opening fire on the IRGC with hunting rifles, assaulting a State Security Force officer with a brick….” according to Brig. Gen. Rasoul Sanai, Political Affairs Deputy for the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.

Sanai spoke about the behind the scenes developments of the recent unrest, “Their plan was to spread the riots from the surrounding areas to the capital (Tehran) because they believe owing to previous incidents in Tehran and major cities, Iran’s security and defense forces had been trained and gained the expertise to confront riotous actions. But in other cities the potential for inciting the public is much greater and the security forces have a lesser presence.”

He blamed the Iranian Resistance for the escalation of the protests, saying, “As such, the most serious clashes took place in Touyserkan (Hamedan Province) and several people were killed, including two people who attacked the prison and have yet to be identified. The leaders and those inciting the protests in this city were from the ‘Hypocrites’ (MEK or PMOI). They had come from other cities so as not to be identified. Those who were detained were pursued from the time of MEK incursion into western Iran in 1988….”

The Political Affairs Deputy continued, “Eighty percent of those arrested were under 30 years of age. There were several women among them, who are middle aged. In the 1980s, those who were leading MEK protests were mostly women. And now, the main chain of provocation and starting the protests were women. For example, four of these women caused the protests in the city of Ilam (western Iran). After they were detained, we realized they were not from Ilam….”

Sanai also claimed, “Similarly, those arrested in Kermanshah had come from the city of Karaj (near Tehran). Those who were from Bandar Abbas were arrested in Shiraz. These were the MEK who would go to the cities in an organized fashion and were guiding the slogans. The most radical and sacrilegious slogans, such as ‘they have used Islam as a ladder to harass the people, neither Islam, neither the Quran, let’s sacrifice both for Iran…” and added, “This shows how much they hate Islam and political religion. Directing attacks on military centers, like assaults on the State Security Force and Bassij bases were part of the planning by the MEK. They even attacked the prisons, which means they have their hands in prisons as well.”

We noticed a recent login for your account @bamdadkhojasteh.

On February 17, Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, addressed the conference "Women Force for Change, Iran Uprising and the Role of Women". During her address, she spoke about the role of women in standing up to the regime.

She pointed out that women are systematically repressed by the regime, including the use of the compulsory veil, which is against the Koran and Islam. Rajavi also noted the fact that current Iranian President Rouhani has been active in taking away rights and services from women throughout the years of the regime.

A number of prominent women, including political leaders, lawmakers, jurists, judges, mothers of martyrs and women's rights advocates from 23 countries and 5 continents participated in the conference.

Part of Rajavi's focus was encouraging women to continue to resist the regime, and she also pointed out the role that women have already had in various protests to date.

"Women have not taken to the streets to demand anything from the regime; rather, they want to eliminate the clerical regime. Women have not risen up to demand only their own freedom; they have risen up to liberate the whole nation. As attested by the experience of the past 39 years, it is not possible to fulfill the most rudimentary demands of women under this regime, from abolition of the compulsory veil to the elimination of all forms of discrimination and inequality," said Rajavi.

She also mentioned that the regime fears the increasing role of women in the protests, seeing them as a force of change that could bring about the end of the regime. Rajavi also spoke of the regime's policy of misogyny, where women are oppressed, and men are taught to stand by in silence and be passive as it happens.

Rajavi encouraged men to stand up for women when they are attacked, to "never standby" while these attacks happen. As a result, she believes that men can support women against this religious dictatorship.

Historically, women have been executed for participating in demonstrations and protests by Iran. Rajavi spoke of multiple women who were executed in 1981 for participating in demonstrations and being members of the PMOI. Not all of these women were even 18 years old. She noted that in the years since, women have been targeted for torture and execution by the regime.

She praised their stand against Khomeini during the 1980s and the years since.

"By shattering the atmosphere of fear, repression, and disbelief, revive hope and courage in people, and reinforce the power of youth in confronting suppression. To continue the uprising, women from all walks of life need to form the bastions of rebellion and the councils of resistance in every city and village," said Rajavi.

Supporting the uprising is important to stopping the spread of fundamentalism, and Rajavi called on the international community of women to support Iranian women in their quest for freedom.

"Their courage is step forward against patriarchy," said Rajavi. "Any resistance against oppression…belongs to all of us."

She noted that the resistance of Iranian women is a step forward for all women. Then, Rajavi encouraged all women to encourage their governments to support the Iranian resistance and offer their support. Rajavi also called for the release of the protesters who were arrested by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the regime during the latest round of nationwide protests. Several individuals have died in custody after being arrested and there have been reports of torture, as the regime attempts to suppress the rights of assembly and freedom of speech.

Rajavi received several stand ovations during her speech, as the women and men in attendance showed support for her message.

Other speakers spoke about the impact of International Women's Day, but particularly about the situation in Iran. They noted that the regime has executed women, raped and tortured women, and done everything they can to repress Iranian women. No other nation has killed so many women as the regime noted the moderator.

Videos of the recent protests were shown as evidence that the Iranian people want regime change and are ready to do what is necessary to achieve it. Women had a unique role in the recent protests, which clearly had organization, despite the regime's attempts to minimize the protests and their size.

Women stood up and pointed out how the regime's corruption has resulted in economic issues for the Iranian people and discrimination against women. The regime noted that the protests had been organized months before and that they were a united front.

"Iran's uprising is not only for the overthrow of a political regime but is a revolt against religious fundamentalism. This would be a blissful dawn, not only for the people of Iran, but for all the peoples of the region and the world," said Rajavi.

Maryam Rajavi and the Plan for Women’s Rights in Iran

There are ten areas that Maryam Rajavi and the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) see as in need of improvement in terms of gender equality in Iran.

Let’s explore those ten areas and how Maryam Rajavi would tackle them in more detail.

1. Fundamental freedoms and rights

Maryam Rajavi believes that women should have the same human rights and fundamental freedoms as men and vows to ban any type of discrimination against women, in order to ensure that women are equal to men in all economic, social and political spheres.

2. Legal Equality

Maryam Rajavi believes that women and men should have equal protection under the law. Thus, she would:

• raise of the criminal age of responsibility for girls in Iran to 18

• make courts recognise that testimonies and affidavits from women hold equal weight to those from men

• guarantee women’s access to the police and the courts in cases of violence, rape and sexual assault, discrimination, and deprivation of liberty

3. Clothing

Maryam Rajavi believes that women should choose their own clothing without governmental interference, so she would repeal the law on mandatory hijab/veiling and repeal laws that allow employers to dictate the wearing of the hijab.

4. Equal political participation

Maryam Rajavi thinks that women should be allowed to equally participate in political leadership, including:

• formulation and implementation of government policy

• the holding of public office

• the ability to perform all public functions at all levels of government

Therefore, Maryam Rajavi would remove any law banning or limit women’s occupation of senior posts in the government and the judiciary. She would also implement a system when at least half of senior government positions must be given to women and at least half of the candidates for election from any political party must be women. This system is already in place at the NCRI and has worked well to promote equality.

5. Economic Equality

Maryam Rajavi believes that women and men should have equal economic rights, including equal opportunities in the job market, equal pay and equal employment rights. Maryam Rajavi also believes that women should have equal access to men in terms of inheritance, entering contracts, and property management.

6. Equality in the family sphere

Maryam Rajavi thinks that women should have equal rights in family life, which means the freedom to marry or divorce as they see fit (without coercion) and that both parents are responsible for child-rearing, which means that they have equal rights over the children.

Maryam Rajavi would ban underage marriage, polygamy, and any governmental interference into the private lives of women.

7. Criminalising violence

Along with banning the death penalty and torture, Maryam Rajavi would also criminalise rape, various other forms of violence against women, acts of intimidation, and the forcible deprivation of women’s freedoms.

8. Banning sexual exploitation

Maryam Rajavi wants women to be protected from sexual exploitation, so she would ban the sex trade, the trafficking of women, and forcing women into prostitution.

9. Repealing Sharia law

The repeal of the mullahs’ Sharia laws by Maryam Rajavi would remove many sexist laws that the Regime wanted in place, including stoning as a punishment and the acceptance of crimes against women.

10. Social benefits

Maryam Rajavi believes that women must have equal access with men to social benefits relating to retirement, unemployment, old age and other forms of disability, and that women from marginalised groups should receive special financial, educational and medical support from the government.

Maryam Rajavi also believes that pregnant women and new mothers should have rights to maternity leave, medical care, and government-funded daycare when they return to work.

The nuclear agreement is ‘the worst deal ever’ — for Iran

A woman raises her fist as she’s engulfed by a cloud from a smoke grenade during a protest at the University of Tehran on Dec. 30. (AFP/Getty Images)

By Jackson Diehl Deputy Editorial Page Editor February 18 at 7:27 PM Email the author

Some of the most inspiring images of the new year — and therefore, in this age of Trump, some of the least noticed — have come from Iran. In sometimes grainy photos and videos posted on the Internet, Iranian women are seen standing atop utility boxes on busy streets, silent and alone, having taken off their mandatory head coverings and holding them up on sticks. At least 29 women have been arrested for these astounding displays of courage and defiance, which risk a prison sentence of up to 10 years.

The women’s demonstrations began during a week of mass protests across Iran beginning in late December, driven not by the country’s educated elite but its working class. The discontent started with rising prices for eggs, but by the time the demonstrations ended, the slogans included“death to the dictator” and “leave Syria,” where the Revolutionary Guard Corps is squandering money and lives.

No, it’s not likely that Iran is on the brink of a revolution that will overthrow a regime that has been the source of so many U.S. strategic problems. But this new season of unrest in the Persian heartland ought to change some calculations in Washington about how best to push back against Tehran’s aggressions across the Middle East — and what to think about the nuclear deal that President Trump is threatening to tear u

The MEK's Religious Beliefs

The People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) is a political group dedicated to bringing freedom and democracy to Iran.

They derive their political beliefs from a modern and tolerant version of Islam that is fully compatible with modern society – the exact opposite of the ruling mullahs’ Sharia Law, which is intolerant, extremist, genocidal, non-democratic, and misogynist – and the MEK believe that their interpretation is the true meaning of Islam.

In 1982, MEK leader Massoud Rajavi, said: “The Islam we want is nationalistic, democratic, progressive, and not opposed to science or civilization. We believe there is no contradiction between modern science and true Islam, and we believe that in Islam there must be no compulsion or dictatorship.”

This combination of tolerant religion and politics means that the MEK enjoys broad public support amongst the Iranian people and people all over the world, but it is also why the mullahs fear the MEK.

Today, we will look at some of those beliefs in more detail and explore why the MEK believe that Islam that the Quran, the Prophet Mohammad, and other religious leaders espouse the ideological principles of freedom, gender, ethnic and religious equality, human rights, and peace.

A Dynamic Islam

While the mullahs see Islam as mechanical and deterministic, the MEK believes that the real interpretation of Islam is dynamic and never impedes social progress. The MEK believes that Islam promotes science, technology and civilization, which improves the lives of ordinary people.

The MEK explain this through the story of Prophet Mohammad’s 23-year mission during which time some Quranic verses were declared ‘resembling’ to reflect changes and advancements in society.

The MEK does not see the Quran as prescriptive, explaining that less than 10% of verses in the Quran are edicts, so it should not be seen as a legal text that does not allow for humans to make their own laws that are suitable for the period in time that they are living.

Fundamentalists see the edicts as unchangeable dogma that must be obeyed at all costs – unless, of course, it is the fundamentalist that breaks them – but the MEK believe that the Quran emphasizes that these edicts are subject to change over time.

In fact, the MEK see fundamentalists as frankly un-Islamic.

A Democratic Islam

The MEK believe that democracy is a key feature of Islam, highlighting the Quran and the Prophet Mohammad as saying that freewill and individual responsibility is what separates the humans from the animals and God’s will is realised through democratic governance.

In 1980, Massoud Rajavi said: “Freedom is a divine blessing…Anyone trying to restrict human freedom has neither understood Islam nor mankind and the [anti-monarchist] revolution. Freedom is indispensable to the survival of mankind as human beings. Otherwise, human beings would be no different from animals and could not be held responsible for anything.”

That is why the MEK see the ballot box as the sole condition for political legitimacy, as a free and fair election offers the people free will.

The MEK believe that fundamentalist mullahs who reject free will, individual choice, and democracy are spreading an interpretation that is incompatible with Islam and therefore meaningless. The process of installing an unelected head of state and rigging elections to ensure that your party wins is also undemocratic and therefore un-Islamic.

UN should help end impunity in Iran and throughout the world

In 1996, on behalf of the Spanish President Allende Foundation, I filed a criminal complaint in Spain, under the principles of universal jurisdiction, against Chilean Gen. Augusto Pinochet and other leaders of his military junta. The charges detailed genocide, systematic torture, politically motivated killings and terrorism. The defendants were then enjoying absolute impunity in Chile.

I led a multinational team of lawyers in prosecuting those officers in absentia for more than 4,500 cases of murder and forced disappearance, and for the torture of more than 30,000 survivors of Pinochet’s years as dictator of Chile (1973-1990). I was in Santiago’s presidential palace, Palacio de la Moneda, when the coup took place in 1973 and saw Pinochet’s crimes first-hand. The executions and torture perpetrated in Chile remain fresh in everyone’s memories.

But the number of killings pales in comparison to the case that could be brought against leaders of another inhumane system whose crimes recently have garnered my attention. In just a few months during 1988, the Islamic Republic of Iran executed an estimated 30,000 political prisoners and advocates for democratic governance, mostly members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK).

On the request of the foundation and a Spanish court of justice, Pinochet was arrested in London in 1998 to be extradited and put on trial. Later, he was arrested and indicted in Chile. The United States (under the Clinton administration) did not object. Since then, impunity has ended and hundreds of officers of the Chilean state have been judged and condemned for their crimes against humanity. Many of the leading perpetrators of similar crimes in Iran remain alive; some even hold prominent positions in politics. This means that they still could be arraigned in an international criminal court, if the United Nations takes the necessary measures under the charter.

In the interest of encouraging that outcome, I participated in a civil society hearing on Feb. 1 in Geneva, at which a mock indictment related to the 1988 Iranian massacre was presented and discussed. The proceedings included eyewitness testimony from former Iranian political prisoners and their families, as well as expert opinion from fellow human rights experts including former United Nations judges.

It is my hope, of course, that the Feb. 1 hearing will prove to be a precursor to more formal proceedings by the United Nations. If these proceedings take place, it will be a step toward long overdue legal accountability for some of the world’s worst and most organized violators of human rights, and an encouragement to reduce impunity for crimes of this nature in other countries. Formal trials will likely help to bring some closure to those families that still have not identified the final resting places of their loved ones 30 years later.

Additionally, it is my hope that newfound attention for the 1988 massacre and the subsequent crimes of Iran’s political/religious system will help to reiterate the message that was previously sent by my colleagues and me through our prosecution of the Pinochet crimes. The essence of that message is that, while some officers may enjoy impunity as they commit human rights violations and misuse the instruments of the state, this impunity need not continue forever, much less be accepted by human rights advocates and foreign observers who have the legal mandate to investigate such crimes.

There is a widespread feeling that many world leaders have failed to recognize the role that they can and must play in bringing an end to the impunity of human rights abusers across the globe. Instead, they have tended to look away from dangerous and criminal situations because local populations had no effective means for redress.

Tragically, this impulse has led to situations in which rampant human rights abuses have recurred or worsened over time. But in some cases, the threat of this outcome is lingering, and it might still be prevented. About one week before the hearing in Geneva, the Iranian Resistance leader Maryam Rajavi visited the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe as part of the National Council of Resistance of Iran’s efforts to encourage international action to help those arrested during recent protests in Iran.

Beginning on Dec. 28, 2017, two weeks of nationwide protests in Iran gave rise to calls for a change of government. Those demonstrations predictably were met with a violent backlash from the Iranian powers-that-be, the full picture of which is still emerging. Thousands of Iranians have been arrested, more than 50 killed, and reports continue to trickle out of the country regarding young protesters dying as a result of torture in Iranian prisons.

“Mass arrests, opening fire on unarmed protesters, and torturing prisoners to death are clear examples of crime against humanity,” Mrs. Rajavi said. “Unfortunately, Europe has chosen silence and inaction about all of these crimes, something that contradicts many of Europe’s fundamental and joint commitments including the European Convention on Human Rights.”

As we have sadly learned, human rights abusers sometimes escape justice. Democratic nations have an obligation to intercede and protect whenever possible to either halt these abuses around the world, or raise the profile of their perpetrators and increase the chances that they face domestic or international justice at a later date.

With many experts speculating that the unrest in Iran is far from over, the day may not be far off when the Iranian people can seek justice for the crimes committed against them. By helping those people to retain access to the internet and social media, and by weakening the system’s repressive institutions through diplomatic démarches and other appropriate measures, the international community can help to protect the victims and to provide for the reparation of damages resulting from the acts of the state responsible.

Juan E. Garcés was the chief lawyer in the Spanish legal case against Gen. Augusto Pinochet.

IRAN REGIME’S MILITARY OFFICIAL ADMITS TO LEADING ROLE OF THE MEK / PMOI IN RECENT UPRISINGS

by Mahmood Hakamian

“The protests that erupted recently across Iran involved setting fire to the State Security Force’s motorcycles, breaking the windows of religious seminaries in Abhar and Zanjan, setting fire to police kiosks in Arak, opening fire on the IRGC with hunting rifles, assaulting a State Security Force officer with a brick….” according to Brig. Gen. Rasoul Sanai, Political Affairs Deputy for the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.

Sanai spoke about the behind the scenes developments of the recent unrest, “Their plan was to spread the riots from the surrounding areas to the capital (Tehran) because they believe owing to previous incidents in Tehran and major cities, Iran’s security and defense forces had been trained and gained the expertise to confront riotous actions. But in other cities the potential for inciting the public is much greater and the security forces have a lesser presence.”

He blamed the Iranian Resistance for the escalation of the protests, saying, “As such, the most serious clashes took place in Touyserkan (Hamedan Province) and several people were killed, including two people who attacked the prison and have yet to be identified. The leaders and those inciting the protests in this city were from the ‘Hypocrites’ (MEK or PMOI). They had come from other cities so as not to be identified. Those who were detained were pursued from the time of MEK incursion into western Iran in 1988….”

The Political Affairs Deputy continued, “Eighty percent of those arrested were under 30 years of age. There were several women among them, who are middle aged. In the 1980s, those who were leading MEK protests were mostly women. And now, the main chain of provocation and starting the protests were women. For example, four of these women caused the protests in the city of Ilam (western Iran). After they were detained, we realized they were not from Ilam….”

Sanai also claimed, “Similarly, those arrested in Kermanshah had come from the city of Karaj (near Tehran). Those who were from Bandar Abbas were arrested in Shiraz. These were the MEK who would go to the cities in an organized fashion and were guiding the slogans. The most radical and sacrilegious slogans, such as ‘they have used Islam as a ladder to harass the people, neither Islam, neither the Quran, let’s sacrifice both for Iran…” and added, “This shows how much they hate Islam and political religion. Directing attacks on military centers, like assaults on the State Security Force and Bassij bases were part of the planning by the MEK. They even attacked the prisons, which means they have their hands in prisons as well.”

IRAN RESISTANCE GROUP MEK CALLS ON INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO SUPPORT PROTESTERS

By INU Staff

INU - The Iranian Regime is involved in “warmongering and belligerence” in order to fuel crises in the Middle East, according to Iran’s organised democratic forces, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK).

The Iranian Regime’s regional aggression has also been criticised by the Iranian people during their ongoing nationwide anti-regime protests, and the MEK are advising that the international community back the protesters’ calls for regime change in order to avoid Iran starting another war in the Middle East.

MEK representative Shahin Gobadi said: “The regime’s warmongering and belligerence is a major source of concern and tension in the region that can lead to a major war. But it can be averted. Years of policy of appeasement by Western governments emboldened the Iranian regime. The overthrow of the Iranian regime and establishment of peace and democracy in Iran would have a lasting impact in establishment of peace and tranquillity in the region.”

The area is on the edge of all-out war, as tension rise between Iran and its neighbours over Iran’s support for terrorism and proxy militias.

Indeed, Iran has tens of thousands of fighters in Syria, where they have spent $100 billion propping up the Assad Regime since 2011, is in direct conflict with Saudi Arabia over Iran-backed terrorist groups in Lebanon and Yemen, and is at odds with Israel after the downing of an Israeli fighter jet.

Gobadi said: “Export of terrorism and Islamic extremism, including warmongering and meddling in the region, has been a strategic pillar of survival of the regime and a cover for its domestic repression. Syria has been the lynchpin of this policy.”

Protests

The popular people’s protest has featured slogans such as “no to Syria” and “think about us” as the Iranian people call on the mullahs to end their foreign wars and return the money to the public purse.

The protests, which began over a draft budget that slashed subsidies for the poor in favour of additional military spending, have spread to 142 cities and morphed into a protest against everything wrong with the Regime.

The protesters, recognising that the Iranian Regime isn’t listening to their cries, have gone so far as to call for the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, an offence punishable by death in Iran.

So far, at least 50 protesters have been killed in the streets, 8,000 arrested, and 12 have died under torture.

The Iranian Regime, desperate to portray itself as stable and popular, has organised pro-regime demonstrations to retaliate against the people’s protest and in honour of the 39th anniversary of the Iranian Regime, in which paid actors will burn the US flag.

This is nothing new. Iran has been doing this for years in order to make it seem as if the Iranian people are in favour of the Regime and deter the international community from acting. Still, revolution is in the air.

Gobadi made this call for the West to support to the protesters ahead of a meeting in Paris on Friday, in which representatives from 11 European countries will back the protesters.
Gobadi said: “The wall of fear has been cracked, and nothing including arrests, killings and torture can prevent the advancement of the protests to overthrow the regime. The regime’s own officials repeatedly talk about super challenges facing their regime and precarious prospects that loom on the horizon. After 39 years of rule, the clerical regime has never closer than being overthrown by the people than today.”