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Paris: Mrs. Maryam Rajavi outlines the Iranian Resistance’s platform for future Iran

30000 Iranians in Paris declare support for democratic change in Iran with Maryam RajaviFull text of Mrs. Rajavi’s speech in a rally of 30,000 in support of third option for a democratic change in Iran.

The National Council of Resistance of Iran is the longest-running political coalition in Iran’s contemporary history which has proven its genuineness and steadfastness in the most complicated international and regional circumstances. This perseverance reflects the NCRI’s prowess. The Iranian Resistance drives its strength from the sacrifice of 120,000 martyrs and the pain and suffering of hundreds of thousands of political prisoners and the endeavors of the Mojahedin, its combatants and the vast network of its supporters inside and outside Iran for the establishment of freedom and democracy in the country and building a prosperous and independent Iran.

30000 Iranians in Paris declare support for democratic change in Iran with Maryam Rajavi

Full text of Mrs. Rajavi’s speech in a rally of 30,000 in support of third option for a democratic change in Iran.

In the name of God,
In the name of Iran,
In the name of Freedom,

In the name of 120,000 fallen heroes to the cause of liberty who drew from the Mojahedin and others,

In the name of the freedom movements of Amir-Khiz in Tabriz, Gilan and July 21, the day of the national uprising in support of Dr. Mossadeq,

In the name of the victorious perseverance of a resistance, to which 300,000 French citizens and 5.2 million Iraqis have extended their support. The conscientious people of the world testify to this resistance’s honor and pride.

And in the name of the great nation of Iran that has arisen for the Fourth major change in the country’s contemporary history, for democratic change, for the demise of the mullahs’ illegitimate regime, for victory

Hail to Sattar Khan, the national hero of the Constitutional Revolution, hail to Dr. Mohammad Mossadeq, the leader of Iran’s nationalist movement, hail to Massoud Rajavi, the leader of the national resistance against the religious fascism ruling Iran.

Rajavi: With its widespread popular base, the organized Resistance is capable to put into current the great potential for changeFellow Iranians,
Dear Friends,

With warmest greetings to all of you who represent the freedom, dignity and the resistance of our homeland, Iran. The sound of shackles of the religious dictatorship breaking apart and the song of victory can be heard in your resolve and faith, in the uprisings of our Azeri compatriots, and in the victory of those who persevered after the events of June 17, 2003.

Our resistance, whose selfless men and women have the will to overcome all barriers, will triumph. No power in the world could withstand it. So, we repeat: Is the dawn not very near?

Indeed, the dawn of victory and the spring of liberty are close. As Massoud (Rajavi) has said, however, "The spring of liberty in Iran will be realized through us, in us and with us. It will not come free. If we want it, we can and we must earn it. This is a test, a duty and a responsibility for each and every one of us (each and every one of you). As such and as the Iranian Resistance has declared, whatever direction the events take, the ultimate outcome will be nothing but the overthrow of the regime of the velayat-e faqih."

I also send my greetings to the distinguished personalities from France and other countries that have honored us by their presence. I thank Madam Edith Cresson, the former Prime Minister of France and the honorable mayors in different cities in the province of Val d’Osie as well as the dignified deputies of various parliaments from around the world.

Dear Friends,

We are standing at a very extraordinary juncture of Iran’s history: The turning point for a major birth and a magnificent destiny toward which we are being steered. Today, all the paths to ensure the survival of the velayat-e faqih regime have reached a dead end.

Neither the deceitful spin game of reform nor the policy of appeasement bore any fruit. Propelling Ahmadinejad to power submerged the regime in its entirety in a mortal crisis.

Today, the sun for the future of our nation is on the horizon. The terrorist label (against the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran) has become a source of shame for the appeasers and the June 17 dossier has discredited them further.

The waves of victory and freedom rush ahead in the declaration of 5.2 million Iraqis, in the ruling by the Paris Court of Appeals and in the spate of uprisings in Iranian cities.

So, with a voice louder than ever, we again say, the only option, the only correct path and the only correct answer to the Iranian problem is the establishment of democracy.

We say no to war, no to appeasement, yes to the third option: which is democratic change by the Iranian people and their Resistance.

We say that the great nation of Iran itself has the capability and the capacity to change its own destiny to achieve democracy. And it undoubtedly will.

The National Council of Resistance of Iran is the longest-running political coalition in Iran’s contemporary history which has proven its genuineness and steadfastness in the most complicated international and regional circumstances. This perseverance reflects the NCRI’s prowess. The Iranian Resistance drives its strength from the sacrifice of 120,000 martyrs and the pain and suffering of hundreds of thousands of political prisoners and the endeavors of the Mojahedin, its combatants and the vast network of its supporters inside and outside Iran for the establishment of freedom and democracy in the country and building a prosperous and independent Iran.

Accordingly, I will present the outlines of the Resistance’s program for the Iran of tomorrow. This program reflects the Iranian people’s historic aspirations.

  • 1. In the future Iran the natural and inalienable human rights of every Iranian must be respected. The rights to life, freedom, and security of every citizen of the Iranian nation will be considered equal under the law regardless of their gender, race, religion, ethnic makeup, and dialect. We are committed to the “Universal Declaration of Human Rights”.
  • 2. In the future Iran all individual freedoms will be recognized. These include freedom of speech, clothing, marriage and divorce, employment, travel, choosing one’s residency and citizenship.
  • 3. The litmus test of the legitimacy of the country’s political and legal makeup is the universal suffrage. In the future Iran the right to make key political decisions in society and the people’s right to change the government will be respected and various councils will be set up in all spheres of society in order to uphold and guarantee democracy.
  • 4. We seek a pluralistic republic, in which complete freedom of parties, associations and unions are guaranteed.
  • 5. In the free Iran of tomorrow we will defend the abolition of the death penalty. This is our response to the ruthless killings and brutality with which the mullahs have ruled clutched on to their reign. Torture will be banned under any circumstances. There will be no room for cruel and degrading punishments under whatever pretext, including under the cloak of religion.
  • 6. The Iranian Resistance is committed to the separation of church and state. In the Iran of tomorrow the principle of freedom of religion will be respected. The country’s laws will not ban any religion. No religion will enjoy privilege over another and no citizen will be subjected to any personal or social privilege or privation in their individual or social rights because of their belief or non-belief in any religion.
  • 7. We are committed to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. In the Iran of tommorow, men and women will enjoy equal rights in all political, social and economic sectors. Women will have equal participation in the political leadership of the country.
  • 8. In the Iran of tomorrow all forms of sexual exploitation of women will be prevented. Polygamy will be banned. Physical, sexual and psychological violence against women will be considered a crime.
  • 9. In the Iran of tomorrow oppression, discrimination and lawlessness concerning children and child labor will be banned.
  • 10. The judiciary of the future Iran will be founded upon a uniform system of justice. It will be a two-tiered system based on the presumption of innocence, the right to defense, the right to seek justice, the right to be tried in open courts with the presence of the jury. In this system, their will be no discrimination on issuing judgment. The complete independence of the judges and the Bar Association will be guaranteed.
  • 11. In the Iran of tomorrow the free market will be respected. Economic opportunity will be provided to the people equitably and all restrictions on self employment will be lifted.
  • 12. We are determined to ensure that in the Iran of tomorrow every member of society will enjoy access to social services, including education, hygiene and athletic opportunities. Universities will be governed by independent councils elected by the faculty and students.
  • 13. In the Iran of tomorrow the just right to autonomy of the people of Kurdistan will be recognized. We seek the eradication of dual discrimination against all ethnic minorities in Iran in the framework of the country’s indivisible territorial integrity.
  • 14. In the Iran of tomorrow, interference in the internal of affairs of other countries will be banned and others will be banned from interfering in our internal affairs. We demand peace, mutual respect in international relations, good neighborliness and the establishment of diplomatic relations with all countries of the world. The Iran of tomorrow will be a non-nuclear country and devoid of weapons of mass destruction.

Dear compatriots,
Honorable friends,

What I enumerated was the synopsis of the Iranian Resistance’s views and program for our nation once it is liberated from the oppression of the mullahs. To realize this program, free elections will be held for a national constituent assembly within six months of the toppling of the ruling religious dictatorship. At the end of the six-month period, the provisional government will step down and the people’s elected constituent assembly will begin work to appoint the new government and draft the new constitution.

But, freedom lies at the heart of all of our demands and program.

Indeed, freedom and the free choice of the Iranian people is the main inspiration of this resistance and movement that has been evolving since a century ago and for which hundreds of thousands of Iran’s valiant children have sacrificed their lives. Heroes such as Mirza Jahangir Khan Sour-e Esrafil, Mirza Kucheck Khan, Mohammad Taqi Khan Pessyan, Sheikh Mohammad Khiabani, Dr. Hossein Fatemi, Mohammad Hanifnejad, Bijan Jazani, Massoud Ahmadzadeh, Shokrollah Paknejad, Moussa Khiabani and Ashraf Rajavi. This is a great sacrifice to the cause of freedom and democracy in Iran. 

Indeed, all sectors of Iranian society desire on freedom. This magnificent gathering is a brilliant expression of the Iranian nation’s solidarity and unity to overthrow the clerical regime and establish freedom in Iran.

Three years ago, when the French police launched an unprecedented raid against the office of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, freedom was again at stake. From the onset, it was obvious that the raid was the outcome of a deal with the theocracy ruling Iran. In truth, the Resistance of a victimized nation was being suppressed. Fortunately, in the past three years, this Resistance’s perseverance overcame the June 17 conspiracy. Two weeks ago, on the anniversary of the June 17, 2003 raid, the Paris Court of Appeals revoked the oppressive and unwarranted restrictions against members and officials of the resistance. This ruling clearly testifies to the innocence of this resistance and the hollow nature of the June 17 dossier and the accusations of cult and terrorism that go with it.

In our nation’s ancient legend, Siavosh has been the symbol of being victimized and being innocent. The great Iranian poet, Abolqassem Ferdowsi has written his story magnificently. Siavash was accused of a great sin. According to the tradition at the time, whoever claimed to be innocent, had to walk through fire. And Siavosh walked through the narrow walls of two huge heaps of fire and proved his innocence. He thus became the symbol of innocence and bravery in Iranian culture.

June 17, 2003 was our movement’s day of passing through the fire of that great conspiracy. That day proved our movement’s innocence, and was a mark of its power and inevitable victory.

Hail to the heroes who rushed to confront this great conspiracy. Hail to the patience and faith of the men and women who still bear the scars of those incidents on their bodies and in their hearts.

And hail to my dearest sisters, Sedigheh Mojaveri and Neda Hassani, who are eternal as long as humanity and freedom reign.
 
With regard to the June 17, 2003 dossier, I must also say that they are now telling us to travel wherever you wish. But we say, the issue, which the regime tried to overshadow for a while, was an international trial for the ruling mullahs for the crimes they have committed against humanity, the massacre of political prisoners, the suppression of Azeris, Persians, Kurds, Baluchis and Turkmens and Shiites and Sunnis, Muslims and non-Muslims alike. In a nutshell, from June 20, 1981 until today, the crux of the matter has not changed. It was and continues to remain freedom and submitting to the people’s sovereignty instead of the velayat-e faqih dictatorship.

Allow me here to offer my warmest greetings to the Iranian Resistance’s French friends and supporters and say a few words in French.

Dear Friends,

Politically speaking, the June 17, 2003 dossier symbolizes a completely erroneous path pursued by the West regarding the Iranian problem. Western leaders imagined that by granting concessions to the mullahs and sacrificing human rights and the Iranian people’s just Resistance, they could safeguard Western interests. Shortly thereafter, however, it became evident that this policy had set the stage for a disaster, leading to the ascension of Ahmadinejad and the project to build nuclear weapons. It put the world up against the danger of a war.

Today, there is only one way to thwart this threat. The West must reverse course and respect the will of the Iranian people to establish democracy. Any step in other directions, any delay in this respect will benefit the regime.

The Resistance is the solution not only for establishing democracy in Iran but also for peace and security in the entire world. The solution to the nuclear crisis and to thwart the danger of a war is democratic change in Iran. Indeed, by relying on its beloved nation, this Resistance holds the key to the Iranian equation.

For this reason, we condemn those who deceitfully use the pretext of opposing war in order to keep this belligerent regime in power. The Iranian people oppose the mullahs being armed with nuclear weapons. If the regime obtains nuclear weapons, it would mean the prolongation of the rule of torture and execution in Iran. Just as Khomeini’s eight-year war with Iraq was unpatriotic, anti-Iranian and anti-Islamic, the mullahs’ nuclear projects are also against the Iranian people’s interests and unpatriotic.

The mullahs are trying to give the impression that opposition to war means supporting their regime. Thus, any opposition to war is only justified when accompanied by opposition to religious fascism. Opposition to war is effective only when it is accompanied by supporting the Iranian people’s Resistance for freedom.

On behalf of the Iranian people’s Resistance, I want to remind the Western countries to learn of the catastrophic experience of giving concessions to the religious dictatorship.

Why are you offering political, economic and technological concessions to the velayat-e faqih regime at the expense of the Iranian people instead of remaining resolute against it?

Is it not a fact that the mullahs are hell-bent on waging war on the Iranian people and the international community? Why are you sending them an assortment of incentives on silver platters one after the other? Is this responsible diplomacy? No, this is a shameful policy that will ultimately submerge the Iranian people and the whole region in a war.

Was Rafsanjani and Khatami’s so-called moderation not an excuse to justify appeasing the tyrants in Iran?

Furthermore, how is the current policy toward Ahmadinejad being justified? Could you please explain to your voters how you could justify negotiating with terrorists who are under investigation because of their involvement in crimes and terrorism in your own countries. 
Nevertheless, if you can compel this barbaric regime to retreat from suppression, terrorism and nuclear weapons through negotiations, we would welcome that.

You can again try your chances in this test which you have already failed dozens of times. But you have no right to sacrifice the rights and the liberties of the Iranian nation at the altar of negotiations.

You have no right to ensure the continuation of the rule of torture and execution in Iran. Twenty-five years of assisting the mullahs to prolong their dictatorship, twenty-five years of preventing the Iranian nation from exerting its will is enough.

We are simply demanding that you stop supporting the bloodthirsty mullahs. Nothing more.

One day, the late Dr. Mossadeq in his trip to the United States told President Harry Truman, I have not come to ask for anything. I have come to ask you to remain neutral in the dispute over oil.

Today, we are not asking you for anything, neither money, nor weapons. But we demand that you remain neutral in the struggle the Iranian nation is waging to attain freedom and democracy. We are demanding that you remove the PMOI from the terrorist list and recognize the right of the Iranian people to resist dictatorship.

The mullahs’ maddening insistence to build weapons of mass destruction is part of the ominous strategy it is pursuing, alongside its terrorism and meddling in Iraq. The bombing of the holy Shiite shrines in Samarra by the mullahs’ agents, the killing of Iraqi experts, professors, and physicians, setting up numerous torture centers and stealing Iraq’s oil are all part of this strategy.

On the other hand, a front consisting of democratic forces and dignified Iraqis has been formed. These Iraqis consider democracy in Iraq and Iran as indispensable to one another and insist on fraternity and solidarity with the Iranian people and their Resistance.

The declaration by 5.2 million Iraqis who demanded the eviction of the clerical regime from Iraq and the recognition of the status of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran is a brilliant achievement by this front.

This declaration is a great victory and breakthrough which presents Iraq and the rest of the world with the correct path to democracy, security and independence of Iraq, by rejecting the Iranian regime’s meddling which has targeted Iraq’s survival and democracy.

This declaration is the voice of the people of Iraq and must be heard.
This declaration is a political, social breakthrough and a historic achievement. The perseverance of the past three years and the blood of Iraqi workers who were martyred as the result of the regime’s terrorist attack against a passenger bus that was taking them to Ashraf City bore fruit and undermined the regime’s two-decade-long campaign of demonizing the Iranian Resistance.

The fact that some 5.2 million Iraqis above the age of 18 declared that "the terrorist allegation against the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran has no legitimacy or credibility and must not be taken as a criterion for dealing with the PMOI," demonstrates first and foremost that the near unanimous majority of Iranians have rejected this label. Fortunately, Iraqis invited the United Nations, international organizations and the International Committee of Lawyers to study and examine the signed documents of their historic declaration. We urged those organizations and especially the United Nations Security Council to accept the invitation. 

The declaration is also a testament to the fact that the strategy to evict the fundamentalist regime from Iraq and voicing solidarity with the Mojahedin and the Iranian Resistance is gaining international consensus. The day that the world community would accept this strategy owing to the perseverance of Iran’s valiant children is not far.

The mullahs were trying and continue to try to turn Iraq into the great opportunity to save the velayat-e faqih regime from being toppled. No one had the capability to withstand the mullahs’ fundamentalism and terrorism. But Massoud Rajavi said from the very beginning that if Ashraf perseveres and holds its grounds, the world would also persevere.

The declaration by the people of Iraq is the result of this steadfastness and the social and political impact of the steadfastness of those in Ashraf City. A force that has succeeded to inspire such massive solidarity and support among the people of Iraq, despite extreme restrictions and the lack of free commute outside of Ashraf, can without doubt have monumental achievements by virtue of this powerful popular appeal once the spell of repression is broken in its homeland.

Indeed, the Iranian Mojahedin’s freedom, which is described as unpopular in the bankrupt propaganda of the enemy and its allies, is the uniting force of the Iran of tomorrow and will enjoy the support of the majority of Iranians to build a democratic country.

Owing to its legitimate ideals, its organization and its popularity among its fellow countrymen and women, this Resistance is the only force that can mobilize the enormous potential of the oppressed women in our country. Thus, the Iranian Resistance would be the first to benefit from democracy and the open political environment and the despots would be the first losers.

For this reason, we have said time and again that we will accept free elections under the auspices of the United Nations and based on popular sovereignty and not the velayat-e faqih and will accept a referendum. At the same time, however, we said that a viper would never give birth to a dove. One should not expect anything other than killings and repression from the ruling theocracy. Twenty seven years of crime and suppression are enough. It is now time for freedom and the people’s sovereignty.

Dear compatriots,

In the face of the mullahs’ back-channel deals, its oppression and demagoguery, the Iranian Resistance has relied on you as pillars. It is you who have created a complete impasse for the velayat-e faqih regime. Last year, our compatriots inside Iran cried freedom everywhere with more than 4,000 protests and offering dozens of martyrs and hundreds of injured Today, uprisings by our Azeri compatriots in the four provinces in the northwest and successive protests by students followed the same objective.

Hail to the people of Azerbaijan and those in Tabriz. I salute Sattar Khan, Hanifnejad, Ashraf and Moussa.

I must also pay homage to the heroic women in my country who staged impressive demonstrations and protest actions against the clerical dictatorship, especially in the past two years.

On June 12th  and on March 8th thousands of courageous women ignored the pervasive repression and cried freedom in the heart of the capital, voicing their opposition to the mullahs’ misogynous laws and policies. By refusing to surrender to the mullahs, these women have kept alive the ideals of ten of thousands of female martyrs of the proud Resistance movement.

You free thinking women can and must follow the lead of 1,000 Mojahedin women in Ashraf City, who are the vanguards of Iranian women’s liberation, to uproot the regime. As the tremendous force for regime change, you can uproot the mullahs and sweep them aside all over the nation. You have that capability. You must only believe in this point and rise up to achieve it.

And we send our salutations to Iran’s political prisoners who repeatedly defeated the clerical regime’s henchmen through their courageous strikes and resistance. The heroic Mojahed, Hojjat Zamani, who was martyred after seven years of imprisonment in Evin Prison and by overcoming all conspiracies and inhuman pressures, testified to the definitive victory of the Iranian people’s resolve to attain freedom.

Without doubt, you women, youth and men will turn the mullahs’ darkness into the dawn of freedom and democracy.

There is no doubt that you and the valiant children of Iran will bring down the ruling religious theocracy.

This is the verdict of history, the logic of evolution and God’s will.

Regardless of whatever they do to obtain nuclear weapons and dominate Iraq, the mullahs cannot save themselves from being toppled.

How ever many young people and children they hang with construction cranes, how ever much they oppress women or open fire on protesters in the streets, they cannot change their destiny. Even if they enlist 100 governments instead of 10, even if through the ultimate treachery they offer the country’s entire oil, gas and natural reserves, they cannot escape being overthrown.

Your resolve from Tehran to Khorassan, from Khuzistan to Kurdistan and Baluchistan, from Tabriz to Ashraf, will realize this glowing destiny.

In the history of Iran’s Constitutional Movement nothing was as great and valuable as Amir-Khiz. In the history of the Resistance against clerical dictatorship, nothing is as great and worthy as the epic perseverance in Ashraf City. Amir-Khiz neighborhood returned the Constitutional Movement to Iran. Ashraf has guaranteed freedom and democracy for Iran.

When the evil of fundamentalism suppressed everything and sought to extinguish the flame of the Iranian people’s quest for freedom, the flag of Iran’s freedom was hoisted in Ashraf. The combatants of freedom braved the most dangerous and difficult barriers in the darkest hour of Iran’s history and paved the way to safe shores.

They safeguarded the fruit of the century-old suffering, pain and the sacrifice of Iran’s freedom-seekers. They gave new heights to July 21, June 20 and operation Eternal Light. They are the bastion of the Iranian nation’s quest for freedom and the raison d’être of Iran and Iranians.

Our salutes to Ashraf and its great commander Mojgan Parsai, and to PMOI’s Secretary General and her proud colleagues, my beloved brothers and sisters in Ashraf City, who in the past three years only stepped up their steadfastness as they confronted an assortment of difficulties, bombings, the denial of their water, electricity, medicine and supplies, the massacre of Iraqi workers of Ashraf City and intelligence, terrorist conspiracies and kidnappings.

Our salutes to selfless compatriots across the nation who, especially in the past three years, accepted all the risks and rose to support Ashraf. Our salutes to the people of Iraq who did not spare any assistance or kindness to the Iranian people’s valiant children.

Our salutes to the Resistance’s jubilant supporters and activists across the world who rose up to defend Ashraf and the Resistance for freedom and ignored the restrictions and threats in the past three years, despite all difficulties. Today, the combatants of freedom and all members of the Iranian Resistance carry a major responsibility on their shoulders: The responsibility to bring the century-old endeavors of Iran’s freedom fighters to fruition.

And now, one hundred years after the Constitutional Revolution, the Iranian nation is closer than ever to attaining democracy.

The Iranian people and Iran’s brave women and men who are resolved in the struggle for freedom hold the key our nation’s freedom. It is the Iranian people and Resistance who endeavor for change, bring about change and build the future.

It is the Iranian people and their Resistance who will overthrow the evil of fundamentalism.

Iran will become the land of democracy and human rights. The Iranian nation will triumph and will be free.

May God bless you all