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Online Conference by Iranian Communities in Europe Over Coronavirus Outbreak in Iran and Regime’s Fear of New Series of Iran Protests

Online Conference by Iranian Communities in Europe Over Coronavirus Outbreak in Iran
Online Conference by Iranian Communities in Europe Over Coronavirus Outbreak in Iran

Online Conference by Iranian communities in Europe over coronavirus outbreak in Iran and the regime’s fear of a new series of the Iran protests.  

The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) held a virtual conference on Sunday, over the coronavirus epidemic in Iran, and the mullahs’ regime cover-up and its fear of new series of the Iran protests.   

This event was attended by various politicians from European countries, along with the members and representatives of the Iranian communities in those countries. The speakers elaborated on the issue of the coronavirus outbreak in Iran, regime’s approach, and the possibility of a nationwide uprising which has terrified the regime.   

According to the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI, Mujahedin-e Khalq, or MEK), the coronavirus has so far claimed the lives of over 35,800 people across Iran.   

This conference was moderated by Dr. Parisa Kamali, a physician from the Netherlands and a member of the International Committee of the Iranian Doctors.   

The Frist speaker of this conference was Senator Lucio Malan, a Member of the Italian Senate, also a member of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. 

“Following the Covid-19 outbreak, the major question in the minds of many is: Will this pandemic make significant socio-economic changes in different countries of the world? The answer is yes there will be significant changes and in the case of Iran, changes seem to be dramatically more than other countries because Iran is ruled by an exceptionally tyrannical and corrupt government that is no less than a lethal virus,” he said.   

Referring to the regime’s inaction Senator Malan said: “Iranian people are receiving no help from their government to survive under the epidemic and this puts the already explosive society in an extremely volatile situation because it is common knowledge that over 75% of the Iranian population is living under the poverty line. People are aware of the huge funds of trillions of dollars that are available under the control of Khamenei but are not spent for the health and welfare of the people and instead with absolutely no safety consideration from the side of the government, people are being given a choice between staying at home to die of hunger, or going out to work and die of the virus.”   

“The WHO, the UN Secretary-General, and the High Commissioner for Human Rights must speak up against the crimes of this regime and our firm policy must be coupled with strong support for Madam Rajavi and her resistance movement that struggles for democracy and freedom in Iran. I end with expressing my strong support for her, stronger than ever before,” said Senator Malan, expressing his support of the NCRI’s president-elect Mrs. Maryam Rajavi and her efforts.  

The next speaker was Ms. Laurence Fehlmann Riell a Member of the Swiss Parliament from Bern. While condemning the criminal decision by the regime’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei, and its president Hassan Rouhani so send people back to work amid the coronavirus outbreak, she said: “Rouhani insisted that his regime has managed to control the virus and ordered the population to return to work exposing them to the disease. But unlike what Rouhani and Ali Khamenei insist, Covid-19 is not controlled in Iran and resistance units of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran report that there are now more than one million Iranians infected with the virus, and over 35,000 are dead.”  

In another part of her speech, Ms. Riell referred to the Iranian regime’s criminal campaign of taking people lives hostage and trying to depict United States sanctions for the high mortality rate Iran while institutions under the Khamenei’s control have enough resources to help people yet they avoid doing so, said: “Contradicting his own words when Rouhani speaks to the world community, he claims that he has difficulties in controlling the disease due to the US sanctions thus asking for their removal. But again because of the revelations of the Resistance movement, we know that this is not true. The truth is that the fund is available, but it is not spent for the people.”  

“When dealing with Iran, we should take a side. On one side, there are the Iranian people and their resistance movement, and on the other side, there is the religious dictatorship and Covid-19. We need to stand on the side of the Iranian citizens and their resistance movement led by Maryam Rajavi,” she concluded.  

Ms. Gisso Shakeri, an Iranian artist in exile and human rights activist was the next speaker. She said: “We are facing two enemies. One is the enemy we cannot see which is the coronavirus and the other is the Iranian regime. But in order to get rid of them, we don’t need a laboratory but the Iran Protests.” She also performed a song dedicating it to the Iranian people and tireless medical staff in Iran.   

“Much has been said about the criminal behavior of the Iranian regime amid the COVID-19 pandemic. But I want to speak about what should be the behavior of the world community towards all that,” said Vareikis Egidijus, Member of Parliament from Lithuania and the vice-chair of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Lithuanian Parliament.  

“The World Health Organization has been silent about concealing the statistics by the Mullahs. A few weeks ago, the WHO representative said the real statistics are 5 times more than what is being announced by the regime, but mere words are not enough. We need to know what action it is taking about this. Surely the WHO has been informed of the Iranian regime forcing people back to work and thus placing them exposed to the virus, but we do not know what the WHO is doing to stop this. The WHO must station a team of its staff in Iran to ensure that its advice and regulations are being implemented in Iran and to supervise the proper treatment of Iranian citizens. If the Mullahs do not allow this, then the UN Secretary-General must refer this immediately to the UN Security Council,” he added.    

He further urged “The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has with much delay condemned the execution of the prisoners who do not want to be exposed to the virus in the regime’s prisons. Condemnation is very good but not enough. Take action to hold the mullahs accountable for this cruelty.”   

The next speaker of the NCRI’s virtual conference was Prof.Dr. Henk de Haan, former Chairman of the Dutch Foreign Affairs Committee.

While pointing to the Iranian regime’s incessant human rights violations he said: “Human rights abuses have never stopped in Iran: executions, imprisonment, and torture, repression of women, suppression of demonstrations, no freedom of expression, no freedom of religion. But amid the Covid-19 pandemic, there have been additional rights violations too.”  

Referring to the regime’s criminal cover-up of the coronavirus outbreak and how it has been depriving the society of having the basic means to combat the coronavirus, Prof. de Haan said: “For example, the Iranian regime does not provide real statistics on coronavirus fatalities to hide its mismanagement. So, if any ordinary citizen gives out the figures he would be punished. No help is being offered to the people during the epidemic even though Khamenei has ready access to funds worth billions of dollars. Impoverished citizens are ordered to return to work or face severe fines or even imprisonment and this will certainly cause more disease and deaths. Medical facilities are exclusively controlled by the IRGC and ordinary people are deprived of basic needs like masks and disinfectants. Doctors, nurses, and medical staff are the heroes of this time in every country. They fight the virus on the front line and risk their lives to save the lives of others. But in Iran doctors and nurses lack the most basic needs for their own personal protection. So far, more than 100 doctors, nurses, and other medical staff have lost their lives in Iran while treating coronavirus patients.”  

“ I urge the United Nations Secretary-General, the High Commissioner of Human Rights as well as the UN Human Rights Rapporteur on Iran and indeed our governments to break their silence on human rights violations in Iran and hold this criminal regime accountable for its crimes. This is the duty of the world community and this is what the Iranian people expect us to do,” he concluded.   

“The network of people in support of the MEK is alive and forcing forward, faster than ever. We have been able to reach out to prisoners in Iran to raise their voices for freedom. We reveal the reality of corruption by the mullahs. We all share this goal,” said Behzan Naziri, member of the NCRI’s Foreign Affairs Committee, referring to the MEK’s vast network inside Iran, and tireless efforts made by the organization’s supporters and the Resistance Units in helping the people and revealing the truth about the coronavirus extent in Iran.   

Mr. Amir Aram, a member of the NCRI and a renowned Persian artist also attended this conference and expressed his deepest condolences to the families of the COVID-19 victims in Iran.  He also performed a song. 

The last speaker of this conference was Amineh Qaraee, representing the Iranian Youth Committee in Scandinavia. She said: “We are with the Opposition, the NCRI and the MEK until the end. I’d like to say a big thank you to every one of you who participated.”