{"id":20765,"date":"2016-07-25T21:32:56","date_gmt":"2016-07-25T20:32:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/statements\/iran-resistance\/20765-ex-political-prisoner-says-west-should-support-the-iranian-resistance"},"modified":"2023-01-16T11:07:05","modified_gmt":"2023-01-16T10:07:05","slug":"ex-political-prisoner-says-west-should-support-the-iranian-resistance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-resistance\/ex-political-prisoner-says-west-should-support-the-iranian-resistance\/","title":{"rendered":"Ex-political prisoner says West should support the Iranian Resistance"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Farzad-Madadzadeh400\"<\/p>\n

In 2009, despite a harsh crackdown by the regime, millions of Iranians participated in the nationwide uprising, showing the world that a pro-democracy resistance still exists in Iran, the U.S.-based website Opportunity Lives wrote on Monday.<\/p>\n

Two years before the Arab Spring, the uprising against a corrupt regime captured the world\u2019s attention.<\/p>\n

“But the roots of the resistance had been silently spreading in the country for years \u2014 and continue to grow to this day,” the article said<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The year 2009 marked an important moment in the life of Farzad Madadzadeh, too. \u201cI supported PMOI [the People\u2019s Mujahedin Organization of Iran] in Iran and me and my friend, were arrested in 2009, before the uprising.\u201d<\/p>\n

Madadzadeh was not a leader, merely a supporter of the PMOI, which is one of the main Iranian resistance movements and a member of the democratic opposition coalition National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), the article said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was in prison for five years in Iran,\u201d Madadzadeh told Opportunity Lives in English. \u201cI was a prisoner in the notorious Evin Prison and Gohardasht (Rajai-Shahr) Prison in Karaj, northwest of Tehran. I was tortured in prison. The only reason I was being tortured was because I was a PMOI supporter.\u201d<\/p>\n

A translator helped Madadzadeh describe his treatment in jail. \u201cI was arrested and they took me to Ward 209 which is run by the regime\u2019s Ministry of Intelligence and Security. I was in solitary confinement for [a total of] six months. When I was arrested, I spent three months in solitary, the first time, after interrogation.\u201d<\/p>\n

The interrogation technique quickly blurred into torture, according to Madadzadeh. \u201cIt went on for weeks. It started at 8 a.m. and went on until 9 or 10 p.m. at night\u2026 They tortured me in the interrogation room. For example, they asked me questions then battered me like a football. And then they passed me to another person and it would happen all over again. Every interrogation was repeated.\u201d<\/p>\n

During his time in prison, Madadzadeh got word that his brother and sister were killed by allies of the regime in Iraq. His translator said, \u201cHe and his friend held a small memorial for those killed and because of that they transferred him back to Ward 209 and the torture began once again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite his horrific treatment, Madadzadeh survived. Others, like the friend arrested with him, were not so lucky. \u201cWhen I was in prison,\u201d he said, \u201cthe regime in Iran executed my friend in prison, and other political prisoners in Iran.\u201d He told Opportunity Lives some of their names: Ali Saremi, Jafar Kazemi and Mohammad-Ali Haj-Aghai.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen [Hassan] Rouhani became the president [in 2013] I was still in prison,\u201d Madadzadeh said. \u201cOutside of Iran, a lot of politicians thought there would be some kind of change, but it was the opposite. Things got worse.\u201d<\/p>\n

He mentioned the uptick in political prisoners, and executions, both supported by data from the U.N. and human rights organizations. \u201cWhen I was in prison, we witnessed more arrests of students and journalists,\u201d Madadzadeh said. \u201cThe teachers were also arrested; many who tried to hold protests. They were cracked down upon and arrested and brought to where we were held.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe felt from the moment that Rouhani came to office executions suddenly increased.\u201d Madadzadeh noted. \u201cIt\u2019s about three years since he has been in office, and [there have been] 2,600 executions since then.\u201d<\/p>\n

Madadzadeh also accused Rouhani of failing to follow through on economic promises. \u201cRouhani made a promise that within 100 days of taking office he would turn the economy around, but it did not improve, everything got worse,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

When improvements did not occur, Madadzadeh says Rouhani passed the blame. \u201cHe said everything was tied to the nuclear deal and issues with sanctions\u2026 that the nuclear deal would benefit us, our dinner tables,\u201d Madadzadeh explained. \u201cBut what I witnessed inside Iran is that within the last two years, the price of everything went up, despite the official government figures. The only benefit of lifting sanctions is for [Syrian President Bashar al-Assad] and Hezbollah. They have been on the receiving end.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Iranian nuclear deal is now one year old, but Madadzadeh said the past year shows that it hasn\u2019t made Iran\u2019s government more moderate, or brought the economic stability Rouhani promised. He said the Iranian people know this, too.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a mirage to look for a moderate in this regime because it is based on the pillars of terrorism and human rights violations,\u201d Madadzadeh said.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why Madadzadeh escaped to Europe as soon as he completed his prison sentence.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have never been any sort of leader and I never claimed to be. I\u2019m just a small member of the resistance trying to do my bit. I saw many of my friends executed, so I could not just say silent,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

But in order to make his story known, Madadzadeh said he needed to be connected with the resistance. It wasn\u2019t easy. From the moment he was released, Iranian authorities had him under constant surveillance.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe only option for me that was left was to go abroad and bring their voice to the international community,\u201d he said. \u201cIn particular, the voice of the young Iranians, that would like to inform Western politicians that they want change.\u201d<\/p>\n

In his message to the West, Madadzadeh wants Americans to know that \u201cThe people of Iran are not asking for any agreement, even a nuclear agreement\u2026 the people of Iran are looking for a change in the regime\u2026 and to learn of their plight and feel their pain and stand on the side of the people. Iranians showed it in 2009 that they want regime change. The Iranian people do not want a military invasion of Iran or for Americans to overthrow the regime for us, but we want them stop assisting the regime and cut ties.\u201d<\/p>\n

Madadzadeh along with other former political prisoners, members of the PMOI and international leaders from around the world met in Paris on July 9 for a \u201cFree Iran\u201d conference. Personally, Madadzadeh hopes the meeting shed more light on the Iranian resistance movement, especially for Western leaders and U.S. officials.<\/p>\n

One of those leaders in attendance was former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.), who told the crowd, \u201cI want you to know that the message I will take home to America is that there are thousands and thousands of Iranians: who are prepared, who are ready, who are committed, and who believe that we can truly bring democracy to Iran.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gingrich stood on stage with former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton, who echoed his statement. \u201cThere is only one answer here, to support legitimate opposition groups that favor overthrowing the dictatorship in Iran,\u201d Bolton said. \u201cIt should be a declared policy of the U.S. and all our friends to do just that at the earliest opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many other Americans, including high-ranking retired military leaders voiced their support.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope in these few days\u2026 the West heard the real voice of Iran,\u201d Madadzadeh said. \u201cThis is the true voice of the people. If Western governments want to fall on the right side of history, they should hear the voice of the Iranian people and their resistance movement\u2026 people who for many, many years forewent everything, even their livelihood, for their people and their nation.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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