Rep. Brad Sherman commends Maryam Rajavi for Iran rights advocacy

NCRI - United States Congressman Brad Sherman (D-CA) who serves in the Foreign Affairs Committee sent a message of solidarity to the Paris-held Iranian resistance rally, called “Free Iran”, scheduled for July 9. He commended Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) for her “advocacy of democracy, human and women’s rights in Iran.”

“Only when ballot box determines who holds power, when both women and men can speak freely and Parties can debate, will the Iranian people be able to govern the country for the benefit of all,” stated Sherman in his video message.

Congressman Sherman also emphasized in his message that the Iranian regime remains an existential threat to the US allies in the Middle East as well as peace in the world.  He expressed his concerns that the mullahs are defying proliferators of terrorism and extremism.

The following is the complete text of Congressman Brad Sherman’s message to the Iranian “Free Iran” rally in Paris.

Hello to my fellow parliamentarians, people of Paris and Madam Rajavi, I am United States Congressman Brad Sherman from California's best named City Sherman Oaks, for 20 years I have served on the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives, for the past 20 years I focused on preventing Iran from having a nuclear weapon and on implementing an American foreign policy that reflects our values and our dedication to Human Rights.

I want to commend the MEK for the critical role it played in exposing the Iranian regime's nuclear weapons program. Following the attack on Camp Liberty last year, my colleagues on the House Foreign Affairs committee and I, passed a resolution about demanding the safety of the MEK residents of Camp Liberty, we did this to make it clear to the government of Iraq how serious this issue is and it's need to fulfill its obligations under international law.

The current Iranian regime is not only an existential threat to the US allies in the Middle East and the Peace of the world, but is also a defiant proliferator of terrorism and extremism, I have introduced a bill in the United States Congress, the Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps Sanctions Act to require the U.S. President to block and prohibit all transactions in property and property interests of anyone who knowingly does business with the IRGC, the world must challenge the Iranian regime intensified support for terrorism across the Middle East including Syria, Yemen and Iraq.

I remain committed to ensuring that Iran does not get nuclear weapons that's why I broke with my own political party and opposed the recent Iran nuclear deal, I am sure that the Iranian regime will cheat on that deal and we will then move forward with new sanctions which will force a new policy and hopefully a new regime in Tehran.

I also want to commend Madame Rajavi for her advocacy of democracy, human and women's rights in Iran, only when The Ballot Box determines who holds power, when both women and men can speak freely and Parties can debate, will the Iranian people be able to govern the country for the benefit of all, that is why the commitment of the National Council of resistance of Iran to secular pluralist efforts that respect Liberties, that's why it's just so important, I hope you all enjoy this year's convention. I wish I could be there with you in Paris, I am Congressman Brad Sherman.

Tehran: Iranian Regime Bars Sunnis from Eid Al-Fitr Prayers

Iranian security personnel prevented Wednesday Sunni worshippers from attending mosque prayers in Tehran

Iranian security personnel prevented Wednesday Sunni worshippers from attending mosque prayers in Tehran.
Hrana agency quoted informed sources as saying that the Iranian security forces had raided a mosque northwest of Tehran, on the eve of Eid Al-Fitr and had prevented worshippers from performing their religious duties.
The agency reported that security personnel wearing civilian uniforms had attacked worshippers and had prevented them from entering the mosque. According to witnesses, the security personnel had also arrested a number of worshippers before releasing them in fear of creating popular disturbances in the area.
An Iranian regime's MP also said that the authorities had prevented worshippers from attending other Sunni mosques, including the Tehran Pars Mosque, north the capital.

Source: Asharq Al-Awsat, 7 July 2016

Maryam Rajavi, Face of Iran to Be

Maryam Rajavi, Face of Iran to Be

Maryam Rajavi is the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran ( NCRI ), a coalition of some 500 Iranian opposition groups and personalities, committed to a democratic, secular and non-nuclear republic in Iran.
Maryam Rajavi presents a 10 point plan for Free Iran:
In Maryam Rajavi's view, the ballot box is the only criterion for legitimacy. Accordingly, she seeks a republic based on universal suffrage.

Maryam Rajavi wants a pluralist system, freedom of parties and assembly. She respects all individual freedoms. Maryam Rajavi underscores complete freedom of expression and of the media and unconditional access by all to the internet.

Maryam Rajavi supports and is committed to the abolition of death penalty.

Maryam Rajavi committed to the separation of Church and State. She rejects any form of discrimination against the followers of other religions and denominations.

Maryam Rajavi believes in complete gender equality in political, social and economic arenas. She is also committed to equal participation of women in political leadership. Maryam Rajavi announced any form of discrimination against women will be abolished. In Maryam Rajavi's view women will enjoy the right to freely choose their clothing. Maryam Rajavi believes women must be free in marriage, divorce, education and employment rights.

Maryam Rajavi believes in the rule of law and justice. She wants to set up a modern judicial system based on the principles of presumption of innocence, the right to defense, effective judicial protection and the right to be tried in a public court. Maryam Rajavi also seeks the total independence of judges. Maryam Rajavi believes the mullahs’ Sharia law must be abolished.

Maryam Rajavi is committed to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and international covenants and conventions, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention Against Torture, and the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women.

Maryam Rajavi is committed to the equality of all nationalities. She underscores the plan for the autonomy of Iranian Kurdistan, adopted by the National Council of Resistance of Iran. In Maryam Rajavi's view the language and culture of Iranians from whatever nationality, is among the nation’s human resources and must spread and be promulgated in tomorrow’s Iran.

Maryam Rajavi recognizes private property, private investment and the market economy. Maryam Rajavi believes all Iranian people must enjoy equal opportunity in employment and in business ventures.
Maryam Rajavi's foreign policy will be based on peaceful coexistence, international and regional peace and cooperation, as well as respect for the United Nations Charter.

Maryam Rajavi announced that she wants a non-nuclear Iran, free of weapons of mass destruction.

TWO DOZEN NOBEL LAUREATES ENDORSE ‘FREE IRAN’ GATHERING IN PARIS

The grand gathering is beginning to garner momentum from a variety of personalities and officials from numerous countries

The “Free Iran” gathering on July 9th is beginning to not only receive support from political luminaries, but also Nobel Prize laureates. They include 25 Nobel laureates, ranging from academic experts to scientists, who have been winners of the esteemed prizes between 1979 and 2014.

Understanding the need for change and reform in Iran, the Nobel laureates have wished the July 9th gathering great success, claiming the Iranian people’s “great campaign in pursuit of democracy and human rights in Iran,” is only furthered by the goals of the gathering.

Amongst one of their concerns claimed in regards to the rally, especially the current conditions of the members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI or MEK) in Iraq’s Camp Liberty, the Nobel laureates have asked the “international community, especially the United States and the United Nations , to carry out all possible measures to guarantee the security of these refugees in Iraq until the last individual is resettled in a third country.”

The grand gathering is beginning to garner momentum from a variety of personalities and officials from numerous countries, including France, Canada, Australia, the Middle East, and a bipartisan effort on behalf of the United States luminaries. Furthermore, the gathering continues to gain support from lawmakers and activists in many Arab nations, as well as featuring delegations from the moderate Syrian opposition who will be personally partaking in the July 9 event.

The gathering for “Free Iran” will occur on the heels of the P5+1 anniversary of the nuclear deal, which was negotiated only a year prior.

Source: Iran News Update, 5 July 2016

World and Arab Leaders Condemn Terrorist attacks in Saudi Arabia

Gulf and Arab States strongly condemned terrorist attacks that rocked Saudi Arabia on Monday

Jeddah – London, Asharq Al-Awsat: Gulf and Arab States strongly condemned terrorist attacks that rocked Saudi Arabia on Monday, pledging to unify efforts to combat terrorism in all its forms.
King Salman received a telephone call from Jordan’s King Abdullah II, who expressed his deepest sympathies to the king and people of Saudi Arabia.
Kuwait also condemned the three explosions in the Kingdom. Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah condemned the terror attacks against the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah and a mosque in the eastern Saudi province of Qatif. He reiterated Kuwait’s firm rejection to all forms of terrorism and expressed full support for international efforts to address terrorism financing.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef received telephone calls from Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa bin Khalifa and Bahrain’s Interior Minister Sheikh Rashed bin Abdullah Al-Khalifa, who reiterated Bahrain’s supportive stance toward the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and their full support for all measures to deter those trying to undermine the Kingdom’s security and sowing division and discord among its community.
Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received a telephone call from Pakistan Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif, who strongly condemned the terrorist incidents in Saudi Arabia.
Sharif said his country stands with the Kingdom in the war against terrorism.
The United Arab Emirates has strongly condemned the despicable terrorist attacks which hit the cities of Jeddah, Qatif and the Prophet’s Mosque in the city of Medina, the Emirati ministry of foreign affairs said in a statement on its website.
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, U.A.E. Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, said: “We stand in solidarity with our brothers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in their fight against the crimes of terrorism whose goals are to spread fear, takfir and incite strife”.
He reiterated that the U.A.E. “stands in full solidarity with the leaders and people of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and fully backs any measures they take to eliminate the danger of terrorism which aims to undermine the security and stability of the Kingdom, and which does not respect the sanctity of this month, the Prophet’s Mosque and other places of worship that it targets.”
Sheikh Abdullah stressed that the stability of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the main pillar of the stability of the United Arab Emirates and the whole of the Gulf Arab region.
“Based on this fact, we believe that these crimes target the United Arab Emirates, its cities and people. We are fully confident that the Saudi leadership will be able to eliminate the threat posed by terrorism and all its forms and manifestations, and that this deviant group of people will not succeed in achieving its goals, thanks to national solidarity and cohesion which recognizes the futility of their goals, blood-thirsty crimes as well as the deviance of their claims,” the statement said.
The Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed its condemnation to “those criminal acts that contradicts all humanitarian, moral and Islamic values.”
In a statement on Monday, the ministry expressed “Qatar’s support to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as the latter faces these crimes committed against innocent people.” The statement also stressed the “Kingdom’s leading role in the region, particularly in counter-terrorism.”
The Ministry conveyed Qatar’s condolences to the people of Saudi Arabia and the families of the victims, wishing the injured a speedy recovery, the statement added.
Bahrain strongly condemned the terrorist attacks in Saudi Arabia. The Bahrain News Agency reported that Bahrain “highly valued the huge Saudi effort led by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to maintain security and stability of Arab and Islamic nations, and its contribution to addressing challenges faced by the international community for attaining a more secured future.” It also called for concerted regional and international efforts to eradicate terrorism in all its forms.
The Sultanate of Oman expressed its strong condemnation to the wave of terror that hit Saudi Arabia at the end of the Holy Month of Ramadan. A foreign affairs ministry’s spokesperson said that terrorism had no religion and no goal but to kill innocent lives.
For its part, Egypt expressed its full support to Saudi Arabia in facing terrorism. In a statement, the foreign affairs ministry’s spokesman, Ahmed Abu Zayd, stressed the need to unify international efforts to fight terrorism.
Resigned Lebanese Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi condemned the terrorist acts, saying that those were aimed at stirring sectarian strife in the Kingdom. He also hailed the Kingdom’s leading role in combating terrorism.
U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Joseph Westphal condemned the attacks in Jeddah, Qatif and Medina.
In a statement published on the embassy’s website, Westphal said: “As the holy month of Ramadan comes to a close, Muslims from the United States to Saudi Arabia and beyond should now be celebrating the advent of Eid Al Fitr. Instead many of us will be grieving, in particular the families of the Saudi security forces personnel and others who were hurt or killed in the senseless attacks in Jeddah, Qatif, and Medina today. I condemn, and all decent people condemn, these attacks.
All of us deserve the right to worship in peace, and those who would transform this holy time into an occasion for hatred and bloodshed deserve our strongest condemnation.”
The Arab League Secretary General Ahmad Abul Ghait vehemently condemned the wave of terror in Saudi Arabia. In a statement, Abul Ghait conveyed his condolences and sympathies to the people of the Kingdom, adding that the perpetrators of these crimes show complete disregard for the sacredness of the Holy Month of Ramadan.

Source: Asharq Al-Awsat, 5 July 2016

Maryam Rajavi: Painful loss of Elie Wiesel, the messenger of humanity   

One minute silence for paying homage to PMOI (MEK) membes martyred in Camp Ashraf – Paris, April 2011

NCRI - On Saturday, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the Iranian Resistance said:

The whole world, and not only the people of his country and family, is mourning the painful loss of Elie Wiesel.

He was the rebellious conscience against genocide and crime against humanity. From his time as a child in the Nazi concentration camps until his last moments, Elie Wiesel was the embodiment of rebellion against “indifference.” In his own words, “Indifference is always the friend of the enemy, for it benefits the aggressor--never his victim, whose pain is magnified when he or she feels forgotten.” And he admonished those who knew “what was going on behind those black gates and barbed wire” and did nothing because “in denying their humanity, we betray our own.”

In diametric opposition to such people, Elie Wiesel rose to the defense of the residents Ashraf amidst attacks on Camp Ashraf by proxies of the religious dictatorship ruling Iran and admonished those who remain silent.

Humanity needed Elie Wiesel, but we must not allow our world to become devoid of rebellion against indifference, Maryam Rajavi added.

American expert on Iran praises “Iran Freedom” rally in interview

Professor Raymond Tanter, former senior staff member of the U.S. National Security Council

Professor Raymond Tanter, former senior staff member of the U.S. National Security Council

The Media Express, July 3, 2016 - Professor Raymond Tanter, a former senior staff member of the U.S. National Security Council, a professor of political science at Georgetown University, and a renowned expert on Iran, has been outspoken in his criticism of the continuing human rights abuses committed by Iranian state since 1979. He specializes in studying the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq (MEK), a primary organ of Iranian resistance.
Tanter annually attends the “Iran Freedom” rally held near Paris in July, conducting interviews with guests and advocating for an end to clerical rule in Iran. He recently spoke with Iran.org about why “Iran Freedom” is important.
“As a scholar studying the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq (PMOI or MEK), the main resistance group that rejects clerical rule, and espouses a secular, democratic, and nonnuclear Iran, I have had the privilege of conducting a series of interviews in the annual rallies in Paris sponsored by supporters of the resistance.
“Instead of being a routine commemoration, these rallies have taken on a huge political meaning. The outsized attention the Iranian regime gives to the rallies, how upset it gets because of the worldwide press coverage, efforts to block media coverage in Iran, and attacks by Tehran against the dissidents when the rallies occur are indicative of the political message: As the only movement that has not compromised with the Iranian regime’s assertion that radical clerics should rule, they consider the resistance as a threat to their survival. The rallies remind those who reign in Iran that regime change from within remains on the table.”
Tanter said he has been “impressed with the geographical diversity of the attendees, professional qualifications, and steadfast commitment to achieve a secular, democratic, and nonnuclear Iran.”
Tanter’s support comes at a time of growing international consensus on the need for regime change in Iran. Despite the lifting of nuclear sanctions since the “Iran Deal“, human rights abuses have continued, with Iran having the highest per capita execution rate in the world. The economy has also been slow to rebound, with factory closures and lack of international trade contributing to what has been called an “economic crisis” in Iran.