Canada’s James Bezan MP stands in solidarity with people of Iran

James Bezan MP

Ottawa, 28 Jun - The “Free Iran” gathering in Paris on 9 July has the support of Canadian Member of Parliament James Bezan. He has expressed his solidarity in a message for an Iran that is free and democratic and respects liberty and human rights.

His message is for proponents of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI or MEK) and the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI). He criticizes continued human rights offensives that violate international law standards by the regime of President Rouhani and Ayatollah Khamenei. 

He also encourages continued solidarity to resist Iran’s persistent oppression of political activists, preventing freedom of religion, the regime’s meddling in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen by undercutting UN efforts to achieve peace in addition to coalition allies battling ISIS, and the continued barbarities by the Assad government in Syria.

Iran:Lord Maginnis: Italy’s Renzi is sending an ill-advised signal with Iran visit

Lord Maginnis: Italy’s Renzi is sending an ill-advised signal with Iran visit

While few will deny the principle that compromise is the essence of politics and that pragmatic solutions can be helpful within any democratic, pluralist society, this week's visit to Iran by Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi will, under the prevailing circumstances, send a totally inappropriate message to the ayatollahs, Lord Maginnis of Drumglass argues.

"Compromise at the cost of integrity should be not only shunned but guarded against, particularly when that compromise comes at the expense of dignity and freedom," Lord Maginnis wrote on Monday on the UK website Politics Home.

"In an attempt to underpin the Vienna Agreement of October 18th past rush we appear to have devised another 'de facto' compromise that is being made on the issue of human rights and democratic freedom for ordinary Iranians. That is a compromise that I, for one, am not willing to make. Many of my colleagues from both of Houses of the UK Parliament and other European parliaments share a similar opinion," wrote the Independent member of the United Kingdom's House of Lords."Recent coverage of Iran appears skewed in favour of a narrative surrounding reform and moderation, yet few seem to remember that this is not the first time the regime has played this card. During the Presidency of Mohammad Khatami, Iran played the moderate card to perfection and fooled many in the West. This not only alleviated pressure on the regime, but also gave it time to pursue its nuclear programme secretly, while notionally engaging in cordial relations with the West. Today is no different!"

"Under President Rouhani, Iran has recently reached a 25 year high for executions, despite his supposedly 'moderate' image abroad. The victims included political dissidents who are activists of the People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (the PMOI), the principal Iranian opposition movement, along with ethnic and religious minorities. In real terms, according to UN Special Rapporteur Ahmed Shaheed, Iran has actually escalated its crackdown on human rights over the last few years, leaving little doubt as to the true nature of this government."

"If that were not evidence enough of the nature of this regime, one need look no further than its support of mass murder in Syria and its continual involvement in terror and instability throughout the region. This is not behaviour that warrants compromise or cordial relations. It is belligerence being rewarded by seemingly wishful thinking."

Iran Election or Selection? What are the Prospects?

Members of Assembly of Expertes - March 2015

On February 26, two “elections” will be held in Iran simultaneously: for the 290 seats of “Islamic Consultative Assembly.” (Majlis or parliament) and for the 86-member Assembly of Experts which is nominally tasked with selecting the Supreme Leader and supervising his conduct.

The Constitution and election laws

The nature of elections in Iran is different from democratic countries. The Constitution prevents those elections from adhering to recognized international standards and from reflecting the preferences of the full range of Iran’s societal demographics.

Some of the Articles in the clerical regime’s constitution regarding elections

Article 91: Provides the formation of the “Guardian Council” (GC) which is comprised of six theologians appointed by the Supreme Leader and six jurists appointed by the head of the Judiciary, who is also appointed by the Supreme Leader. The Article states: “With a view to safeguarding the Islamic ordinances and the Constitution and in order to examine the compatibility of the legislation passed by the Islamic Consultative Assembly with Islam, a council to be known as the Guardian Council is to be established.”

Tell me, tell me he was the Assistant Say those without heart, he was Dldarky?

Tell me, tell me he was the Assistant

Say those without heart, he was Dldarky?

“Tell me, tell me he was the Assistant

Say those without heart, he was Dldarky?

The small stature of a girl

Say what he was commander Stvt?

Teenager guerrillas Srsyan

What was true in democratic garb?

As a gift, he gave the Pleiades

The vault of the sky was the dark?

Medal of Honor and win

Who's efforts and actions?

Tnavr poet hatred chokes

That was the target Tshbarky?

Inscriptions on stone Bistoon

Ill-head, the tone of the Who?

The stone fortress Hzardyv

That goal was the thirty thousand grade?

The final words of torture

Hi larynx was the Dark?

The song echoes N.

Who was crushed beneath the current one?

Looking at the world, innocence

Was full of shame and sorrow Who?

The picture of those who have

Samad was the face of repeated?

The same that smiled on pain and Vector

Sheikh cannibal who was in prison?

And without his armor Delaware

Muon Tractors was the enemy?

Send to stand to the end

When was the butt of fever?

Because fragrance caravan East

Which hit the market was the tent?

Tell me, tell me he was the Assistant

Say those without heart, he was Dldarky?

Maryam Rajavi, a Muslim leader who should be heard this Christmas. Townhall

Ken Blackwell

By Ken Blackwell | Dec 25, 2015

"This is my commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.” (John 15:12-13)

These words of Jesus represent the true essence of Christmas and this special season.

This is the time of year to wish for God’s blessing in the upcoming year. But it is also a time to reflect upon what happened during the year that is about to end.

The world news this year has unfortunately been filled with horror, and the last months of the year brought that horror disturbingly close to home. The carnage in San Bernardino showed that the threat of Islamic extremism recognizes no boundaries and that the sense of security President Obama expressed earlier in 2015 was ill-advised.

And as we usher in 2016, which is an election year, one of the main issues of the day has again become terrorism and how to handle it, especially in the form of the Islamic State and Islamic extremism as a whole.

This phenomenon is a danger not only to our national security but also to the cherished values of civilized society. It has targeted the very concepts of cultural and ideological tolerance and has tried to undermine friendship and coexistence between Muslims and Christians which are part of the fabric of our society in the modern era.

In fighting Islamic extremism, a strategy is needed. It includes decisive military, intelligence, and law enforcement measures; but that is not enough. Part of a coherent strategy is identifying our allies in this battle and reaching out to them. And the best such allies are moderate Muslim leaders who are willing to stand up to Islamic extremists in word and deed, especially those who possess legitimacy among the same people who are living under the thumb of extremist groups.

A prime example of such a leader is Maryam Rajavi. As the head of the Iranian opposition, she is leading the charge to overturn the rule of the ayatollahs that effectively brought political Islam into the modern world and turned extremist ideology into a global force. It was after the revolution of 1979 in Iran that high-profile hostage-takings became a means of governance and bombings, suicide attacks, and assassinations became the modus operandi for a theocratic state.

As a practicing Muslim, she has been fiercely pushing back against the ayatollahs’ extremism for decades. A true believer in a democratic, moderate, tolerant interpretation of Islam, Rajavi believes anything that promotes terrorism or dictatorship is counter to the teachings of Islam, as is anything that violates people’s freedoms or denies equality to women.

By embodying this modern, tolerant Muslim faith, Mrs. Rajavi has helped to demonstrate the error of attributing this year’s barbaric crimes to Islam itself. And by advocating on behalf of that faith, she urged other Muslims to avoid remaining on the fence during the conflict that will likely define the year 2016. She had emphasized that Muslims who believe in democracy are the most effective force that could fight and defeat this global danger.

Mrs. Rajavi certainly understands and accepts the sacrifice that is involved in taking part in this fight. The Iranian regime executed some 120,000 members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK), the main Iranian opposition movement and the primary component of the coalition that she leads. One of her own sisters was executed by the ayatollahs and another by the regime of the Shah.

Yet she and her movement have not wavered.

In her message on the occasion of Christmas and the New Year, Mrs. Rajavi wished “that 2016 would be a year of unity and victory over Islamic extremism and especially the religious fascism ruling Iran and its evil allies in the Middle East who sow the seeds of enmity in the world.”

Her message is made timelier by the fact that this year Christmas coincides with the celebration of the birth of Mohammad in the Muslim world.

Mrs. Rajavi used her Christmas message to underscore her view on the need for unity in the fight against Islamic terrorism: "Muslims and Christians can rely on their common values to stand up to those who pervert their religions. So, in contrast to what the extremists want, we should make our hope and faith in humanity deeper than ever.”

We can all share with her hope for a swift end to extremism, for the freedom of various peoples from the dictatorships of Bashar Assad, Ali Khamenei, and ISIS (ISIL) terrorists, and for an end to persecution of Christians throughout the Middle East and Christian converts in Iran from the oppression of the ruling mullahs.

Because her hopes for the coming year are the same as the hopes that are traditionally cherished in the West, she should be listened to this Christmas.

Amb. Ken Blackwell is a former Cincinnati mayor and U.S. ambassador to the UN human rights commission.

The road to defeating ISIS runs through epicenter of Islamic extremism in Iran

Ali-Safavi

By Ali Safavi

Published December 14, 2015

FoxNews.com

The heinous terrorist attacks in San Bernardino 12 days ago and in Paris last month were clear reminders of the growing threat of Islamic extremism. This vicious ideology continues to take new physical forms - once Al Qaeda, now ISIS. Their goal is to create an Islamic "state" capable of enforcing Sharia law by force and unwinding humanity's democratic achievements.

While the Sunni variant of fundamentalism desperately seeks to achieve this objective, the Shiite version in Tehran is well on its way. It should be confronted, not engaged.

Hotspots like Syria, Iraq, and Yemen have become a breeding ground for ISIS. In all of them, Tehran's fundamentalist regime - the world's largest state sponsor terror  plays a key role in the mayhem.

The Iranian regime’s regional agenda is, in the words of its Supreme Leader, “diametrically opposed” to that of the U.S.

In fact, after the deadly Paris attacks, Tehran's officials and media quickly blamed France itself, with some suggesting that the French "deserved" these attacks because Paris supported ISIS against Syrian dictator Bashar Assad - a key Iranian ally.

Tehran is now trying to push a new narrative. For it, ISIS is a blessing in disguise because it conveniently justifies its destructive involvement in Syria and other countries. Now, the mullahs are attempting to convince western governments to join them in backing Assad. That is a dangerous proposition.

Yet in the aftermath of the nuclear deal, some in the West are optimistic about the theocracy being more open to political reforms. But the facts and the evidence do not support this perception. Instead of changing course in the region, Tehran is even more adamant that others should follow its destructive policies.

And if improved human rights are a sign of moderation, the situation in Iran has in fact worsened significantly under the supposedly “moderate” president Hassan Rouhani.

A new United Nations report says in the first nine months of this year, more than 690 people were executed in Iran, “likely putting the execution rate during the first half of 2015 at its highest in some 25 years.” This month, Tehran was censured for the 62nd time by the United Nations.

The U.N.’s special rapporteur Ahmed Shaheed made a chilling reminder that juveniles continue to be executed by the regime, and Amnesty International has called Iran one of the last remaining executioners of children in the world.

Women continue to be treated as second-class citizens. Last year, dozens of women had acid splashed on their faces because they were seen as violating the regime’s strict veiling laws.

Young girls are prevented from attending certain university courses like business management and English translation. And, the parliament (Majlis), under Rouhani, has passed a series of laws further marginalizing and disenfranchising half of the population.

Journalists, bloggers and opposition activists are routinely arrested by the regime. In one high-profile incident, a young blogger, Sattar Beheshti, was killed under torture.

According to the U.N. report, the regime continues to use a variety of torture methods, including the surgical removal of eyes and hand amputations - much like ISIS does in its "caliphate."

So much for moderation!

The Iranian regime is controlled by the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei -- an equivalent of the "caliph" of the "caliphate." He makes all the final decisions that determine the strategic direction of the "Islamic" state. 

A few days after the nuclear deal was announced, Khamenei warned, “We will never stop supporting our friends in the region and the people of Palestine, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Bahrain and Lebanon. Even after this deal our policy towards the arrogant U.S. will not change.”

Iran's medieval regime cannot be reformed because any sign of moderation would provide an opening for the emergence of popular demands, which would mature into protests for democracy.

Many leading observers agree that the real alternative to fundamentalism lies within the larger Iranian society, and not within the shrinking confines of a dying theocracy. Just as the curtain of communism finally fell in Eastern Europe by that region’s restive population, so can the curtain of fundamentalism in Iran.

Unless and until the U.S. government looks to solve the Iranian problem by falling back on the problem itself – the regime in Tehran – it will fail to instigate genuine change. It should start by challenging Tehran’s involvement in Syria and working to remove Assad from power as quickly as possible. That is the real solution to the growing threat of ISIS.

Ultimately, the answer to Islamic fundamentalism lies in the hands of the Iranian people and Iran’s organized opposition, which is led by a Muslim woman, Maryam Rajavi. The removal of the epicenter of fundamentalism in Iran will ensure that the world is free of the vile threat of extremism for good.

Ali Safavi is a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, which seeks the establishment of a democratic, secular and non-nuclear Iran.

Maryam Rajavi: Human rights and freedoms in Iran can be reestablished with struggle and uprising

 مریم رجوی ریئس جمهور برگزیده مقاومت ایران 

Mrs.Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, former US Senator and U.S. Democratic Party Nominee for vice-president, Joseph Lieberman, and Professor Alejo Vidal Quadras, former Vice-President of the European Parliament spoke at the event.

Greetings to all of you. Let me express my appreciation as well as those of PMOI members in Camp Liberty and our compatriots in Iran to Senator Lieberman.

His presence represents the American people’s friendship for the people of Iran and a big front of high-ranking US personalities who advocate a correct Iran policy, one that is devoid of appeasement of the religious dictatorship; he also represents the friendship and respect among followers of all religions.

We salute him.

I would also like to welcome representatives of the Iranian communities in Europe.

These communities include experts, artists, businessmen and those who represent the true desires of the Iranian people for democracy and progress.

This meeting on the eve of the International Human Rights Day is particularly important for our people who live under one of the most oppressive regimes of our time.

We honor the International Human Rights Day by paying respect to all brave men and courageous women in Iran and around the world who sacrificed their lives or have risen up to bring human rights and democratic freedoms to oppressed nations.

For the people of Iran this day is a reminder of 120,000 martyrs of PMOI and other victims of execution under religious fascism including 30,000 prisoners massacred in 1988 and all the political prisoners executed in recent years, as well as those slain in camps Ashraf and Liberty particularly the 24 freedom fighters who lost their lives last month in a rocket attack at the behest of the clerical regime.

Yes, this day is a reminder that our people’s human rights are being stoned in Iran.

It is a reminder that today the Iranian people do not have the right to live free and have no safeguards against arbitrary arrests, torture and harassment.

It reminds us that they are deprived of any comfort or security, that they do not have the right to freely choose what they wear, that their right to freedom of belief, conscience and religion has been taken away from them, that they are deprived of the right to freely hold social gatherings; and the right to a free election in order to establish the representative government they deserve.

Therefore, the International Human Rights Day is a reminder that the Iranian nation is entitled “as a last resort to rebellion against tyranny and oppression” to overthrow the religious dictatorship ruling Iran and to replace it with a government based on freedom, democracy and equality.

I sincerely hail my fellow compatriots who have risen up these days outside Evin Prison and other government centers to protest the arrests, executions and stepped up pressure on political prisoners.

Yes, we must earn our rights.

And we must gain back our hijacked freedoms and human rights with our own struggle and uprisings.

Unfortunately, based on illegitimate considerations, particularly during the nuclear negotiations and agreement with Tehran’s oppressive regime, Western governments turned a blind eye on the flagrant violations of human rights in Iran including the 2,000 executions under Rouhani.

After signing the agreement, they sent large political and commercial delegations to Iran one after the other to win a share of Iran’s market after sanctions are lifted.

Since the nuclear agreement in July 2015, the regime has hanged a large number of prisoners in Iran and has intensified its warmongering and bloodshed throughout the region.

We call on Western governments to review their policy that has so far contributed to instability in the region and reinforced the main threat to global peace and security and to make their relations with the Iranian regime dependent on end to executions and torture, and freedom of political prisoners.

Iran’s clerical regime has been condemned 62 times so far by various United Nations agencies for its gross violation of human rights in Iran.

In addition, the regime and Khamenei himself, are directly responsible for the massacre of 300,000 Syrians in the past four years and displacement of more than half of the population; they are also directly responsible for the genocide of Sunnis in Iraq by the Quds Force militias.

In view of these crimes, it is unacceptable that the Iranian regime’s file has not been referred to the UN Security Council.

It is the responsibility of the UN Security Council to make the necessary arrangements for prosecution of the leaders of the Iranian regime, particularly Khamenei, as perpetrators of these crimes in an international court.

Dear friends,

In recent days, another terrorist attack in California shocked the world.

On behalf of the Iranian Resistance, I condemn this crime and extend my condolences to the families of the victims.

Like the November 13 massacre in Paris, this shooting also took place under the banner of Islam, while Islam is shocked by such barbarism.

Iran’s mullahs massacred 30,000 political prisoners in 1988 under the name of Islam.

Those who massacred unarmed people in concert halls and health centers are all of the same ideology.

Indeed, all religions have been sent to free mankind from all forms of oppression.

All of us are sisters and brothers. We are all children of Abraham.

What binds us is not hate, tyranny or oppression, but liberty, compassion and unity.

We say there is no dispute between Shiites and Sunnis, Muslims and Christians, or nations of the Middle East and West or their cultures.

The dispute, however, is between ruling dictatorships and nations who seek freedom.

Anyone who claims to be Muslim must stand up to Bashar Assad and Khamenei, and not kill innocent people.

I must repeat that the solution to this paradox is at the hands of the people of the region to struggle against extremists particularly with an alternative that is based on democratic and tolerant Islam.

Their resolve and struggle will definitely put an end to the dictatorships that have created and promoted fundamentalism.

Therefore we warn everyone about the efforts of the Iranian regime and its allies to save the Assad regime and cover up the consequences of Tehran’s failed strategy.

In the past weeks, the governments of US, France and Turkey officially confirmed that the Bashar Assad regime buys oil from Daesh.

On the other hand, there is no doubt that Assad’s financial resources are always restored by the Iranian regime.

So the mullahs of Tehran through Bashar Assad finance the genocides by Daesh.

Yes, Daesh has found the opportunity to grow and expand with the support of Bashar Assad, and it will not be destroyed with Assad in power.

This calls for Western governments to adopt a policy that supports the desires of the innocent people of Syria for a speedy overthrow of Bashar Assad, gives substantial backing to the Free Army of Syria in its struggle against the regime, and insists on the eviction of foreign troops, specifically the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) from Syria and Iraq.

I thank you all.