Iranian Dissidents Mark Passing of Dissident Mehri Jannatpour

Mehri Jannatpour - Dr. Mohammad Maleki

On December 3rd 2015, Iranian dissident and activist Mehri Jannatpour passed away. Jannatpour was remembered for her bravery and perseverance as a political activist in Iran over the last 40 years. This included three separate terms served in prison for her support and affiliation with the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI), one of Iran’s principal opposition organizations.

During her imprisonment Jannatpour was subjected to cruel mistreatment and torture, yet she remained steadfast in her beliefs and resistance. Not only was Jannatpour a symbol of resistance as an uncompromising dissident, but she was also remembered for her dedication and care as a mother. Her children were raised to continue her path of resistance and defiance, and remain actively involved in confronting the Iranian regime and its crimes.

Mehri Jannatpour was honored by Iranian dissidents at her funeral service, including Dr. Mohammad Maleki, the first post-revolution Chancellor of Tehran University, who, like Jannatpour has continued to stand with dignity and defiance in the face of the dictatorship in Iran despite his old age.

Maleki delivered a eulogy on December 5th in which he praised Jannatpour as an activist and as a mother, and lauded the path chosen by her children. Including one of her children who is residing in Camp Liberty, Iraq, which was recently the target of a despicable terrorist attack.

 “But, they are persevering and are as solid as a mountain. They are this mother's children. How fortunate she was! There are many who come into this world, "enjoy" life and die. But the fulfillment experienced by such mothers is different.”

Maleki continued his eulogy in open defiance of the regime by openly praising the path taken by Jannatpour and her children. This path includes standing with the PMOI against the regime in Iran. The penalty for such a stance is normally death, yet Maleki spoke unwaveringly and resolute in his praise for this path, and referenced the 1988 massacre against members of the PMOI as proof that violence and repression cannot crush this movement.

“I am reminded of a quote by the late Grand Ayatollah Montazeri who wrote to Khomeini in a letter that rest assured, an idea cannot be killed through murder. You have killed so many, you have beaten so many, you have destroyed so many.”

He added, “This will be so as long as there are people who care for their people, and as long as there are people who say "seek freedom from cradle to grave."

Very rarely is such public defiance exhibited in Iran, and in such a bold fashion and in such powerful forum. At one point Maleki even states, “Let them hear me, and record me, those who are responsible for this.” Whether you agree with the political ideology expressed by Jannatpour or Maleki, it is impossible to deny their courage and the price they have paid in fighting for freedom in Iran.

The speech given by Maleki was just as remarkable as the life lived by Ms. Jannatpour. Both embody the passion and bravery of Iran’s history, people and hopes.

Maleki has led silent protests outside of Evin Prison to call for the release of political prisoners, and has been in and out of prison himself over the last decade. Maleki’s courage as an elderly man mirrors that of Jannatpour, and his bravery against the brutal regime is an inspiration to all Iranians.

Hamid Yazdan Panah is an Iranian-American human rights activist and attorney focused on immigration and asylum in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Mother of political prisoner Behnam Ibrahimzadeh: I am proud of my son

Ayesheh Modaresi, the mother of labor activist Behnam Ibrahimzadeh said in defense of her son that he only acted based on his humanitarian duties and was imprisoned for this very reason. She says she is proud of her son.

Ayesheh Modaresi wrote in a letter:

“My name is Ayesheh Modaresi, the mother of Behnam Ibrahimzadeh, a labor activist and member of the Association in Defense of Child Laborers and Homeless Children. Behnam is held in Gohardasht Prison. He was arrested on June 12, 2010 by security agents and first sentenced to 5 years in prison. However, he was prosecuted under new charges and sentenced to 9 years and 6 months in jail on charges of collusion, having relations with the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran from inside of prison, and propaganda against the state.

“Last month the Austrian NGO Sudwind dedicated my son, Behnam the “Raha” human rights award. As you are informed the Sudwind prize is dedicated to individuals who played a role in safeguarding and improving human rights. I am proud of my son and thank God for giving me

this child that has risen to his humanitarian duties. I am asking you and all those praising humanity, to focus your efforts to have Behnam returned to me and his family, and especially his 16-year old son who is suffering from blood cancer. Thank you very much – Ayesheh Modaresi”

101 Iranian-American scholars and professionals press Obama on human rights in Iran

More than a hundred Iranian-American scholars and professionals across the United States have expressed serious concern to U.S. President Barack Obama over the deteriorating situation of human rights in Iran, the Organization of Iranian-American Communities. (OIAC)said on its website

The letter, sent on the eve of the arrival of the Iranian regime’s President Hassan Rouhani in New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly, cites the “unprecedented spike” in hangings in Iran and the crackdown on dissidents, women and youths as well as religious and ethnic minorities as evidence of the true nature of Rouhani and his regime.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW; “Islam Needs a Reform – Islam Needs Its ‘Martin Luther’!”, opposition leader

NCRI President Maryam Rajavi

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW; “Islam Needs a Reform – Islam Needs Its ‘Martin Luther’!”, opposition leader

EU BULLETIN talked in an exclusive interview with Mr Perviz S. Khazai, a senior member of the Iranian opposition National Council of Resistance of Iran ( NCRI ).

The NCRI, founded in France in 1981, is one of the two parliaments in exile of the “Iranian Resistance”, and also a political umbrella organization of five Iranian opposition political organizations, the largest organization being thePeople’s Mujahedin of Iran (MEK).

Iran: 9 actresses banned from performing

Actresses in Iran under repression

Nine famous actresses in Iran have been banned from acting due to “improper veiling and breaking the norms”, according to a recent statement issued by a government body supervising over the TV & Radio Organization in Iran.

Iran: Official statistics on child girl marriages

Iran: Official statistics on child girl marriages

"In the past two years, our statistics indicate that we have had marriages of girls under 10 years of age," said Shahindokht Molaverdi, presidential deputy on Women and Family Affairs. She said most of these marriages take place because of poverty and in borderline provinces.

According to the laws in Iran, the legal age of marriage is 13 for girls and 15 for boys, but if a father decides that he wants to wed his daughter in younger age, the law permits him to do so.

The data made available by the National Data Registry Organization, 75 children under 10 years of age were married in 2012. Also 29,827 girls between 10 and 14 years old were married.

The marriages of more than 31,000 girls under 15 years of age have been registered between March and September 2013. This is while many of the marriages with underage girls are not registered in Iran.

 (State-run T.News website, Fars news agency, September 11, 2015)

IRAN: Lessons learned from 13 years of Iran regime's nuclear deceptions

Simultaneous with the nuclear agreement, and in addition to the violation of human rights and suppression of Camp Liberty, the Iranian regime has expanded and intensified its meddling in the region..

Mr. Alireza Jafarzadeh

IRAN: Lessons learned from 13 years of Iran regime's nuclear deceptions

Thirteen years ago on August 14 the Iranian Resistance relying on the information compiled by the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), revealed the existence of Natanz and Arak nuclear sites in Iran for the first time.

The revelations triggered for the first time the inspection of Iranian nuclear sites by the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Security Council’s sanctions regime against Tehran.

Mr. Alireza Jafarzadeh, who made the revelation in a press conference in Washington D.C. on August 14, 2002, wrote in an article in Fox News on Friday: “Thirteen years after Natanz, I fear that the JCPOA has only served to enable more of the same. The assumption that the cunning mullahs have had a sudden change of heart is wrong.”

Iran - 27th anniversary of massacre of 30000 political prisoners in Iran

Saturday marks the 27th anniversary of the massacre of 30,000 political prisoners in Iran. In the summer of 1988, one month after Ruhollah Khomeini was forced to accept a cease-fire in his eight-year war with Iraq, the fundamentalist ruler of the mullahs’ regime ordered a mass execution of all political prisoners affiliated with the main opposition groupPeople’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran, PMOI(Mujahedin-e Khalq, MEK).

30,000 political prisoners

The brutal prison massacre, which has been described by some international human rights lawyers as the greatest crime against humanity that has gone unpunished since the Second World War, saw the execution of some 30,000 defenseless prisoners.

Near the end of the Iran-Iraq war, Khomeini who felt that defeat was imminent, decided to take his revenge on the political prisoners. He issued a fatwa (or religious decree) ordering the massacre of anyone who had not repented and was not willing to collaborate fully with the regime.

Khomeini decreed: "Whoever at any stage continues to belong to the Monafeqin (PMOI) must be executed. Annihilate the enemies of Islam immediately." He added: "Those who are in prisons throughout the country and remain steadfast in their support for the PMOI are waging war on God and are condemned to execution...It is naive to show mercy to those who wage war on God."

The Iranian regime has never acknowledged these executions, or provided any information as to how many prisoners were summarily killed. Young girls, old parents, students, workers, and many of those who had already finished their sentences prior to 1988 were among those who vanished in the span of a few months. Their bodies were dumped into mass graves, including in Khavaran Cemetery near Tehran.

Khomeini had assigned an "Amnesty Commission" for prisoners. In reality it was a "Death Commission: comprised of the three individuals: A representative of the Ministry of Intelligence, a religious judge and a prosecutor. Most trials lasted for just a few minutes and resembled more of an interrogation session. The questions were focused on whether the prisoner still had any allegiances to the PMOI (MEK), whose supporters made up more than 90 percent of the prisoners. If the prisoners were not willing to collaborate fully with the regime against the PMOI (MEK), it was viewed as a sign of sympathy to the organization and the sentence was immediate execution. The task of the Death Commission was to determine whether a prisoner was an Enemy of God or not. In the case of Mojahedin prisoners, that determination was often made after only a single question about their party affiliation. Those who said "Mojahedin" rather than the derogatory term "Monafeqin" (meaning hypocrites) were sent to the gallows.

None of the perpetrators of the 1988 massacre of political prisoners in Iran and none of the regime's senior officials including the Supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, have been brought to justice to date.