Iran regime arrests 11 Christians in raid on house church

Iran regime arrests 11 Christians in raid on house church

Iran's fundamentalist regime arrested a group of practicing Iranian Christians last week at an in-house church in the city of Isfahan, central Iran.

In total 11 Christians were arrested during the raid on their congregation last Friday, August 12. The raid was carried out by armed plain clothes intelligence agents, according to eye-witnesses.

Ten of those arrested have been identified as Amin Ahanin, Mohammad Alyasi, Fatemeh Amini, Edmund Khachaturian, Mohammad Malek Khatai, Mohsen Khoobyari, Arash Qodsi, Hamed Sepidkar, Samaneh Shahbazi-Far and Maryam Zonubi. An eleventh person arrested at the mass has not yet been identified.

Iran:Lord Maginnis: the Iranian Resistance has the momentum

Iran:Lord Maginnis: the Iranian Resistance has the momentum

 Lord Ken Maginnis argued that the Iranian Resistance, in the shape of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), is building significant momentum against the regime in Tehran.
Reflecting on both the absence of moderation in the regime and the abundance of it in the opposition led by Maryam Rajavi, Lord Maginnis called on Western governments to re-think strategy towards Iran.

A year on from the nuclear deal with the regime, he argued, the twin hopes of a non-nuclear Iran and a moderate Iran have foundered. A covert nuclear programme continues (confirmed by German intelligence) with a parallel initiative in ballistic missile development. President Rouhani, Lord Maginnis said, "has exceeded the brutality and extremism of his predecessor," citing both the regime's support for Assad and a range of terrorist groups and the record number of executions taking place within Iran.
Lord Maginnis presented a contrasting snapshot of the Resistance, reflecting, in particular, on the July 9 rally of 100,000 Iranians. Noting not just the numbers of supporters who made their way to Paris from across the globe, he also saw huge significance in the nature of non-Iranian allies present at the rally. 

Iran:Former EU Commissioners Warn Against Deals with Iran

Iran:Former EU Commissioners Warn Against Deals with Iran

Brussels, 20 Jul - EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini announced the lifting of “multilateral and national” sanctions on Iran on 16 January this year, saying the nuclear deal showed that intense diplomacy could resolve even “the most difficult issues”. However, this new position came despite the EU sanctions still imposed on Tehran due to its poor human right record and links with terrorist organizations.

As the European Union now moves towards more business dealings with Iran, former Commissioners Karel de Gucht and Louis Michel have urged EU institutions and member states to make any dealings conditional upon Tehran improving its human rights record.

Michel, father of Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel, was European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid between 2004 and 2009. De Gucht was in charge of the trade portfolio between 2010 and 2014. Both men played an important role in forging the EU’s business relationships with other countries over the last decade.

Iran hangs 18 prisoners, including at least one woman, in just two days

 Iran hanged 18 prisoners, this past weekend; with 16 executions on Sunday alone.

Eleven prisoners were hanged in Qezelhesar Prison in Karaj, north-west of Tehran, on Sunday, but only two have been identified; Saeed Saberi and Moslem Bahrami. The charges have not been specified but at least one member of this group was a woman.

Two men were hanged on Sunday, in a public square in the city’s Mehshahr District, according to the state-run Tasnim news agency. They have only been identified by their initials Q. J. and M. R.

Still on Sunday, another three men were hanged in prison in Birjand, eastern Iran. Mansour Zafarani, Yousef Barahoui, and Qassem Delshad were accused of drugs-related charges.

On Saturday, two unidentified prisoners aged 40 and 49, were hanged in Lakan Prison in Rasht, northern Iran, according to the state broadcaster, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB).

Iran hangs 18 prisoners

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: Richard Ashworth MEP: Over 1000 executions in Iran in 2015

richard-ashworth

NCRI - Richard Ashworth, a Member of the European Parliament from the United Kingdom, has reiterated that the Iranian regime’s president Hassan Rouhani is not a ‘moderate’ as he claims to be.

Mr. Ashworth, who is a strong supporter of freedom and democracy in Iran, pointed to over 1000 executions carried out in Iran in 2015 under Rouhani’s watch.

Iran:Persian New Year celebration with residents of Val d'Oise and French supporters of the Iranian Resistance

Maryam-Rajavi-Iran-New-Year

MaryamRajavi: Nowruz strengthens solidarity among people, by overcoming differences and improving friendship, therefore the mullahs are strongly against it

Auvers-sur-Oise, April 3, 2016 – The Persian New Year was celebrated with a number of residents of Val d'Oise and French supporters of the Iranian Resistance at the headquarters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI).

Maryam Rajavi welcomed the Auvers-sur-Oise neighbors and supporters from nearby towns.

She elaborated on the philosophy of Nowruz as well as the situation in Iran today and pointed out: The philosophy of these feasts is to strengthen solidarity among people, by overcoming differences and improving friendship.

No wonder that the mullahs are so strongly against Nowruz. They made tremendous effort during their rule to ban Nowruz celebrations, to no avail. Under the mullahs, the Iranian people have celebrated Nowruz more enthusiastically than ever before to show that their culture is greater than what the mullahs advocate. They have thus expressed their hope for change of the mullahs' regime.

In her appraisal of the events of the past Iranian year, the Iranian Resistance's President-elect noted: Our compatriots staged over 6500 large and small demonstrations and protests. Teachers called off school and staged demonstrations in cities all across the country. Workers held numerous demonstrations.

Political prisoners repeatedly went on hunger strike. Families of martyrs and political prisoners held rallies and gatherings outside prisons. Nurses, students, government employees and farmers also held protests on many occasions.

With nearly 1,000 executions over the past year, the total number of executions under Rouhani amounts to 2300, despite his claims to moderation.

European parliamentarians quizzed Zarif about human rights violations in Iran

Zarif

EU-Iran relations should not improve at the expense of human rights, members of Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament said in Tuesday’s debate with the Iranian regime’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

In his first-ever visit to the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, members told him “the human rights situation in Iran, the death penalty, public executions and the prosecution of bloggers and journalists are unacceptable and will serve as a litmus test for future relations,” according to a report published on the Parliament’s website.

Reuters reported: “European parliamentarians quizzed Zarif about alleged human rights violations in Iran, Iranian defense spending and nuclear activity and Tehran's stance on Middle East conflicts that have killed hundreds of thousands of people and driven millions from their homes, spurring a large influx of refugees into Europe.”

Maryam Rajavi welcomes French mayors to solidarity feast with Iranian Resistance

Maryam Rajavi welcomes French mayors to solidarity feast with Iranian Resistance

Rouhani is travelling to Europe to cover up the regime's weakness and isolation. He is trying to put up a moderate face to cover up the executions in Iran and the mullahs' role in the massacre of Syrians

Dear friends,

Happy New Year! I hope the New Year would be a year of progress and relief for France, a year of peace and tolerance for the world, and a year of overcoming religious dictatorship for the Middle East and Iran.

In the start of the year, let us remember all those who lost their lives as a result of extremist crimes in 2015, including the political prisoners executed in Iran, Camp Liberty martyrs, and victims of terrorist attacks in January and November in France.

Let us pay tribute to them by observing one minute of silence.

I am very pleased to see you, ladies and gentlemen, the mayors and elected representatives of France, here at the headquarters of the Iranian Resistance.  Mayors and elected officials of France are representatives of the most significant institutions of democracy in this country. They have always stood beside the Iranian Resistance and this has been really admirable.

You have protested against violations of human rights and suppression of women in Iran. You have supported Ashraf and Camp Liberty when they were attacked by the Iranian regime's operatives in Iraq. You were at the forefront of the campaign of justice for the Iranian Resistance both in the case of June 17th attack which was terminated last year and the cases of terrorist designations which were reversed in all countries.

The declarations signed by 14,000 mayors and elected representatives of France in support of the Iranian Resistance, are very precious documents. They express the great values of France.

At this point, let us remember the friends who are not among us any more: Adrian Zeller, Mourice Bouscavert and also Abbe Pierre who we commemorate his first anniversary today. They played a valuable role in our struggle.

Also your political stances over the years have been admirable. Time and again, you warned against a number of threats: the mullahs' nuclear weapons; Islamic fundamentalism; violations of human rights in Iran and the mullahs' domination of the region.

Iran - Rouhani's record includes over2000 executions,poverty&unemployment ofD ppl of #Iran

63 women executed in Iran under Rouhani

63 women executedin Iran under Rouhani

According to the data collected on the executions carried out during Rouhani's tenure,

the Iranian regime has executed a total of 2166 persons from August 2013 to January 15, 2016. Sixty-three of the victims have been women.

UN General Assembly adopts 62nd resolution censuring rights abuses in Iran

UN_General_Assembly

MaryamRajavi: Ruling mullahs who have been condemned 62 times by the UN should be brought to justice for crimes against humanity

On Thursday, December 17, 2015, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution strongly condemning the brutal and systematic violation of human rights in Iran, in particular the mass and arbitrary executions, increasing violence and discrimination against women and ethnic and religious minorities. This is the 62nd UN resolution condemning rights abuses by the clerical regime.

Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the Iranian Resistance, welcomed the resolution and said: "Mounting violations of human rights in Iran and condemnations of the clerical regime by the highest international body for consecutive years through the past three decades vividly indicates that this regime has no place in the international community and should be rejected by the international community. The murderers of the Iranian people, whose bleak record includes the execution of 120,000 political prisoners and seven massacres in Camp Ashraf and Camp Liberty must be held accountable by the UN Security Council and be brought to justice for crimes against humanity. This is the only way to respect the vote of the majority of countries against human rights abuses in Iran over the past 30 years, especially in light of the fact that most of the current leaders of the regime have held key positions in the past 35 years and have taken part in crimes against humanity.”

"The misguided calculation that by resorting to silence in the face of human rights violations in Iran, the regime's nuclear projects and export of terrorism and fundamentalism could be contained is a dangerous mistake that stems from short-term economic interests and short-sighted political considerations. The clerical regime considers inaction in the face of its crimes against humanity as a green light to continue its tortures and killings and emboldens it in warmongering in Syria, Iraq and the entire region. It reassures the regime that the international community is not serious about confronting its efforts to obtain nuclear weapons," Mrs. Rajavi added.

The resolution expresses “serious concern at the alarming high frequency of, and increase in the carrying-out of the death penalty, in disregard of internationally recognized safeguards, ... and at the continuing imposition and carrying-out of the death penalty against minors and persons who at the time of their offence were under the age of 18” and calls on the Iranian regime “to abolish, in law and in practice, public executions… and executions carried out in violation of its international obligations” and “to ensure, in law and in practice, that no one is subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.”

The resolution expresses serious concerns about “all forms of discrimination and other human rights violations against women and girls, violence against persons belonging to recognized and unrecognized religious minorities” and calls for the elimination “in law and in practice” of “all forms of discrimination and other human rights violations against persons belonging to ethnic, linguistic or other minorities.”

The resolution also calls upon the regime “to end widespread and serious restrictions… on the right to freedom of expression, opinion, association and peaceful assembly” and “to release persons arbitrarily detained.”

Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran

December 17, 2015

The Iranian Resistance calls for the acceptance of Iranian asylum seekers who have fled the clerical regime

شورای ملی مقاومت ایران 

The Iranian Resistance calls on the governments of Greece and Macedonia 
to accept asylum seekers who have fled the oppression and crimes of the clerical regime and have reached the borders of these countries, and while understanding the problems of the government and people of these countries due to the entry of hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers, stresses that the opponents of the religious fascism ruling Iran which has 120000 political executions in its record, deserve the sacred right to asylum according to the 1951 Geneva Convention and all practices and internationally recognized standards.

The record of two years presidency of Rouhani is nothing but increase of suppression including 2,000 executions, amputations, acid attacks on women and girls, and increased catastrophic poverty, prostitution and addiction.

Maryam Rajavi: Freedom in Iran is solution to crisis and instability in Middle East

MaryamRajavi: Freedom in Iran is solution to crisis and instability in Middle East

Maryam Rajavi: Freedom in Iran, key to crisis and solution for instability in the Middle East

In the present circumstances, mullahs wage a barbaric war of oppression against the people of Iran. This can be particularly seen in the mass and arbitrary executions described by Amnesty International as "a sinister picture of the machinery of the state carrying out premeditated, judicially-sanctioned killings on a mass scale."

The average number of executions under Rouhani has reached to about 1000 per year. This is the highest record in the past quarter of a century. In addition, there are several thousands more on the death row in various prisons across Iran. These executions indicate the regime’s instability. When a regime feels threatened even by concerts and theatres, it is shaky. A regime that imprisons young web bloggers, poets, cartoonists, journalists and film-makers, is unstable.

The proponents of cooperation with this regime do not take into consideration the Syrian experience or the experiences in Iraq and Yemen. If it were not for the Iranian regime's direct support for Bashar al-Assad, there would not have been a refugee crisis or the 300,000 Syrians who have been victimized. If it were not for the mullahs' support for Iraq's former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and his criminal policies, there would have been no opportunity for the ISIS to develop.

The Middle East needs peace, stability and democracy. This would be possible through regime change in Iran

Firouz Mahvi: Global solidarity needed with Iranian people

Mr. Firouz Mahvi, member of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI)

Mr. Firouz Mahvi, member of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), at a meeting on October 7 on human rights in Iran at the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

As you know Iran executes more people in the world than any other country except China. But it is number one per capita, with over 2000 executions since HassanRouhani became president. This is not nothing to be proud of. The regime claims that these people are drug traffickers. The reality is that many young people who are protesting against the mullahs are executed under this excuse. Several political prisoners have been hanged recently. Many executions are done in public. This creates an atmosphere of fear and terror.

At the same time repression against women has increased under Rouhani. Apart from many acid attacks, there are many repressive regulations imposed on women. Last week a new video clip appeared on YouTube which showed that in a marriage ceremony, the security forces in Iran arrested the bride and took her to prison because she did not dress properly. The regime interferes in the private lives of the people every day. Several women activists have recently received long-term prison sentences.

Appeasing Iran’s mullahs emboldens regime - Ken Blackwell

shahqayeq

A recent series of arrests of dissidents and a wave of executions in Iran show that the regime's President Hassan Rouhani is anything but a 'moderate,' said Amb. Ken Blackwell, a former Cincinnati mayor and U.S. ambassador to the UN human rights commission.

Amb. Blackwell writing on Monday in Townhall described the case of a young activist of the main opposition group People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI, or Mujahedin-e Khalq, MEK) whose parents were arrested last week by the fundamentalist regime in Iran.

Shaqayeq Azimi is an aspiring, joyful girl of 22 with a full life ahead of her. She is also an Iranian dissident, committed to challenging the repressive theocracy that rules her home country.

Recently she learnt that both her father Mahmoud and her mother Fatemeh Ziae were arrested on October 11 by the Iranian secret police in a raid on their home in Tehran. The regime has been characteristically secretive about the arrests, so Shaqayeq has been unable to obtain any information about where her parents have been taken, or what their current condition is.

This is not the first time that her parents have been arrested, but given the nature of the regime, each such incident poses grave dangers.

Fatemeh endured five years’ imprisonment and torture in the 1980s for supporting the principal Iranian opposition movement, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK). She was arrested again in February 2009 for visiting her relatives in Camp Ashraf, then the place of residence for thousands of Iranian dissidents in Iraq. This so-called crime landed her in jail for two years, where poor conditions and mistreatment contributed to acute health afflictions. She was arrested for yet a third time in June 2013, again on political charges.

Shaqayeq’s father was a political prisoner during the Shah’s regime and has been arrested several times since the 1980s including in 2011 and 2013 for supporting the MEK.

MPs urge UK to focus on human rights in Iran policy

UKParliamentconference

A vast array of British lawmakers from all major parties on Monday took part in a conference in the UK House of Commons to discuss the underlying reasons for increased executions in Iran and the future consequences of the deteriorating human rights situation in that country, the British ParliamentaryCommittee for Iran Freedom said.

A message was read out on behalf of the President-elect of Iranian Resistance Mrs. Maryam Rajavi at the conference which was attended by over two dozen Parliamentarians and legal experts and which heard also from prominent British human rights advocates and members of the Anglo-Iranian Youth Society. Cross-Party panellists called on the UK government to hold the theocratic regime in Tehran and its leaders accountable for systematic human rights abuses and sponsorship of terrorism.

Euro-Parl VP: Europe should speak out on Iran’s appalling rights record

Ryszard Czarnecki

Huffington Post

Vice President of the European Parliament

A lot has been said about the nuclear agreement signed between EU3+3 and Iran in summer. But problems with Iran are far from being over. One area that should be of major concern is Iran's conduct in the area of human rights.

Iran under President Rouhani hascarried out some 2,000 executions over the past two years, according to opposition figures.

Some victims who were lucky enough not to be hung on giant cranes (incidentally manufactured by European countries which trade with Iran) whose purpose is not to build, but to destroy lives, have suffered forced amputations and blinding.

UN chief: No improvement in human rights in Iran under Rouhani

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has criticized Iran’s regime for gross violations of human rights in a report to the 70th session of the UN General Assembly.

Concurrent with the presence of the regime’s President Hassan Rouhani in New York, the UN chief referred to numerous human rights violations in Iran in the past year in his annual report to the General Assembly on Friday, September 25.

There has been a steady upward trend in the number of executions from 2008 to 2015, with a peak of at least 750 in 2014,” the report said.

Young Iranians in Holland say No to Rouhani

Young Iranians in Holland have added their voices to the campaign to "Stop Executions in Iran."

Iranians the world over have embarked on a global campaign to expose the mullahs' president Hassan Rouhani who has drastically stepped up human rights abuse in Iran since he took office two years ago.

Iranians have been rallying outside government ministries and United Nations offices in various European and North American countries in recent weeks urging the international community to focus on Iran’s appalling human rights record.

Iran - 2000 executions carried out in Iran under Rouhani

Mr. Peter Mathews

Irish lawmaker: Iran's 'despotic' regime must be held accountable

The mullahs' regime in Iran continues to execute more of its citizens per capita than any other UN member state. Some 2000 people have been executed under Rouhani in the past two years.

Iran is a wonderful country. It has been at the bedrock foundation of the civilization of the human family in the Indo-European context. Some 75 million people live there, roughly half and half men and women, but the country is in the iron grip of a despotic regime that is iron fisted in its narrow fundamentalism by any measure, and it is choking the breath of the people of Iran . Is not it a shame to think that in Canada alone 30,000 doctors work there having qualified in Iran. Something is wrong when the conduct of a country run by a fundamentalist regime masquerading under parliamentary democracy under the leadership of state of President Rouhani who just does what he is told. It is up to us in the various countries from which we come to talk in plain talk in plain images of the suppression of such a wonderfully large people. The other speakers have told us about the summary executions. The presumption of guilt rather than innocence and proper distributions of justice. And the microcosmic expression of that pan-suppression of that people is seen in Camp Liberty [in Iraq, which houses thousands of members of the Iranian opposition PMOI, or MEK.