A democratic alternative to the Iranian regime – 'Free Iran' rally highlights MEK's role in Iranian resistance

A democratic alternative to the Iranian regime – 'Free Iran' rally highlights MEK's role in Iranian resistance

During the 'Free Iran' rally in Paris on July 1, the mood was festive and clearing upbeat, as speakers discussed the movement of MEK members from Iraq to Albania.

But many of the speakers and delegations also spoke of the real possibility of regime change in Iran, as they noted major changes on the international scene. Speaker after speaker from the United States pointed to the new policies of the Trump administration, while others acknowledged the Obama administration for its efforts to remove the MEK from the terrorist list.

In Focus

Still, the highlight of the event was the keynote address by Maryam Rajavi, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) President-elect. She noted that there was an alternative to the current regime and its extremism.

"Since last July, the Iranian Resistance has hoisted the banner of seeking justice for the victims of the massacre of political prisoners 29 years ago, turning it into the main focus of political discourse in Iran today," said Rajavi.

She noted that in the recent Iranian elections, which many speakers called a "sham", that the slogan of the resistance was "No to the executioner, no to the charlatan". It was a slogan that was widely embraced by the Iranian people, and referenced the attempt by Khamenei to elect Raisi, a member of the death commission in the 1988 massacre.

Rajavi said there is alternative to the Iranian regime and it is the Iranian resistance.

"It is relying on political prisoners, who reaffirmed their support recently for this gathering from the depth of their cells and dungeons. It is relying on women, workers, teachers, professionals, and selfless youths. It is relying on their unsparing love and generous support, those who barrow money and sell their houses and properties to help keep this Resistance independent, strong, and solidified," said Rajavi.

She noted that the Resistance has continued to fight for freedom and stood by what it has said and promised.

"The Iranian nation is proud to have created a democratic alternative through resistance and great suffering and sacrifice. This decisive asset,…did not exist at the time of the Shah," said Rajavi. She acknowledged that this left a vacuum that allowed the regime to grow and take root.

As part of her discussion of the Resistance, she acknowledged the contributions of Massoud Rajavi, who has been a leader in the Resistance, but also active in encouraging those in Camp Liberty to keep fighting and maintain the struggle for freedom.

MEK Supporters Are Defying the Iranian Regime

Iran Focus

London, 29 Jun - The Iranian Resistance (MEK) have reported hundreds of acts of defiance within the country, ahead of the Free Iran gathering in Paris, on July 1.

The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI)/People’s Mujahedeen Organization of Iran (MEK) report that hundreds of MEK supporters in Iran are risking their livings and their freedom in order to show their support for the MEK; from distributing pro-MEK leaflets to sticking up posters to acts of graffiti on Regime property/propaganda.

The acts, documented with video footage or photos, have been compiled into a video clip to be easily shared.

The posters show NCRI leaders Maryam and Massoud Rajavi with slogans like: “My vote regime change, down with Khamenei, our choice Maryam Rajavi.”

These acts of defiance are incredibly risky in Iran, where merely being a supporter of the MEK could lead to imprisonment and torture or even death.

The Iranian Regime, which slanders the MEK as a terrorist group despite no evidence, executes hundreds of people each year on political offences. The MEK is not a terrorist organisation but according to the US State Department, there is ample evidence that the Iranian Regime is.

The NCRI’s secretariat said “[these acts of defiance in Iran] emphasise the fact that this regime and all its factions have no legitimacy whatsoever and that the July 1 gathering represents the will of the people of Iran.”

This is why we must support the Iranian Resistance (NCRI/MEK) and its elected leader Maryam Rajavi, who currently serves as a government-in-exile and have a ten-point plan to create an Iran for the 21st century. The MEK believes in putting human rights at the centre of their democracy and creating an Iran without political oppression.

The people of Iran are risking so much in order to voice their hatred of the Regime, the least we can do is support them.

The Free Iran gathering in Paris will have over 100,000 dignitaries, politicians and activists in attendance, calling for freedom for the people of Iran. Those who will be attending, include a Syrian opposition delegation, who are being attacked by the Regime’s support for the dictator Bashar Assad in Syria, and many bipartisan politicians from the US and Europe.

US politicians, including former ambassador to the UN John Bolton, former Democratic senator (and United Against a Nuclear Iran (UANI) chairman) Joe Lieberman, former Democratic National Committee chairman Ed Rendell, and former Multi-National Force Iraq commander and U.S. Army chief of staff Gen. George Casey, who will be in attendance at the Free Iran Gathering wrote a statement earlier this month, in support of the MEK and advocating for Regime change in Iran.

The statement read: “We believe that change is within reach, not only because the regime is becoming engulfed in crisis, but also because there is a large and growing movement organising for positive change.”

In order to make it clear that they are supporting the wishes of the Iranian people, rather than interfering in the affairs of a nation state, they wrote: “The obligation to stand up to this corrupt and illegitimate regime and say ‘no more’ rests with the Iranian people alone, [but] the international community must meet its responsibility by condemning the mullahs’ oppression and embracing the Iranian people’s aspirations for a free and prosperous Iran accepted and respected around the world.”

Bolton tweeted on Wednesday: “The only long-term solution to the threat Iran poses in the Middle East is, indeed, regime change” and “There are ways of supporting the efforts of the Iranian opposition that do not involve the use of American force.”

The theme of the 2017 Free Iran Gathering is “Onward with the Iranian Resistance, Regime Change within Reach.”

This year, the gathering will focus on fighting terrorism and extremism in the name of Islam, calling on the international community to stand against the Regime’s attempts to destabilise the Middle East, and calling for a new approach to tackling the Iranian Regime.

'Free Iran' Activists Report Hundreds of Acts of Defiance Inside the Country

Images of NCRI leader Maryam Rajavi have been posted in cities and towns across the country, according to the exiled opposition group. (Screengrab: NCRI)

(CNSNews.com) – Ahead of a large annual “Free Iran” gathering in Paris on Saturday, the exiled Iranian opposition movement says hundreds of incidents of risky expressions of support have been taking place inside Iran – from distribution of pamphlets to the appearance of posters and graffiti.

The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI)/People’s Mujahedeen Organization of Iran (MEK) says hundreds of videos and photos of the incidents have been taken in dozens of towns and cities, and compiled a sample in a video clip.

Photos of NCRI leaders Maryam and Massoud Rajavi feature prominently, along with slogans which the NCRI translated as saying, among other things, “My vote regime change, down with Khamenei, our choice Maryam Rajavi.”

Such demonstrations are highly risky in Iran, a repressive state that has outlawed the NCRI/MEK as a “terrorist” group and executes hundreds of people each year for crimes including political and security offenses.

An Iranian foreign ministry spokesman on Wednesday referred to the group as a “hypocrite cult.”

NCRI’s secretariat said the acts of defiance in Iran “emphasize the fact that this regime and all its factions have no legitimacy whatsoever and that the July 1 gathering represents the will of the people of Iran.”

The NCRI is gearing up for a major meeting on Saturday in northeast Paris, where attendees will include a group of prominent American supporters – Republicans and Democrats – as well as politicians from European and Middle East countries.

Previous such events, which typically draw tens of thousands, have seen participants – including, last year, a senior member of the Saudi royal family – call for the overthrow of the clerical regime in Tehran.

A promotional video says this year’s event will be “a gathering for a free Iran, against terrorism and extremism in the name of Islam; a call for a stand against the Iranian regime’s destructive regional interference role; and a call for a new approach to the theocracy ruling Iran.”

The 2017 theme is “Onward with the Iranian Resistance, Regime Change within Reach.”

Among the guests will be a Syrian opposition delegation. Iran is heavily involved in propping up the Assad regime, through direct involvement of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and via Hezbollah and other Shi’ite proxies.

Some of the high-profile Americans scheduled to attend signed a statement of support this week ahead of the rally, accusing the regime of responsibility for “he instability and crisis in the region today,” and voicing support for change in Iran and for the NCRI.

“We believe that change is within reach, not only because the regime is becoming engulfed in crisis, but also because there is a large and growing movement organizing for positive change,” the statement said.

“A viable organization capable of ending the nightmare of religious dictatorship by establishing freedom and democracy, tolerance, and gender equality has steadily gained visibility, popular support and international recognition,” it continued, in reference to the NCRI.

Possibly in a bid to preempt accusations of interference in Iran’s affairs, the signatories said that “[t]he obligation to stand up to this corrupt and illegitimate regime and say ‘no more’ rests with the Iranian people alone.”

But, they added, “the international community must meet its responsibility by condemning the mullahs’ oppression and embracing the Iranian people’s aspirations for a free and prosperous Iran accepted and respected around the world.”

Signatories – who are also scheduled to speak at Saturday’s event – include former ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, former Democratic senator – and United Against a Nuclear Iran (UANI) chairman – Joe Lieberman, former Pennsylvania governor and Democratic National Committee chairman Ed Rendell, former Marine Corps commander Gen. (Ret.) James Conway, and former Multi-National Force Iraq commander and U.S. Army chief of staff Gen. George Casey.

The NCRI/MEK was a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization until 2012 when then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton delisted it, citing its renunciation of violence and “the absence of confirmed acts of terrorism by the MEK for more than a decade.”

Appearing before the House Foreign Affairs Committee two weeks ago, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said it was administration policy to “work toward support of those elements inside of Iran that would lead to a peaceful transition of that government.”

“Those elements are there certainly, as we know," he added, but without indicating whether he was referring to the NCRI, the “Green Movement,” or other elements.

Tehran accused Tillerson of violating international law and the United Nations Charter, and wrote a letter to the U.N., complaining about what it called “a brazen interventionist plan” to change the government.

Reacting to a news story on Iran’s complaint to the U.N. Wednesday, Bolton tweeted, “The only long-term solution to the threat Iran poses in the Middle East is, indeed, regime change.”

In a subsequent Twitter post, he added, “There are ways of supporting the efforts of the Iranian opposition that do not involve the use of American force.”