The grand gathering of Iranians and supporters
of the Iranian Resistance was held in Paris on Saturday, July 1, with hundreds
of top international politicians and statesmen as well as legislative
delegations and prominent figures participating from more than 50 countries and
five continents.
In her remarks in this meeting, Maryam Rajavi
emphasized that the only way to save the Iranian people from religious tyranny
and the only way to establish peace and tranquility in the region is to
overthrow the Velayat-e faqih regime. She underscored that the overthrow of
this regime is imperative, feasible and within reach, and a democratic
alternative and an organized resistance exists which is capable of toppling it.
Thousands of PMOI members residing in Albania
joined the grand gathering of the Iranian Resistance via satellite.
Dozens of political dignitaries addressed the
gathering, including:
Senator Alain Neri, President of the French
Committee for a Democratic Iran; Michèle de Vaucouleurs, member of the French
National Assembly from En Marche Republic movement; Martine Valleton, the Mayor
of Villepinte; and Dominique Lefebvre, President of the Urban Complex of Cergy,
Pontoise; representing the delegation of mayors and members of parliament from
France;
Struan Stevenson, President of European Iraqi
Freedom Association;
Ranjana Kumari, women’s rights activist from
India;
Maria Elena Elverdin, President of
International Federation of Women in Legal Careers;
Maria Candida Almeida, Deputy Attorney General
of Portugal;
Els Van Hoof, Vice President of the Social
Rights Committee of the Belgian Parliament, on behalf of the parliamentary
delegation from Belgium;
Ambassador John Bolton, former US Ambassador
to the United Nations;
Dr. Nejat al-Astal, MP, on behalf of the
parliamentary delegation from Palestine;
Nasr Hariri, Chairman of the Syrian
negotiating team representing the Syrian opposition delegation;
Marcin Swiecicki, former Minister of Economic
Relations from Poland;
Dr. Alejo Vidal Quadras, President of the
International Committee In Search of Justice (ISJ);
Salih al-Qalab, former Minister of Publicity
from Jordan;
Senator Robert Torricelli;
Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former mayor of New York
City;
Delegation from the US House of
Representatives including Judge Ted Poe, chairman of the House subcommittee on
terrorism, non-proliferation and trade; Congressman Thomas Garrett, Congressman
Robert Pittenger;
Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the United
States House of Representatives;
Prince Turki bin Faisal Al Saud from Saudi
Arabia;
Senator Joseph Lieberman, former U.S. Senator
and Vice-Presidential candidate;
Sir David Amess and the Rt. Hon. Theresa
Villier, members of the House of Commons; Baroness Verma, member of the House
of Lords; on behalf of the UK parliamentary and legal delegation;
Bernard Kouchner, former Foreign Minister of France;
Bernard Kouchner, former Foreign Minister of France;
Rita Sussmuth, former Speaker of the German
Bundestag; Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger, former German Minister of
Justice; representing the delegation from Germany;
Ed Rendell, former Chairman of the Democratic
National Party and Governor of Pennsylvania;
Tom Ridge, former U.S. Homeland Security
Secretary and Governor of Pennsylvania;
General Jack Keane, former Vice Chief of Staff
of the US Army;
Judge Michael Mukasey, former US Secretary of
Justice;
Judge Louis Freeh, former Director of the US
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI);
Elona Gjebrea and Pandeli Majko, on behalf of
the representative delegation of Albania;
Giulio Terzi, former Foreign Minister of
Italy;
John Baird, former Foreign Minister of
Canada;
Ingrid Betancourt, former presidential candidate from Colombia;
Ingrid Betancourt, former presidential candidate from Colombia;
Rama Yade, former French Minister of Human
Rights;
General George W. Casey, former Chief of Staff
of the U.S. Army;
General James Conway, 34th Commandant of the
US Marine Corps;
Sid Ahmed Ghozali, former Prime Minister of
Algeria.
In the start of the ceremony, Gilbert
Mitterrand, President of the France Libertés Foundation, welcomed the
participants, saying: "Your overwhelming presence here is like a
referendum against the clerical regime and it shows the ability of this
Resistance for democratic change in Iran. I must also convey to the organizers
of this event, a message of gratitude from the French President Francois
Hollande (2012-2017). He said that he will continue to pay attention to the
human rights situation in Iran for the invitation you extended to him to
participate in this gathering."
The audience warmly applauded the images and
video footages broadcast of the widespread campaign of Iranian youths and
supporters of the PMOI and the Iranian Resistance in different parts of Tehran
and at least 50 other cities across the country in support of the grand
gathering of the Iranian Resistance in Paris. The slogans they had used
included, "Freedom and equality with Maryam Rajavi", "Death to
Khamenei, Hail to Rajavi", "Death to the principle of Velayat-e
Faqih, long live National Liberation Army", "No to the death
penalty", "Hail to the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran",
"Equality for all ethnic groups and followers of (minority) religions with
Maryam Rajavi." The Iranian Resistance has received at least 500 video
clips and hundreds of photographs of such activities which included the hanging
of huge banners bearing Maryam Rajavi's portrait and distribution of flyers
containing her 10-point plan for the future of Iran.
Political prisoners sent a number of messages
from prisons across the country despite heavy risk to express their solidarity
with the grand gathering of Iranians and supporters of the nationwide and
organized Resistance for regime change in Iran and establishment of democracy
and freedom.
Maryam Rajavi also laid a wreath at the
memorial of 120,000 martyrs of freedom as mothers of a number of the Iranian
Resistance’s martyrs looked on.
The event also featured interesting musical
and theatrical performances.
A large number of US senators and
representatives, including Robert Menendez, senior member of the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee; Ed Royce, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee;
leader of the House democrats, Nancy Pelosi; Lord Carlyle and Lord Clarke from
UK; and Senator Gianluca Castaldi from Italy, a large number of members of the
European Parliament, including the EP Vice-President Ryszard Czarnecki; as well
as personalities from other countries expressed their solidarity by sending
video messages to the annual gathering of the Iranian Resistance.
On the eve of the gathering, 29 prominent
personalities in the US announced their solidarity with the goals of the
gathering in a statement, indicating that, "Under the leadership of Maryam
Rajavi, a Muslim woman standing for gender equality, which is an antidote to
Islamic fundamentalism and extremism, it [MEK] is working every day to bring about
a tolerant, non-nuclear Iranian republic based on separation of religion and
state, that will uphold the rights of all. The National Council of Resistanceof Iran, pursuing its long journey that began more than a half-century ago, has
the vision, leadership and courage to lead the way to the creation of a new
Iran. 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. Today, we join with the Iranian people
and colleagues from many other countries in pledging our support to this great
cause."
In addition, members of parliaments from
different countries issued statements on the eve of the gathering. Among them
were
- The statement by 265 members of the European
Parliament condemning human rights abuses in Iran and calling for the designation
of the IRGC as a terrorist entity;
- The statement by more than 300 lawmakers
from the UK Houses of Commons and Lords and 100 British bishops against the
massacre of political prisoners in 1988 and in favor of comprehensive sanctions
against the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC);
- The statement by 320 Italian MPs condemning
human rights violations in Iran, massacre of political prisoners in 1988 and
the need to bring the perpetrators of these crimes to justice;
- The statement by more than 100 Polish MPs
against human rights violations and the wave of executions in Iran and the need
to prosecute the masterminds and perpetrators;
- The statement of the Senate of Ireland
against the massacre of political prisoners in Iran in 1988;
- The statement by the majority of the
Parliament of Malta and a large number of representatives from the Romanian
Parliament;
- The statement by a number of Nobel laureates
in support of the goals of the Free Iran gathering.
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