IRAN: Top IRGC commander killed today in Aleppo

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NCRI - A senior commander of the Iranian regime's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) was killed on Tuesday in fighting in the north-western 

Syrian city of Aleppo

Iran regime mass executes 30 prisoners in 3 days

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NCRI - The mullahs' regime has stepped up a spate of mass executions in recent days, hanging at least 18 people last Thursday alone.

On Thursday, August 25, seven prisoners, including a woman, were executed en masse in the Central Prison of Yazd, central Iran.

The state-run Rokna news agency claimed that five of the victims were accused of drugs-related charges.

NCRI - The mullahs' regime has stepped up a spate of mass executions in recent days, hanging at least 18 people last Thursday alone.

On Thursday, August 25, seven prisoners, including a woman, were executed en masse in the Central Prison of Yazd, central Iran.

The state-run Rokna news agency claimed that five of the victims were accused of drugs-related charges.

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Call for bringing perpetrators of 1988 massacre to justice

NCRI - Members of Swedish-Iranian communities from all over Sweden, supporters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, staged a protest rally in Stockholm on Saturday in solidarity with the victims of the recent wave of executions in Iran and political prisoners.

A large number of members of the Swedish-Iranian communities took part in the protest rally on Saturday, August 27.

The clerical Assembly of Experts: Khomeini wrote to Montazeri that you will hand over the county to liberals and through them to the Mojahedin

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Regime's leaders confess to their participation and agreement with the 1988 massacre and their fear of distortion of Khomeini's image and added credibility for the Mojahedin in Iran and abroad

The Iranian Resistance's President-elect Maryam Rajavi described the statement issued by the Assembly of Experts on the massacre of political prisoners in 1988, as an explicit, decisive and official document indicating the agreement and complicity of the regime's present leaders in the massacre of 30,000 political prisoners and committing this crime against humanity.

The UN rights expert expresses outrage over the execution of 12 people in Iran.

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NCRI - 29 August 2016- Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran Ahmed Shaheed. Who had earlier this year noted that 'the overall situation has worsened' with respect to human rights." today condemned Iran’s ‘illegal’ execution of 12 people on drug-related charges, following is the press release which was published today by The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)

MARYAM RAJAVI: THE MOVEMENT TO OBTAIN JUSTICE FOR THE VICTIMS OF THE 1988 MASSACRE IS PART OF THE NATIONAL MOVEMENT FOR IRAN'S FREEDOM

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NCRI - Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the Iranian Resistance, sent a video message on Wednesday to an exhibition in Paris' Mairie du 2e commemorating the 28th anniversary of the 1988 massacre of 30,000 political prisoners in Iran. The following is the text of Mrs. Rajavi’s remarks:

The time has come for the UN to adopt a resolution, condemning this crime. The international community must prosecute Iran's ruling mullahs

Mr. Mayor,
Ladies and gentlemen of the City Council,
Dear friends,

Let me begin by honouring the anniversary of the liberation of Paris, and by paying homage to the heroes who sacrificed their lives for freedom and taught the lesson of perseverance. They showed that we can and we must defeat the enemy even if it appears to be powerful and invincible. It was not the military force, but the power of faith in human values that liberated Paris. Such faith will also be the force to liberate my country which is enchained by a religious dictatorship.

These days, we are commemorating the anniversary of the massacre of 30,000 political prisoners in Iran, a hideous genocide carried out by the mullahs' religious dictatorship.

In summer 1988, Khomeini issued a decree for the massacre of prisoners affiliated to the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran, in which he wrote, "Whoever --in prisons across the country-- continues to persist on his/her position of hypocrisy, is considered the enemy of God and is punishable by death."

Khomeini's Chief Justice asked him whether the decree applied to the prisoners who had already been sentenced to limited jail terms. Khomeini replied, "If anyone, at any stage, persists on hypocrisy, his/her sentence is death. Annihilate the enemies of Islam, at once."

Twenty-eight years after the massacre, an audio recording was published this month of a meeting between Montazeri, Khomeini's incumbent successor, and the officials responsible for the massacre. The meeting had been held in the midst of the carnage.

In this meeting, the officials responsible for the massacre said that they had asked every single member of the PMOI whether they still adhered to the PMOI's ideas. Those who responded positively, were executed. The officials also explained about their plans on how to continue the massacre.

In this meeting, Montazeri said: "The Iranian people are repulsed by the velayat-e-faqih” and “later, they will say that Khomeini was a bloodthirsty and brutal figure.” He added that this was "the greatest crime committed during the Islamic Republic."

Montazeri also revealed in this meeting that Khomeini had made his decision some three to four years before the massacre was actually carried out, to execute "all members of the Mojahedin, including those who read their newspaper, those who read their magazine, and those who read their statements."

Based on this audio recording, those massacred included 15-year-old girls and pregnant women. It was because of such protests that Montazeri was ousted from his position and remained under house arrest until the end of his life.

You might be surprised to learn that one of the main officials responsible for that massacre, namely Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi, is today the Minister of Justice in Rouhani's cabinet.

Western governments have so far remained silent on this great crime against humanity. The time has come for the UN to issue a resolution censuring this crime. The international community must prosecute the mullahs ruling Iran.

We have organized a movement, both inside Iran and on the international level, to obtain justice. This litigation is part of a national movement for Iran's freedom. The martyrs’ families as well as this movement demand that the names of the victims, addresses of their graves and names of the perpetrators of this crime be published.

I urge you and all advocates of human rights to join the people of Iran in this quest for justice.
And I thank you all very much.

British Iranians protest Sunni executions, urge UK government to hold Iran to account

Twenty Iranians are on hunger strike in London in solidarity with those persecuted by the Iranian reg

Twenty Iranians have today entered their third day of a hunger strike in protest against what they say are brutal violations of human rights laws by their country's government.

The protestors, who are camping outside Downing Street in London, have been joined by hundreds of others during the weekend in solidarity with the victims of recent mass executions in Iran.

Last week, up to 20 Sunni Kurds were hanged by the Iranian regime for alleged terrorism offences. Human rights groups have condemned the killings, and claimed that the convictions may have been based on forced confessions.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, branded the executions "a grave injustice" and said there were "serious doubts about the fairness of the trials, respect for due process and other rights of the accused".

Speaking to Christian Today, Hossein Abedini, the UK spokesperson for the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) – a coalition of Iranian opposition political organisations functioning as a parliament in exile – also strongly condemned the executions and urged the UK to hold Iran to account.

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Under President Hassan Rouhani, who has presented himself as a 'moderate', human rights violations have rapidly deteriorated, Abedini said. In total, around 120,000 people are believed to have been executed since 1981 for their political or religious beliefs, and the figure has escalated since Rouhani became president. Abedini insisted that the UK's relative silence on Iran's human rights record is "shameful".

"Things have deteriorated and worsened as far as human rights are concerned. There have been 2,500 hangings [since Rouhani came to power in 2013], many juveniles and women have been executed, and religious minorities, especially Christians, are suffering in Iran very badly... There is no freedom for religious minorities; they cannot practice their religion [and they suffer] very brutal and cruel human rights violations," he said.

Iran is ranked ninth on persecution charity Open Door's list of countries where it's most dangerous to be a Christian. Open churches are forbidden, and converting from Islam – the state religion – to Christianity is punishable by death for men, and life imprisonment for women. Last year, more than 100 Christians were arrested or imprisoned, and reports of their torture have emerged.

More widely, Iran has a long history of human rights abuses and violence is rapidly escalating across the country, facilitated by laws which allow the legal persecution of minority communities such as Christians and Baha'i Muslims, who have been condemned by Iranian authorities as an "illegal cult".

"There is no religious freedom in Iran," said Abedini, noting the plight of Saeed Abedini – an Iranian-born US pastor who was released in January after being held in Iran's notorious Evin prison for years – and Maryam Naghash Zargaran, a Christian convert from Islam who remains incarcerated and is said to be in very poor health.

Human rights abuses are not the only concern of campaigners – another is Iran's persistent efforts to acquire nuclear capability – but they are the most prominent.

"The regime itself is the most ungodly regime," Abedini said. Rouhani in 2014 described executions under his rule as the fulfilment of "God's commandments", but Abedini said the majority of Muslims want to distance the brutal punishments from true Islam.

"We believe this is only a fundamentalist regime carrying out [executions] in the name of God and in the name of religion," he said. 'Islam is a religion of compassion and mercy.... [The executions are] absolutely abhorrent, and have got nothing to do with true Islam."

Christian Today: Anglo-Iranians urge UK to hold Iran regime to account

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NCRI - Under the Iranian regime’s President Hassan Rouhani, human rights violations have rapidly deteriorated in Iran, Hossein Abedini of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) told the Christian Today on Monday. The following is the text of a report by the Christian Today about a three-day hunger strike in London to raise attention to the recent mass executions and the 1988 massacre in Iran.

Christian Today

British Iranians protest Sunni executions, urge UK government to hold Iran to account

Carey Lodge

CHRISTIAN TODAY JOURNALIST

08 August 2016

Twenty Iranians have today entered their third day of a hunger strike in protest against what they say are brutal violations of human rights laws by their country's government.

The protestors, who are camping outside Downing Street in London, have been joined by hundreds of others during the weekend in solidarity with the victims of recent mass executions in Iran.

Last week, up to 20 Sunni Kurds were hanged by the Iranian regime for alleged terrorism offences. Human rights groups have condemned the killings, and claimed that the convictions may have been based on forced confessions.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, branded the executions "a grave injustice" and said there were "serious doubts about the fairness of the trials, respect for due process and other rights of the accused".

Speaking to Christian Today, Hossein Abedini, the UK spokesperson for the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) – a coalition of Iranian opposition political organisations functioning as a parliament in exile – also strongly condemned the executions and urged the UK to hold Iran to account.

Under President Hassan Rouhani, who has presented himself as a 'moderate', human rights violations have rapidly deteriorated, Abedini said. In total, around 120,000 people are believed to have been executed since 1981 for their political or religious beliefs, and the figure has escalated since Rouhani became president. Abedini insisted that the UK's relative silence on Iran's human rights record is "shameful".

"Things have deteriorated and worsened as far as human rights are concerned. There have been 2,500 hangings [since Rouhani came to power in 2013], many juveniles and women have been executed, and religious minorities, especially Christians, are suffering in Iran very badly... There is no freedom for religious minorities; they cannot practice their religion [and they suffer] very brutal and cruel human rights violations," he said.

Iran is ranked ninth on persecution charity Open Door's list of countries where it's most dangerous to be a Christian. Open churches are forbidden, and converting from Islam – the state religion – to Christianity is punishable by death for men, and life imprisonment for women. Last year, more than 100 Christians were arrested or imprisoned, and reports of their torture have emerged.

More widely, Iran has a long history of human rights abuses and violence is rapidly escalating across the country, facilitated by laws which allow the legal persecution of minority communities such as Christians and Baha'i Muslims, who have been condemned by Iranian authorities as an "illegal cult".

"There is no religious freedom in Iran," said Abedini, noting the plight of Saeed Abedini – an Iranian-born US pastor who was released in January after being held in Iran's notorious Evin prison for years – and Maryam Naghash Zargaran, a Christian convert from Islam who remains incarcerated and is said to be in very poor health.

Human rights abuses are not the only concern of campaigners – another is Iran's persistent efforts to acquire nuclear capability – but they are the most prominent.

"The regime itself is the most ungodly regime," Abedini said. Rouhani in 2014 described executions under his rule as the fulfilment of "God's commandments", but Abedini said the majority of Muslims want to distance the brutal punishments from true Islam.

"We believe this is only a fundamentalist regime carrying out [executions] in the name of God and in the name of religion," he said. 'Islam is a religion of compassion and mercy.... [The executions are] absolutely abhorrent, and have got nothing to do with true Islam."

The protest in London falls on the anniversary of the 1988 executions of political prisoners in Iran, during which Amnesty International has documented the disappearance of more than 4,400 prisoners, though opposition groups say as many as 30,000 were killed. Those striking are calling on the British government not only to hold Iran to account for its wider human rights violations, but also to recognise and condemn this massacre, which the regime denies having taken place.

Omid Ebrahimi, 18, is taking part in the hunger strike along with his father, who was held as a political prisoner in Iran for a decade between 1981 and 1991. Several members of his mother's family were also executed during this time.

"For us, this was one of the darkest days in the history of human beings," Ebrahimi told Christian Today. "And for this, we call upon all western governments, and in particular the British government, to condemn the massacre."

Ebrahimi was insistent that the human rights situation in Iran remains as volatile as it was in the 1980s under then-Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini. "The regime hasn't changed at all," he said. Religious minorities are under particular threat, he added, and almost anyone is at risk of accusations of being against the regime.

"This can only be solved one way, and that's a regime change," Ebrahimi said.

His fellow protestors have received some parliamentary support already. Conservative MP Matthew Offord sent a message offering his "best wishes" to those on hunger strike, adding that "the mass execution of Sunni political prisoners is deeply disturbing".

Offord joined a number of political and church leaders at the NCRI's annual conference in Paris last month.

In a statement released ahead of the conference, four bishops and others issued a joint statement setting out their "grave concern" at Iran's human rights situation.

They said: "Repression of Christians has not only continued but intensified during the presidency of Hassan Rouhani.

"In such circumstances, we call on all Western countries to consider the deplorable situation of human rights in Iran, particularly the painful situation of Christians and the intensification of their oppression, in navigating their relations with Iran.

"We call upon them to precondition improvement of those relations on the cessation of oppression of Christians and on a halt in executions."

Source:

President-elect of the Iranian Resistance Meets with President Abbas

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NCRI President Mrs. Rajavi and President Mahmoud Abbas meet in Paris

Paris, Palestine Chronicle, Aug 1 2016 - Mrs. Maryam Rajavi , President-elect of the Iranian Resistance, met with Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian Authority to discuss the crises in the region.
During the meeting, President Abbas reiterated the need to combat fundamentalism and terrorism in the region and informed Mrs. Rajavi of the latest developments in the Middle East, particularly regarding Palestine and the French peace initiative.
Mrs. Rajavi expressed gratitude for the solidarity of the Palestinian resistance and its leader with the Iranian people and their resistance.
She further congratulated the Palestinian government on its victories and expressed hope that the goal of the Palestinian people would be achieved.
Rajavi stated that the Iranian regime is the main instigator of sectarian discord, fundamentalism and terrorism in the entire region, in particular, in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, and Palestine.
She reiterated that countries of the region and the Iranian people and Resistance ought to take the initiative to free the region of the scourge of fundamentalism.

VIDEO: IRAN'S MARYAM RAJAVI MEETS PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT MAHMOUD ABBAS

 The following video clip of the meeting was published on the YouTube account of President Mahmoud Abbas:

 The following is the text of the statement by the NCRI Secretariat:

 Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the Iranian Resistance, meets President Mahmoud Abbas

  On Saturday evening, July 30, 2016, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the Iranian Resistance, met with Mr. Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian Authority, and they discussed the crises in the region.

  President Mahmoud Abbas, at the meeting, reiterated the need to combat fundamentalism and terrorism in the region and informed Mrs. Rajavi of the latest developments in the Middle East, in particular regarding Palestine and France's initiative.

  Mrs. Rajavi expressed gratitude for the solidarity of the Palestinian resistance and its leader with the Iranian people and Resistance. She congratulated the Palestinian government on its victories and expressed hope that the goal of the Palestinian people would be achieved. She reiterated that the Iranian regime is the main instigator of sectarian discord, fundamentalism and terrorism in the entire region, in particular in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, and Palestine, but she added that today the mullahs' regime is at its weakest and most fragile and vulnerable state. This reality can be seen clearly in the hysteric reaction of the regime's officials and state media to the Iranian Resistance's July 9 gathering.

  Mrs. Rajavi reiterated that the regime is above all fearful of the solidarity and unity between the Iranian people and Resistance and the countries and nations of the region. Therefore, the countries of the region and the Iranian people and Resistance ought to take the initiative to free the region from the scourge of fundamentalism.

Iran’s Massive Crackdown On Opposition Shows The Regime’s Vulnerability and Fear

Patrick J. Kennedy

Patrick J. Kennedy is a former U.S. Representative (D-RI) who currently lives in New Jersey.

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Getty - ATTA KENARE

Independent Journal Opinion is an opinion platform and any opinions or information put forth by contributors are exclusive to them and do not represent Independent Journal.

On July 9, the Free Iran rally near Paris attracted tens of thousands of Iranians from five continents and gained support from political leaders from many countries, including the US, several EU member nations, and the Gulf States. It also provoked the predictable ire of the Iranian regime, which has persecuted the constituent groups of the main opposition, the National Council of Resistance of Iran, since the beginnings of the Islamic Republic.

Approximately 120,000 political dissidents have been killed since 1981, most of them from the NCRI’s main constituent group, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI or MEK). Tens of thousands were put to death in the summer of 1988 alone. UN special rapporteur Ahmed Shaheed has said that this year the rate of executions reached levels not seen for more than 25 years.

Meanwhile, foreign policy analysts and critics of the Iranian regime have observed that the repression of dissent is surging to levels not seen since the end of the Iran/Iraq War, when the long-term survival of the Tehran regime was very much in doubt.

Participants in the rally underscored that Iran’s deteriorating domestic situation signals the increased vulnerability of Tehran’s leadership. Just as MEK dissidents were executed in great numbers to compensate for the weakness shown in accepting the end of the war with Iraq, the current crackdown seems aimed at making the regime look strong, despite last summer’s compromise over nuclear negotiations and the lingering social effects of the 2009 popular uprisings.

The clerical regime fears for its survival, and as with any insecure bully, that fear manifests as bluster. This was evident in a series of provocations made toward the West, including the January seizure of 10 American sailors who had strayed into Iranian territorial waters, the five illicit ballistic missile tests that have taken place since the conclusion of last summer’s negotiations, and gestures of force in the Persian Gulf.

Reacting to the rally, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps even went so far as to dispatch several patrol boats to follow an American warship through the Gulf. No doubt the incident was used as a source of propaganda in Iranian state media, much like the images and video of the 10 sailors – who were released within 24 hours – were aired for weeks on end.

But such questionable propaganda victories will not do the regime much good – not as long as that propaganda is countered by an organized resistance abroad and the regime fails to win more serious victories against the resistance and its international network of supporters.

The expressions of international support for the NCRI included a speech by Prince Turki al-Faisal, an influential member of the Saudi royal family and former Saudi intelligence chief. With his declaration that Muslims around the world support the Iranian resistance “heart and soul,” he turned the annual event into a celebration of unprecedented Middle Eastern unity. In the words of Howard Dean, a former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, he “redrew the map of the Middle East.”

The extraordinary foreign support removes any doubt that the Iranian resistance is an existential threat to the clerical regime. Moreover, the Saudi capacity to unify Arab nations behind the resistance explains why Iranian officials, including Brig. Gen. Ramazan Sharif, the Revolutionary Guards Spokesman, accused Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and other powerful Arab states of “flagrantly interfering in Iran’s internal affairs.”

Such comments can only be seen as the desperate protests of a vulnerable regime. Iran has engaged in its own “flagrant interference” in the region for years. Examples include its all-out defense of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, fomenting of a Shiite rebellion in Yemen, threats to instigate one in Bahrain, and empowering the crusade by former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to drive minorities out of Iraq’s government. All have stoked deep resentment, both at home and abroad.

Iran now stands to suffer the consequences of its actions, as powerful forces offer their justified support to a legitimate Iranian opposition movement. The regime’s ongoing reaction to the Free Iran rally will continue to demonstrate that it recognizes the threat to its power. As long as the world community stands firm against Iran’s violent response, we will see that it is inadequate to suppress, dissent or preserve the regime.

As Ramadan Ends, So Must Falsely Labeled 'Jihad'

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Continued from page 1

Another horrifying trait of extremists is their attempt to discredit moral, humanitarian and Islamic principles as they grapple for power. Before becoming the leader of Iran, Khomeini in his book titled The Islamic State deemed as permissible mass killings in order to ensure the survival of the state or, as he put it, in order to “uproot many of the corrupt races that are harmful to society.”

Is it not true that monotheistic religions were revealed in order to imbue human beings with moral codes and humanitarian principles? Were the Ten Commandments of Moses or everything that Jesus and Mohammad said not intended to contain the aggressive, greedy and oppressive tendencies of human beings in order to inaugurate a path toward freedom?

It brings me deep sorrow that extremists of all stripes portray themselves as defenders of Islamic and moral standards. In order to implement unjustified violence, which they falsely describe as “Islamic punishments,” they have amputated limbs, gouged out eyes and stoned women to death with indescribable barbarity.

No one has trampled upon Islamic law more than this bunch. As the Quran says, “And of men is he whose speech about the life of this world pleases thee, and he calls Allah to witness as to that which is in his heart, yet he is the most violent of adversaries. And when he holds authority, he makes effort in the land to cause mischief in it and destroy tilth and offspring; and Allah loves not mischief” (Quran 2:204-205).

The spirit of goodwill

It is critical for true followers of Islam to stand up against perversions of our faith. And there are many groups who seek to do this, one of which is the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK), the main component of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI). Since its founding in 1965, the group has embarked on a theoretical effort to understand the truth of Islam and wipe away dogmatic and static readings of the Quran. The NCRI succeeded in promoting in Iranian society the credible views of Islam on freedom, human rights, social justice, gender equality and the rights of ethnic and religious minorities and other matters.

Muslims worldwide must come together to reject sectarianism and religious conflicts. We must declare that the struggle is not between Shiites and Sunnis, or Muslims and Christians, or the people and culture of the Middle East against the people and culture of the West. Rather, the main struggle is between tyranny and extremism on the one hand, and democracy and freedom on the other. And as this month of Ramadan comes to an end, we must not allow the spirit of goodwill to leave with it.

NCRI Iran News | Ashraf / Liberty

UNHCR publishes update on situation of Camp Liberty residents

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NCRI - The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has issued an update on the situation of Camp Liberty residents. The following is the full text of the UN Refugee Agency’s statement:

Source: http://www.unhcr.org/4f2a54a16.pdf

Update N° 14

Update on the implementation of solutions for residents of Hurriya Temporary Transit Location (TTL)

• The relocation of residents of the Hurriya Temporary Transit Location (TTL) out of Iraq continues to maintain momentum, with more than 1700 residents having now been relocated to a situation of safety in third countries. This represents a significant milestone: more than half of the residents registered by UNHCR have now been successfully relocated.

• Prospects for relocating all residents out of Iraq in 2016 are at their most buoyant since international efforts to find solutions began in 2011. UNHCR is supporting a steady and growing stream of movements out of Iraq in coming months. It is hoped that the process will be completed well before year end.

• This progress has been achieved with the cooperation of the residents who have proceeded with the relocation process despite difficult circumstances, including the attack on 4 July 2016, which fortunately did not result in any casualties.

• Ongoing success in the implementation of solutions has also been assisted by the residents’ commitment to meeting the bulk of the associated costs, particularly for long term support of all residents relocated out of Iraq who have no access to state-sponsored assistance. This commitment is crucial to the ongoing implementation of solutions for the group.

• UNHCR deeply appreciates the measures taken by some countries to relocate residents to situations of safety and security. Albania’s exceptional contribution to this humanitarian endeavour merits special note, as Albania has received a significant proportion of the residents who have been relocated. Likewise, the United States has been actively supporting the relocations in a number of ways, and without those sustained and concerted efforts, the progress reported here could not have been achieved.

• Despite noteworthy progress made over the last two years, UNHCR maintains its call upon States to find ways to offer long term solutions for the residents in the Hurriya TTL and to do so with urgency. This appeal should be read in light of the potential for more attacks on the Hurriya TTL, as has been recently witnessed. This emphasizes the need for quick and pragmatic action on the part of States to ensure that these people are very swiftly relocated to a situation of safety and security.

• UNHCR continues to call upon the Government of Iraq to take all possible measures to ensure the safety and well-being of residents, including ensuring access to life saving medical treatment and assistance with the provision of goods and services to enable the residents to make arrangements for their own protection.

• UNHCR also recalls the Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of Iraq and the United Nations explicitly recognizes that residents benefit from the principle of non-refoulement.

UNHCR, Geneva, 19 July 2016

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Prince Turki bin Faisal Al-Saud Drops Bombshell at Iranian Opposition Rally

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At the annual gathering of Iranians outside of Paris, France on 9 July 2016, where some 100,000 showed up to express support for regime change in Tehran, one of the guest speakers dropped a bombshell announcement. Even before he took the podium, Prince Turki bin Faisal Al-Saud, appearing in the distinctive gold-edged dark cloak and white keffiyehheaddress of the Saudi royal family, of which he is a senior member, drew commentary and lots of second looks. The Prince is the founder of the King Faisal Foundation, and chairman of the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, and served from 1977-2001 as director general of Al-Mukhabarat Al-A’amah, Saudi Arabia’s intelligence agency, resigning the position on 1 September 2001, some ten days before the attacks of 9/11.

He took the podium late in the afternoon program on 9 July and, after a discourse on the shared Islamic history of the Middle East, launched into an attack on Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, whose 1979 revolution changed the course of history not just in Iran, but throughout the world. His next statement sent a shock wave through the assembly: Bin Faisal pledged support to the Iranian NCRI opposition and to its President-elect Maryam Rajavi personally. Given bin Faisal’s senior position in the Saudi royal family and his long career in positions of key responsibility in the Kingdom, it can only be understood that he spoke for the Riyadh government. The hall erupted in cheers and thunderous applause.

Iranians and others who packed the convention center in Bourget, Paris came for a day-long program attended by representatives from around the world. Organized by the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), the event featured a day filled with speeches and musical performances. A senior-level U.S. delegation included Linda Chavez, Chairwoman of the U.S. Center for Equal Opportunity; former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich; former Governor of Pennsylvania and Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge; Judge Michael Mukasey; former Governor of Vermont and Presidential candidate Howard Dean; and former national security advisor to President George W. Bush, Fran Townsend.

The NCRI and its key affiliate, the Mujahedeen-e Kahlq (MEK), were on the U.S. Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO) list until 2012, having been placed there at the express request of Iranian president Khatami. Iranian university students formed the MEK in the 1960s to oppose the Shah’s rule. The MEK participated in the Khomeini Revolution but then was forced into exile when Khomeini turned on his own allies and obliterated any hopes for democratic reform. Granted protection by the U.S. under the 4th Geneva Convention in 2004, remnants of the MEK opposition have been stranded in Iraq, first at Camp Ashraf and now in Camp Liberty near Baghdad since U.S. forces left Iraq. Completely disarmed and defenseless, the 2,000 or so remaining residents of Camp Liberty, who are desperately seeking resettlement, come under periodic deadly attack by Iraqi forces under Iranian Qods Force direction. The most recent rocket attack on July 4th, 2016 set much of the camp ablaze and devastated the Iranians’ unprotected mobile homes. The MEK/NCRI fought their terrorist designations in the courts in both Europe and the U.S., finally winning removal in 2012. The NCRI’s national headquarters are now located in downtown Washington, DC, from where they work intensively with Congress, the media, and U.S. society to urge regime change and a genuinely liberal democratic platform for Iran.

Given the Obama administration’s close alignment with the Tehran regime, it is perhaps not surprising that the NCRI and Riyadh (both feeling marginalized by the U.S.) should find common cause to oppose the mullahs’ unceasing quest for deliverable nuclear weapons, aggressively expansionist regional agenda, and destabilizing involvement in multiple area conflicts, especially its extensive support for the murderous rule of Bashar al-Assad. Nevertheless, the implications of official Riyadh government support for the largest, most dedicated, and best-organized Iranian opposition movement will reverberate through the Middle East.

Although not openly stated by bin Faisal, the new NCRI-Riyadh alliance may be expected to involve funding, intelligence sharing, and possible collaboration in operations aimed at the shared goal of overthrowing the current Tehran regime. The alignment doubtless will change the course of events in the Middle East, and while Saudi Arabia can hardly be counted among the liberal democracies of the world, the woman-led NCRI movement declares a 10-point planfor Iran that does embrace the ideals of Western Civilization. The impact of the Saudi initiative will not be limited to Iran or the surrounding region but at least as importantly, surely will be felt internally as well, among a young and restless Saudi population that looks hopefully to the rule of King Salman and his 30-something son, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman al-Saud.

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Clare M. Lopez is the Vice President for Research and Analysis at the Center for Security Policy

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Paris rally showcases global unity for change in Iran

By Shahriar Kia

A grand July 9th rally in Paris became a major platform calling on the international community to begin shifting its Iran policy. The regime of Tehran has no place in the future of Iran and the Middle East, and the West’s flawed appeasement policy vis-à-vis the mullahs has failed, leading to Iran’s expansionism across the region. Imperative now is unity amongst Middle East countries against Tehran and in support of the organized Iranian opposition,National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) and its President-elect Maryam Rajavi.

The Paris event demonstrated the serious steps taken to render such an alliance. Prominent political figures and MPs from all over the world and especially various countries in the Middle East displayed a colorful array of support for the Iranian opposition. Saudi Arabia’s Prince Turki bin Faisal Al Saud, the former head of Saudi intelligence, was amongst the special guests in this event. His voice symbolized the intention of Arab states to adopt a new perspective for change in Iran, establishing peace in the Middle East and condemning Tehran’s notorious meddling in the entire region.

The keynote speaker of the rally was Iranian opposition leader Maryam Rajavi, a leading advocate of unity amongst Arab and Islamic nations.

The year-old nuclear deal between Iran and the world powers has done little to deter the Iranian regime’s menacing activities in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Lebanon, Bahrain, Kuwait, and other countries in the region. This has left no question why many regional governments have severed ties with Tehran.

Rajavi criticized the West for its failed attempts to curb Iran through appeasement, stressing that the results have so far been the reverse of expectations.

“In the year since the nuclear accord,” Rajavi said, “many of the sanctions were lifted and oil exports increased. But the generated revenues were poured into the Syria war inferno.”

Concerns among regional countries over ongoing crises in the Middle East preventing peace in the region is regarding Iran’s continuing expansionism and focusing efforts to shore up the Bashar Assad regime, meddling in Iraq and the continue the war in Yemen. The West’s silence in the face of Tehran’s meddling is enabling the mullahs commit further genocide throughout the region. This has rendered a similar modus operandi adopted by Iran and Daesh (ISIS) in reading from the same script and abusing the teachings of Islam to commit barbarity and savagery.  

In his speech, Prince Turki bin Faisal denounced the Iranian regime’s role in destabilizing the Middle East and called for strong international ties to be made with the Iranian Resistance.

“Your fight and struggle against the Iranian regime will triumph soon and this is a matter of when, not if,” he said. “I want regime change, too,” Prince Faisal responded to the crowd’s slogans for the overthrow of the Iranian regime. “We in the Islamic world will support you from the depth of our hearts,” he emphasized.

As the Middle East continues to burn in turmoil, the international community is learning more than ever before of Iran’s leading role in fueling this blaze. Iran is allocating billions to safeguard its own interests across the region, coming at the cost of innocent lives and vast destruction in Syria, Iraq, and beyond.

The innocent people of the region remain victims of the support provided by Tehran for the regime of Bashar Assad and financing its armed militia groups in Iraq. The Iranian opposition has become a leading voice loathing the mullahs’ campaign of dispatching tens of thousands of troops to various countries under the close watch of Quds Force commander Qassem Suleimani.

This regime represents a challenge that can only be properly addressed through firm action, such as the measures seen taken against its support for the Houthis in Yemen.

After a virtually endless string of failures in taming the Iranian regime through concessions and leniency, the world community now has before it the opportunity to adopt a firm policy of supporting the Iranian people and the organized NCRI opposition alternative to deliver a strong message to the mullahs in Tehran.

“We offer a solution that is the only effective option, and the most indispensable and attainable answer,” Mrs. Rajavi said in her speech, “the right of the Iranian people to overthrow the religious dictatorship and attain freedom and democracy