#IranianResistance: MEPs urge West to discontinue support for Iranian government

Many Western governments, including the EU and US, have been quick to applaud the recent Iranian elections and declare them a success. Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) vehemently disagrees, write Jane Booth and Judith Mischke.

On 26 February, Iran held elections for seats in the Iranian Parliament and the Assembly of Experts.

Maryam Rajavi, as well as several members of the European Parliament sat down for a meeting about the elections on Wednesday (2 March) in the European Parliament. Former US Congressman Patrick Kennedy was also in attendance.

According to Rajavi, who has been the President-elect since 1993, these elections in Iran were a sham. There was no opposition to the candidates running. It was a race between past and present officials in charge of torture and executions in Iran. All opposition was disqualified from the election, because all candidates had to prove their loyalty and servitude to the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei.

Khamenei was elected as supreme leader by the Assembly of Experts in 1989. Under his rule, the Rafsanjani-Rouhani faction has come to power as both members of the Parliament and the regime’s president.

Under the current president, Hassan Rouhani, the human rights standards have deteriorated, said Anthea McIntyre, a British MEP.

“You can see first-hand that 2,300 executions have taken place under Rouhani and the massacre of the people of Syria has been escalated,” said Rajavi.

Gérard Deprez, a Belgian MEP, said the attitude towards Iran within the EU and member states’ governments is concerning, and deepened relations with Iran need to speak to human rights.

McIntyre strongly emphasized that “the Iranian regime needs the West to survive” and therefore the West, especially the EU, should use this as Iran will be forced to adapt to Western demands.

"We cannot support the commercial relations or diplomatic relations until executions stop and prisoners are released," Kennedy declared.

Thus, McIntyre agreed on an urgent and strong need for actions, e.g. sanctions, and called on Europeans to “stand behind Maryam Rajavi and support her.”

Rajavi spoke about the Iranian government’s deception. “Despite being the main cause of instability in the region, the regime claims to be a proponent of diplomacy and talks to resolve the problems of the region.”

Kennedy illustrated this with an American phrase, “If it walks like a duck, and it quacks like a duck, then it’s a duck.” He claims that regardless of what the government may claim to be, “if it looks fascist, if it looks theocratic, if it looks like a brutal dictatorship, then it’s a brutal dictatorship.”

According to Rajavi, another reason apart from pure human social responsibility to put an end to Iran’s cruel actions is that this would lead to a better control of the current refugee crisis and would help to curb the flow of refugees.

She said: “All migrants coming to Europe are Assad’s fault. Ironically, the Iranian regime uses the money it gets from the West after the lifting of the sanctions, to buy weapons for Assad’s regime. The weapons are then used to murder the people of Syria and cause a wave of refugees to escape to the same Western countries.” Rajavi and NCRI despise the Syrian bloodbath.

Rajavi ended her impassioned speech by adding, “In the heart of the right policy on Iran lies respect for Iranian people’s desire to achieve democracy and freedom.”

Each MEP and Kennedy thanked Rajavi for her work and McIntyre added: “You are a very brave lady!”

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