Senior former European officials call for holding Iranian regime accountable for genocide, terrorism, and nuclear defiance

In a conference, on January 17, entitled, “Holding the mullahs’ regime accountable for genocide, terrorism, and nuclear defiance,” and held this afternoon at the headquarters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), in Auvers- sur- Oise, north of Paris, NCRI’s President-elect Maryam Rajavi said that the clerical regime is in a state of being overthrown that can be best seen in successive uprisings by various sectors of Iranian society, adding that the Iranian people are determined to overthrow a regime that lacks any semblance of legitimacy.

Several prominent European politicians including Guy Verhofstadt former Prime Minister of Belgium; Fredrik Reinfeldt, former Prime Minister of Sweden; John Bercow, former Speaker of the UK House of Commons; and Franco Frattini, former Italian Foreign Minister and European Commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security, also addressed the conference.

Mrs. Rajavi underscored that the mullahs’ drive to obtain nuclear bomb is designed to blackmail Western governments because it is vital for the clerical regime to elicit more concessions from the West. That is why the mullahs have given priority to obtaining nuclear weapons as opposed to other options, she noted.

NCRI’s President-elect said that Western governments have long paid the price of appeasing the religious fascism from the pockets of the Iranian people, by remaining silent vis-à-vis human rights abuses in Iran, including the massacre of 30,000 political prisoners. But now, beyond the interests of the people of Iran and the Middle East, the security and vital interests of Western countries and societies are at stake.

Mrs. Rajavi added that the regime's nuclear projects are entirely against the national interests of the Iranian people. Negotiating with a regime that does not adhere to any rule or law only gives it time, she added.

According to Rajavi, the international community must reinstate the six UN Security Council resolutions on the Iranian regime’s nuclear projects. It should bring the regime’s uranium enrichment to complete halt and shut down the regime's nuclear sites. Unconditional inspections are indispensable to preventing the regime’s access to an atomic bomb.

She also stressed that the brutal and systematic violation of human rights in Iran must be placed on the agenda of the UN Security Council. The regime's leaders must be brought to justice for four decades of crimes against humanity and genocide, especially the massacre of 30,000 political prisoners in 1988, and the killing of at least 1,500 protesters in 2019.

She urged all governments and parliaments, especially in Europe, to recognize the 1988 massacre as a crime against humanity and genocide.

During the 1988 massacre, some 30,000 political prisoners, mostly from the main Iranian opposition movement, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), were massacred after kangaroo trials that last a few minutes.

Frattini, twice Italy’s top diplomat, recounted his experience in dealing with Tehran: “I was part of negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program in 2003, during the so-called reformist Khatami government. Those people were no different from those who are in office today. They wanted to get guarantees to have a free hand to commit abuses against their people. They are the same. They have one preoccupation: to follow the orders of the supreme leader. We have to dismiss the optimism of some who think there is a better leadership. There is no better leadership.”

Joining the conference online, Frattini stressed, “Another argument is that we must lift sanctions because the sanctions are affecting innocent people. This is absolutely not true. As a matter of fact, the more money they have the more money the regime will spend on its nuclear program and not on improving the quality of life in Iran. I support the idea of a stricter policy toward the regime regarding sanctions. No complacency. We have to know every dollar spent for improving and strengthening the nuclear and military apparatus against the people, increasing the nuclear capacity to intimidate and dominate not only the people of Iran but also the region against the countries of the Middle East and contributing greatly to destabilizing the Middle East.

“These massive violations correspond no doubt to crimes against humanity. These crimes have to be punished without time limits. This justifies our common action today. We are not talking about events of thirty years ago. We are talking about the duty of punishing crimes that cannot disappear. They must be punished regardless of the time.”

Verhofsdat, the Leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Group in the European Parliament for a decade, questioned the impunity enjoyed by the regime. “The impunity crisis in Iran reached a peak in June when Raisi was appointed as the regime’s president. He is one of the main perpetrators of the 1988 mass murder of more than 30,000 political prisoners. Instead of being tried for crimes against humanity, he is occupying the post of presidency. This shows that impunity is rampant in Iran. The architects and perpetrators of genocides must always be brought to justice,” he said, adding, “Instead of being silent we must put our concerns for human rights violations at the forefront. A firm policy should also concern the nuclear deal with Iran. Talks with Iran should not be a smokescreen to not tackle human rights conditions in Iran. Any agreement should include a chapter on human rights and the rule of law in Iran.”

John Bercow emphasized, “I back your call for a secular and democratic republic and support Mrs. Rajavi’s ten-point plan for a free Iran. The 1988 massacre must be investigated. Ebrahim Raisi must be prosecuted for crimes against humanity.” “He is a disgrace,” Mr. Bercow added, noting that “democracies must recognize that there is a key difference between dealing with other democracies and dealing with other countries whose regimes are non-democracies. The conciliatory approach has yielded no results. This is the point to send the regime a clear message that if they don’t suspend their nuclear program, the UN sanctions will be reapplied.” He ended his remarks by saying, “No to the Shah, no to religious dictatorship, no to theocracy, yes to democracy.”

In his remarks, Mr. Reinfeldt said, “Raisi is not in support of the Iranian people. He was chosen among a few men to keep control. The situation in Iran is especially worrying. There is a very dangerous combination. It brings together authoritarianism and religious dictatorship. In the name of Islam, they are saying it is right to hate each other and to kill people.” He added, “We need Europe to join together and stand up for values and push back against authoritarian rules, including the mullahs in Iran. They are a threat to the world by misusing Islam, by seeking nuclear weapons, and by destabilizing the region.

Share this article: