The international community must prosecute Iran's ruling mullahs

London, 24 Aug - The following is the text of the message of Mrs. Rajavi 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 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.

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

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.

Add caption

MEK’S LIST OF ALLIES IS GROWING - REPORT

Prince al-Faisal, the former head of Saudi intelligence, called for the overthrow of the Iranian regime in front of 100,000 people at the Free Iran rally in Paris last month.

He condemned Iranian meddling in the Middle East, which he cited as a major cause of trouble in the region. He also reminded the attendees that Iran was a major supporter of terrorist activity from religious extremists in the Sudan to the Japanese Red Army to Hamas in Palestine.

During the July 30 meeting between President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), Maryam Rajavi, and President of the Palestine Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, the pair condemned extremism and fundamentalism.

The meeting took place in Paris.

Hossein Sheikholeslam, an advisor to Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, said: “Mahmoud Abbas has had secret ties with terrorist groups and Israelis, and now these relations are being disclosed.”

This claim has been dismissed by Abbas’ people as nonsense.

Valiolla Nanvakenari, a member of the Iranian parliament’s foreign affairs committee, also criticised the meeting.

He said: “Backing the [MEK] terrorist group in any sort by any institution or country whatsoever runs counter to international norms and regulations and draws the Iranian people’s ire.”

Iran’s regime describes the MEK as a terrorist group, while the rest of the world does not. Iran is itself listed as the main state sponsor of terrorism by the United States and a number of its allies.

Is Saudi Arabia Pivoting Toward Iranian MEK?

Add caption

London, 14 Aug - Saudi Arabia is pivoting towards support for the main Iranian opposition group People's Mojahedin (PMOI or MEK), Joseph Hammond argues in a recent edition of The National Interest.

A 9 August article in The National Interest highlights the attendance of Saudi Arabia’s Prince Turki al-Faisal at the MEK's annual "Free Iran" rally in Paris.

Hammond writes:

Saudi Arabia’s Prince Turki al-Faisal is used to being the point man in a difficult situation. In 1979, a group of radical extremists occupied the holy mosque in Mecca, Islam’s holiest site. Turki al-Faisal, then Saudi Arabia’s chief spy, was one of the first to arrive in the city. He was nearly shot when a bullet slammed into a door he was opening. In the 1980s, Turki al-Faisal led Saudi efforts in support of the Afghan mujahedeen in their war against the Soviet occupiers. As ambassador to the United States from 2005–07, Turki al-Faisal was the Saudi point man in Washington during a difficult period in American-Saudi relations. During this tenure he visited thirty-seven states advocating for a robust Saudi-American relationship.

Turki al-Faisal appears to be Riyadh’s point man once again. Last month, the former head of Saudi intelligence called for the overthrow of the Islamic Republic at a meeting of the Iranian opposition in Paris. His remarks coupled with recent diplomatic moves signal a new tougher policy toward Iran from Saudi Arabia. Though officially retired from government, no member of the royal family had ever so publicly embraced the Iranian opposition or called for regime change in Tehran.

A Sunni Arab kingdom and a Shia Iranian national liberation organization make unusual alliance partners. Though Saudi Arabia has supported some Shia groups in the Iraq, the evolving MEK-Saudi alliance prove again that realpolitik and geopolitical concerns trump sectarian differences across the Middle East. An estimated audience of one hundred thousand made the trek to a massive hallway (often used for the Paris Air show) to hear him and other speakers at an event. The annual rally is organized by the Iranian opposition group known as the People’s Mujahedeen or more commonly by the English initials: MEK. Turki al-Faisal’s remarks on July 9 were followed on July 30 by a meeting between the head of the MEK and the President of the Palestine Authority Mahmoud Abbas in Paris.

The article pointed out that the 71-year-old native of Mecca used his remarks to condemn Iran’s meddling role in the Middle East. The Saudi royal blamed Iran for much of the region’s troubles. He noted Iran had supported terrorist groups around the globe from religious extremists in the Sudan to the Japanese Red Army, a defunct terrorist group. The large crowd interjected during his speech to chant “The people demand the removal of the regime” a slogan once used by protesters during the Arab Spring on Cairo’s Tahrir Square. In the most dramatic and unscripted moment of the speech, Faisal acknowledged the crowd and repeated their wish to have the Iranian regime removed from power. His comments about Iran’s illustrious history during his thirty-minute speech left open the possibility that under a new government Iranian-Saudi relations could resume the more amicable relations of the pre-1979 era.

Hammond adds:

The conference's organizers could not have been more pleased. The People’s Mujhadeen of Iran or Mujahideen-e-Khalq (MEK) was founded in 1965 to oppose the Shah with an ideology that freely mixed socialism, Shia Islam and violence against the Shah’s government and its allies. The group was brushed aside by forces loyal to Grand Ayatollah Khomeini following the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Following this setback the MEK spent the better part of two decades waging a low-level insurgency against the Iranian government from abroad. By 1988 many of the group’s members had been forced to leave France for Saddam Hussein's Iraq. That same year Saddam Hussein supported an abortive MEK invasion of Iran that proved to be the last battle of the Iran–Iraq War. In 1997, the Clinton Administration labelled the MEK a terrorist organization in what was seen as a sop to Iran. In response the MEK renounced violence in 2001. In 2003, the group gave up its remaining arms during the U.S-led invasion of Iraq. During which a few thousand MEK supporters were eventually relocated by the United States to the awkwardly named Camp Liberty where they remain, hoping to be granted asylum elsewhere. In 2012 the United States reversed MEK’s status as a terrorist organization.

Hammond pointed out that on 30 July 2016, long-time Saudi ally Mahmoud Abbas met the president of the MEK, Maryam Rajavi. Both Abbas and Rajavi used the event to condemn extremism and fundamentalism in the Middle East. The meeting offered the MEK did its part to make the meeting appear like a meeting of heads of state right down to an all-smiles photo-op.

Valiolla Nanvakenari, a member of the Iranian parliament’s foreign affairs committee, deplored the meeting “Backing the [MEK] terrorist group in any sort by any institution or country whatsoever runs counter to international norms and regulations and draws the Iranian people’s ire.” Hossein Sheikholeslam, an advisor to FM Mohammad Javad Zarif, went further calling Abbas a CIA agent and claiming, “Mahmoud Abbas has had secret ties with terrorist groups and Israelis, and now these relations are being disclosed” comments that resulted in an official rebuke from Fatah on their website.

The extent to which the MEK maintains intelligence operatives within Iran is unclear, the article noted. What is clear is a new Saudi willingness to confront what its perceived Iranian threat more directly. The two regional powers support opposing factions across the Middle East from Lebanon to Bahrain. Earlier this year Saudi Arabia floated the idea of sending ground troops to Syria and currently is conducting military operations against Iranian supported militants in Yemen.

It also marks a personal redirection for Turki Al-Faisal, the Saudi point man. As ambassador to the United States a decade ago, he publicly advocated for U.S.-Iranian rapprochement, telling one American reporter “We talk to Iran all the time, why can't you?” As the region’s politics continue to change, Saudi Arabia is now talking to new friends.

Immer noch hält sich das Gerücht, die Bundeskanzlerin werde im Herbst den iranischen Präsidenten empfangen. Das ist schon länger der Wunsch von Außenminister Steinmeier und Vizekanzler und Wirtschaftsminister Gabriel, aber bisher hatte die Kanzlerin diese Option abgelehnt.

Dafür gibt es gute Gründe. Der Iran wird von einem Regime regiert, das die Todesstrafe gerade in diesen Tagen exzessiv praktiziert und dessen Präsident Ruhani die Massenhinrichtungen verteidigt und religiös begründet. Allein deshalb sollte er nicht empfangen werden. Wirtschaftliche Beziehungen sollten überhaupt von einer Verbesserung der Menschenrechtslage im Iran abhängig gemacht werden. Von einer solchen kann im Iran nicht die Rede sein, die Menschenrechtslage ist vielmehr nach Einschätzung des Hohen Kommissars für Menschenrechte und vieler Menschenrechtsorganisationen katastrophal. Die Bundeskanzlerin sollte diesen Zustand nicht ignorieren.

Vermutlich wählt das iranische Regime Zeitpunkt und Intensität der Hinrichtungen danach aus, wie es in der westlichen Welt die größte Wirkung erzielt. Dazu dienen besondere Termine wie der islamische Tag der Menschenrechte oder der Christopher Street Day, der z. B. in Tel Aviv begangen wird. Die Gewaltsamkeit im Inneren kann auch die Antwort des Regimes auf anwachsende Kämpfe in kurdischen oder arabischen Gebieten sein. Möglich ist ferner, dass die Mullahs das Stagnieren ihres Engagements in Syrien, Irak oder Jemen dem eigenen Volk mit der Forcierung der Hinrichtungsmaschinerie "heimzahlen" – nicht ohne auf den Eindruck seiner perversen "Konsequenz" im Westen zu schielen.

Das qualvolle Erhängen wird als Strafe für sogenannte "Gotteslästerung" oder "Terrorismus" verhängt. Mit diesen Vorwänden sollen die ersichtlich politisch motivierten grauenvollen Verbrechen gerechtfertigt werden. Die beiden ersten Delikte dürfen nach dem Völkerrecht nicht mit der Todesstrafe bestraft werden. Gerade deshalb ist es dem Regime in Teheran wichtig, am islamischen Tag der Menschenrechte die Massenhinrichtungen zu vollstrecken. Dieses barbarische Vorgehen dient aber auch vorrangig der Abschreckung der demokratischen iranischen Opposition, die bisher den größten Blutzoll bezahlt hat.

Wer den IS bekämpft, kann nicht sein Gegenstück hofieren, den Gottesstaat Iran. Der Empfang des iranischen Präsidenten ist ersatzlos zu streichen, soll es auf glaubwürdige Politik ankommen. Die Kanzlerin hat die Verantwortung für die Sicherheit Israels als Teil der Staatsräson Deutschlands bezeichnet. Darum muss die permanente Drohung des iranischen Regimes, Israel zu vernichten, auf die deutsch-iranischen Beziehungen entscheidend einwirken. Die Werte der deutschen Demokratie basieren auf der Charta der Menschenrechte und dem internationalen Strafrecht; sie müssen Maßstab unserer Außenpolitik sein. Darum muss der Empfang von Präsident Ruhani ausgeschlossen werden, auch wenn wirtschaftliche Interessen einen solchen Kontakt nahelegen mögen. Aber auch das ist momentan nicht der Fall: Was an Abschlüssen zu erwarten wäre, wür-de sich nicht einmal auf 0,2 Prozent des deutschen Außenhandelsvolu-mens belaufen.

Der Autor, MdB/CDU, ist Mitgliedim Menschenrechtsausschuss des Bundestages. Er war Oberbürger-meister der Stadt Frankfurt (Oder).

30,000 political prisoners massacred in 1988

http://bit.ly/2bf2hSC

Iranian activist speaks out against regime’s mock courts, executions

Add caption

WednesdaSaleh Hamid, Al-Arabiyay, 10 August 2016

Text size A A A

Prominent Iranian activist, member of the teachers’ union and former political prisoner Hashem Khastar, said that executions in Iran are carried out in mock courts that resemble “dark rooms” amid the absence of minimum of legal standards.

Khastar, who resides in Mashhad in northwestern Iran, and who was imprisoned three times for his political and civil activities, said human rights’ conditions have deteriorated drastically and called on the civil society to work to stop executions, massacres and daily violations against activists and people from different social categories.

Khastar also condemned Tehran’s interference in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and the region’s other countries and said “Arabs and Muslims must know that the Iranian people want to live with them in peace.”

Following are the excerpts from the interview with Al-Arabiya:

Q: Mr. Khastar, as an activist and a member of the teachers’ union who has been arrested several times for your activities, how do you evaluate the human rights situation in Iran?

A: It’s deteriorating a lot. The government in our country does not care about human rights at all. For example, the regime does not allow free elections at the teachers’ union or at non-governmental organizations here in Khorasan and other provinces, although these organizations were established 13 years ago when president Mohammed Khatami was in power. There aren’t even the simplest forms of freedom in Iran and the government does not grant citizens any of their basic rights. You may get arrested and imprisoned for organizing a simple cultural activity.

If you see me free now, it’s because they don’t want to create an uproar like what happened previously when I was detained by the intelligence apparatus. They’ve reached the conclusion that they should release me because keeping me in prison would cause them trouble in the international arena and on the media front. But if they do decide to imprison me again, nothing can stop them from doing so.

Q: The recent mass executions of 25 imprisoned Sunni Kurdish activists coincided with the anniversary of the elimination of 30,000 political prisoners in 1988. In your opinion, why did the regime go back to the policy of mass executions?

A: All dictatorships across the world resort to murder and assassination as a means to spread terror and fear so that people do not take to the streets demanding their rights. These governments practice terrorism to silence their citizens and our country is not an exception. The elimination of political prisoners in 1988 was an unprecedented crime in the last 200 years of Iran’s history. It was a horrific massacre that made people wonder and ask what is this hardship that has plagued our country?

I condemn these mass executions which happened against our brothers from the Sunni sect and everyone condemns these executions that happened in mock courts that resemble dark rooms.

Q: Activists and human rights organizations say the intelligence fabricated accusations against these Sunni activists. What do you think of that?

A: I have said several times that the authorities in our country do not respect basic human rights and that Iranian ethnic groups, particularly Kurds, have been greatly persecuted. If certain activities happen in Shiite areas in the country, judicial rulings against the perpetrators are lenient while in Sunni areas, such as Kurdish ones, the rulings are strict and can range from many years in prison and can go as far as execution.

I was imprisoned with 12 Sunni preachers in Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad and I witnessed how they were tried and sentenced to between two years and 10 years in prison on flimsy charges. When I got to know them and learnt about their cases, I found out that they haven’t committed any crime to be punished.

Q: Why do authorities focus more on activists from religious minorities and ethnicities when carrying out executions?

A: There is a direct relation between the rise of awareness among ethnic groups in terms of their rights, and the increase in executions against them. Meaning, the more aware these Iranian ethnicities are, the more the regime restrains them because it wants to keep the situation under its control, through imprisonment and executions. This is the truth in Iran.

Q: How influential was your activity as well as other activists’ work in exposing violations against prisoners and others?

Primarily, I think we must work as per our moral duties. We are not asking our friends or the Iranian people to risk their lives but I have several times said that if it hadn’t been for these activities which exposed these violations, the regime would have skinned us and displayed our bodies in schools to set us as an example to others. The work done by human rights activists and political activists makes the government pay a high price for its suppression and so we are trying not to be an easy target for the government.

I have done everything I can to defend those who fight for the sake of freedom, democracy and promotion of human rights in Iran so that the government does not easily crush them. When an activist is detained, we spread this news in media outlets so that the government cannot do whatever it wants against them, like what happened with the Sunni preachers. Silence and not spreading the news about their cases allowed security forces to persecute them, away from the public eye.

Q: How do you see the future of popular protests against poverty, unemployment and corruption and what about the regime’s negligence of people’s problems while being preoccupied with its interference in the countries in the region?

A: Civil activity among Iranians has become very strong. They do not harbor ill will towards others and want to be friends with the people in the region. We condemn our rulers' interferences in Syria and their support of the Assad regime and we condemn their interferences in Yemen and Iraq.

The civil society in Iran has become strong and it will strengthen democracy. We want to build our country and also want to have ties of brotherhood and friendliness with neighboring countries.

Q: Are international condemnations enough to stop violations and executions in Iran? As a human rights’ activist, what’s your message to the international community?

A: There’s no doubt that condemning these executions is a very good thing but it’s not enough. The world must help the Iranian people. We don’t want to tell the outside world what to do but at the same time, we want the international community to choose the path which does not harm the people of Iran.

The Iranian people have reached a high degree of political awareness and they know the path they should take. They no longer buy the ruling regime’s tricks. They reject all these executions and detentions. For example, people held a massive reception for the families of the two teachers imprisoned on political charges but we did not spread any news about this out of fear the security forces will harass them. However, this courageous move by the people was greatly welcomed inside and outside Iran.

The Iranian people will choose paths that lead them to democracy and freedom at the lowest costs. We call on the world to support the demands of the people and to support them via the means they deem appropriate without any harm befalling the people. This will certainly be in the interest of stability in the region and the world.

The article first appeared in the Arabic-language Al Arabiya website on Aug. 9 

Turkey says to halt EU migrant deal if no date given for visa-free travel

Turkish EU Affairs Minister Omer Celik

Turkey will stop implementing an agreement with the European Union to stem the flow of migrants into the bloc if the EU does not provide a clear date to grant visa-free travel to Turks, EU Affairs Minister Omer Celik in an interview with Turkey's Haberturk television said on Tuesday.
EU's migrant deal with Turkey helped sharply cut the number of refugees and migrants reaching European shores, giving EU politicians breathing space after around 1.3 million people reached the continent last year.

Iran: “I was told I could see my father before he was hanged

Add caption

Asna Rahimi, Daughter of Bahman Rahimi who was executed last week

Following the mass execution in Iran last week of more than 30 Sunni prisoners in just couple of short days, Asna Rahimi, the 11-year old daughter of Bahman Rahimi, one of those executed at the hands of brutal mullahs' regime, talks about the heartbreaking experience of her last farewell with her beloved dad.

Bahman Rahimi, Sunni prisoner who was executed in Gohardasht Prison (Rajaie Shahr)

This is how she mourns the loss of her dad

Bahman Rahimi, Sunni prisoner who was executed in Gohardasht Prison (Rajaie Shahr)

This is how she mourns the loss of her dad

IRAN’S WESTERN CRACKDOWN: Morality police raid clothes shops in ban of un-Islamic clothing

SHOPS selling un-Islamic clothes have been raided and shut down as morality police step up brutal patrols in Iran.

Add caption

http://bit.ly/2b5h3gf

http://bit.ly/2b5h3gf

http://bit.ly/2b5h3gf

http://bit.ly/2b5h3gf

http://bit.ly/2b5h3gf

http://bit.ly/2b5h3gf

http://bit.ly/2b5h3gf

Iran: Execution of nuclear expert Shahram Amiri upon Khamenei’s order to intimidate others

Add caption

Upon the orders of the Iranian regime’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the regime’s executioners sent nuclear expert Shahram Amiri to the gallows after seven years of imprisonment. Shahram Amiri’s execution, whose news was published by his family, was carried out despite the fact that the mullahs’ judiciary had sentenced him to 10 years of imprisonment and five years of exile on the charge of “relationships with hostile governments”.

The 38-year-old Shahram Amiri was a nuclear expert at the Malek-Ashtar University affiliated with the Ministry of Defense. He left Iran in 2009 and apparently sought refuge in the United States. By taking his family hostage, exerting pressure on his family and making bogus promises, the regime compelled Amiri to return to Iran in 2010, but imprisoned him despite promises to the contrary.

Amiri's execution is a desperate attempt by the regime's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to intimidate and terrorize the regime’s nuclear experts and scientists and to prevent them from leaving the country after the JCPOA.

Engulfed in serious domestic and external crises and facing growing popular discontent and opposition at home, the regime has had to deal with unprecedented defections within its own ranks.

Ironically, the hanging of Amiri, who was among the regime’s top nuclear experts, comes at the time when previously, the mullahs had falsely accused the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI, or Mujahedin-e Khalq, MEK) and the Iranian Resistance of assassinating its nuclear scientists.

Reiterating that the religious fascism ruling Iran, in order to maintain its infamous rule, spares no crime and shows no mercy to anybody, the Iranian Resistance emphasizes again the necessity of referring this regime’s criminal dossier to the UN Security Council and to predicate all relations with that regime to a halt to executions.

Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran