Human rights in Iran, not just a domestic problem

More than 2500 execution since Rouhani took office in Iran

BRUSSELS, June 23 (UPI) -- Last week, together with 270 other colleagues in the European Parliament, I signed a statement condemning the ongoing, rampant human rights abuses in the Islamic Republic of Iran. We have called on EU and Western governments 'to condition any further relations with Iran to a clear progress on human rights and a halt to executions.'
Iran is today the world leader in number of executions per capita. It has also been declared by the U.S. State Department as the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism.
The rate of hangings has increased in recent years with the arrival to power of the so-called 'moderate' president, Hassan Rouhani . Nearly 1,000 people were put to death in 2015 alone, according to the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, Ahmad Shaheed, who declared it as the highest number of executions in Iran in 27 years.
In the streets of Tehran and other Iranian cities, morality police and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps have intensified their efforts to root out and punish various forms of deviance from the country's repressive religious laws, including the forced veiling of women and the criminalization of labor unions and other forms of peaceful gathering. Meanwhile, the Iranian regime's unwavering support for Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad has made Iran part of the problem rather than a solution to the Syrian war.
Iran's fingerprints are also deepening in Iraq, where Iranian-backed Shiite militias have recently been accused again by international rights organizations of systematic torturing and killing of the Sunni population in the battle to take over Fallujah. This will further alienate the Sunnis and drive them toward extremist groups such as the Islamic State.

Women situation has worsened since Rouhani took over

The National Council of Resistance of Iran Women Committee

They call Rouhani a moderate or a reformist. This is a total myth

Elham Zanjani from the Women’s Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran ( NCRI ) in an interview with Deutsche Welle radio talked about about the suppression of women in Iran.Officials in Iran have said this week they have a network of 7,000 undercover agents who inform police about ’moral transgressions’ - like women who don’t cover their hair properly, the report by DW said on Wednesday, adding that women in Iran are also increasingly blocked from education opportunities and employment.
'They call Rouhani a moderate or a reformist. This is a total myth,” Ms. Zanjani said.
She pointed out that the mullahs’ regime is “based on misogyny; there is no way that women will have progress and equal rights.”
“Definitely, the situation of women has worsened since Rouhani took over.”
“In the document that we published, there is a report from the Iranian state-run news agency IRNA where it states that from years before - for example from 2005 going on to 2010 and then until when Rouhani took over - the situation of women’s university admission and the situation of women’s rights in education has deteriorated.”
Rouhani has had very high responsibilities within the regime from its founding days, she said. He is a very strong believer in the principle of ‘Velayat-e Faqih,’ or absolute clerical rule, she argued.




 Over 60 percent of university students in Iran are women however they are forbidden from studying in at least 77 fields only on the basis of their gender, she pointed out.
Ms. Zanjani reiterated that when European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and other EU officials go to Iran and the “issue of human rights, particularly women’s rights, is not the first issue on the table, things will not improve for women in Iran.”

Iran: Chants of “student rather dies than be humiliated” and “political prisoner must be freed” during Rouhani’s speech

Students booed Rouhani and chanted- “student rather dies than be humiliated” and “death to dictator”.

 Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran reports:

Speech by Iranian regime’s President Rouhani at Tehran’s Sharif Industrial University was disrupted to such an extent that Rouhani was compelled to cut short his speech and make a quick exit.
This happened despite the fact that security elements and the branch of the intelligence ministry at the university, apprehensive of student protests, had barred entry of most students to the hall and had carefully selected people allowed to attend. As such, over 1500 seats were empty while students that had gathered outside the hall chanted, “political prisoner must be freed”.
Nevertheless, many students that found their way to the hall ridiculed Rouhani’s deceptive speech about the reduction in inflation rate and the achievements of his failed government. They booed Rouhani and chanted: “student rather dies than be humiliated” and “death to dictator”.

 

Mullahs’ regime’s in Iran attempt to exploit Paris terrorist catastrophe

Following catastrophic terrorist attacks in Paris on Friday, November 13, the antihuman mullahs’ regime, known as the Godfather of international terrorism, has not been able cloak its jubilance over this crime against humanity and is despicably attempting to exploit this tragedy to legitimize the massacre of the Syrian people and the Assad dictatorship remaining in power that are the very main elements behind the emergence and expansion of ISIS.
Abu Talebi, political advisor to the mullahs’ president Hassan Rouhani and the regime’s former ambassador to France, has described the terrorist crimes in Paris as “inevitable”, “the outcome of the West’s arbitrary measures in supporting terrorism … and neglecting Iran’s warnings during the past few years.”
“The French have paid the price of their government’s support for ISIS and terrorism,” said Brigadier General Massoud Jazayeri, deputy commander of the mullahs’ armed forces general staff. Describing the Syrian people’s resistance as terrorism he added, “From the first months of the terrorist measures in Syria and other neighboring countries, we gave numerous warnings to Europe that terrorism will engulf their lands.” This Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) general threatened Europe of more terrorist attacks and said, “If the West continues its support of terrorism… they will have to expect declaring emergency state in other parts of the European continent.” (IRGC-associated Fars news agency – November 14, 2015)
Tasnim, the news agency affiliated to the terrorist Quds Force, described the Paris tragedy as “homemade terrorism” in France and Europe and wrote, “Khamenei had during the past few years warned Western leaders that supporting terrorism in the region will eventually turn back on you… and in the not so distant future, these groups will cause turmoil in the same countries that supported them.” This news agency posted a despicable cartoon entitled “Homemade Terrorism”, depicting an image that the roots of ISIS are in the hands of France and its president.
In an interview with France’s Channel 2 TV, Mullah Hassan Rouhani, the regime’s president, had blatantly supported the brutal Syrian dictator Bashar Assad just two days before this terrorist attack. Rouhani also went on to emphasize the idea of actually strengthening Assad.
Quds Online, affiliated to the IRGC, described the Syrian opposition as terrorist and wrote, “The U.S. and European countries support terrorists under the pretext of confronting Syria’s legal president, and they have allowed them to carry out crimes against humanity. The byproduct of such an approach is seen in the Paris terrorist attacks, and currently ISIS is like a dog that has bitten its owner’s leg, and the countries of Italy, United Kingdom and United States are threatened with similar attacks. If Western countries are seeking to prevent being engulfed in such human catastrophes, they must uproot terrorists without meddling in the internal affairs of other countries such as Syria. For this objective it is necessary for the West to leave the fate of Bashar Assad up to the Syrian people and focus their efforts on uprooting terrorism [read resistance forces and the Free Syrian Army].”

Iranians demonstrate in Paris to condemn Rouhani’s trip to France

On November 16, the Iranian regime’s President Hassan Rouhani is scheduled to arrive in France for a two-day visit. A major rally and march has been organized coinciding his visit to Paris. Protestors will seek to draw attention to the dramatic increase in the number of executions since Rouhani took office, as well as the recent rocket attack on Camp Liberty, where thousands of Iranian dissidents reside in Iraq.
Demonstrators will also address the Iranian regime’s export of terrorism and its all-out support of Bashar al-Assad and massacre of the Syrian people.
The rally will be led by Iranian expatriates, who will be joined by French citizens and international supporters of the Iranian resistance. Several renowned human rights organizations have joined in sponsorship of the event.
Cross-party French lawmakers will be among the speakers at the event, as will political and social dignitaries from France and from across Europe.
Elaborate street performances and exhibitions have been planned for the event, to depict examples of Iranian human rights violations.
The human rights situation has been deteriorating rapidly in Iran. More than 2,000 individuals have been executed during Rouhani’s tenure. This is the highest rate of executions in the past 25 years, and it reflects an increase over figures that had already secured Iran’s place as the nation with the most executions per capita.
Camp Liberty, the place of residence in Iraq for more than 2,000 members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI or MEK), was targeted on October 29 by the Iranian regime. The barrage of 80 rockets killed 24 residents of the camp and wounded dozens of others.
Venue of the rally: Trocadéro, Paris
Date and time: Monday, November 16, 2015, 13:30

Int’l gathering in Paris marking World Day Against the Death Penalty

  Marking World Day Against the Death Penalty

Int’l gathering in Paris marking World Day Against the Death Penalty, Surge of executions in Iran during Rouhani’s presidency and need for urgent action

Marking World Day Against the Death Penalty on Saturday, a global gathering was held in Paris highlighting the surge of executions in Iran and need for urgent action.

 MARYAM RAJAVI: OUR PLAN IS AN IRAN WITHOUT THE DEATH PENALTY.

  The bloodletting mullahs have executed more people this year than they did last year.

While a single execution is enough to arouse everyone’s conscience, the shame of world powers is their silence over the situation in Iran especially as they are seeking nuclear talks and agreement, and trade deals.
 Such commercial calculations over human lives have never been a good investment for anyone.

If Western governments had stood up to the abuse of human rights in Iran, the mullahs could never expand their barbarity to Syria and Iraq. Mrs.Maryam Rajavi is cheered to the podium by supporters of democracy and human rights in Iran.

Iranian regime president unwittingly admitted the country have previously pursued nuclear weapons

A very interesting and eye opening revelation recently came over the transom from Tehran: In an interview to the state-run news agency IRNA, president Rouhani threatened that “if the other side breaches the deal, wewill go back to the old path, stronger than what they can imagine.”

We can set aside the belligerent tone here: Bluster and bullying have long been the Tehran regime’s stock-in-trade. But it’s worth spending a few minutes parsing Rouhani’s words. The “other side” is the collection of world powers, known as the P5+1, that are currently negotiating with Iran over its nuclear program. (They’ve just extended the deadline by a week, to July 7.) The “deal” is a long-sought bargain that would allow the regime in Tehran to pursue peaceful nuclear technology while the world lifts economic sanctions on Iran.

But what, pray, is “the old path” along which the cleric-president is threatening to take his country? Since its secret nuclear plant in Natanz was revealed in 2002 by the dissident group NCRI, the Iranian regime has sworn, over and over again, that it has never pursued nuclear weapons.

The first interpretation for those naïve minded people is to believe the regime’s claim of peaceful nuclear work, then Rouhani’s threat makes no sense. The “old path” would simply be more “peaceful” nuclear research, allowing the sanctions to continue devastating the Iranian economy. That’s not so much a threat as a flagellant’s cry for help: “If you go back on your word, I’ll hurt myself.”

The second interpretation would be that Rouhani is merely bluffing: There’s no “old path,” and Tehran is simply trying to frighten the P5+1 into relenting on the remaining sticking points at the negotiating table in Vienna. (To his critics, President Barack Obama’s claim that the US will walk away from negotiations if it doesn’t get a good deal smacks of bluff, too.)

But the logical and rational mindset is that Rouhani has unwittingly revealed that Iran was indeed pursuing nukes. That would be a real threat, especially if he is also sincere in pursuing this path “stronger than what they can imagine.” Revealingly, even as it has suspended uranium enrichment activities while negotiating with the P5+1, Iran has refused to let the IAEA, the international nuclear watchdog, to investigate whether it has been pursuing nuclear-weapons development.

So, what’s Rouhani’s game—bluff or blackmail? The P5+1 negotiators will call that one off with their eyes wide open, hopefully by July 7.