۲۴ مرداد، ۱۳۹۶

Bring to justice the masterminds and perpetrators of the 1988 massacre of 30,000 political prisoners in Iran

Bring to justice the masterminds and perpetrators of the 1988 massacre of 30,000 political prisoners in #Iran http://justice.iran-hrm.com/

The 1988 massacre of 30,000 political prisoners in Iran is considered the worst massacre of political prisoners since the end of World War II.
Prisoners were hanged in large groups and subsequently buried in mass graves. Death commissions sent prisoners to the gallows after a brief question and answer.
The masterminds and perpetrators of this massacre have held the highest judicial, political, and intelligence government posts since the beginning of the mullahs’ rule. Not only they defend their crimes against humanity, but they continue such executions and massacres.
We, the undersigned, urge you to act through the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, the Human Rights Council and the UN General Assembly and launch an independent committee to completely investigate this massacre and compile the necessary documents about it, as well as the names of the perpetrators and their roles in order to uphold justice.

Iran: Concerns rising over the lives of hunger striking political prisoners

#Iran: Concerns rising over the lives of hunger striking political #prisoners

http://iran-hrm.com/index.php/2017/08/14/iran-concerns-rising-lives-hunger-striking-political-prisoners/

The authorities in Rajaie Shahr Prison declared that they had identified 14 people who allegedly inciting riots in prison.
The 14 prisoners were beaten up and threatened to exile to remote locations. Loghman and Zanyar Moradi, Hushang Rezayi and Saeid Shirzad are amongst the 14.
On Sunday, July 30, 53 political prisoners were attacked in ward 4 in hall 1 and transferred to hall 10 where equipped with 40 closed-circuit cameras and 64 listening devices to prevent any reports of this development leaking outside of the prison.
The transferred prisoners have launched a hunger strike protesting the authorities’ pressures and conspiracies threatening their lives, health and security.
Six political prisoners identified as Reza Akbari Monfared, Saeid Masuri, Abolghasem Fuladvand, Hassan Sadeghi, Jafar Eghdami and Shahin Zoghi have been currently held in solitary confinement.
The National Council of Resistance of Iran issued a warning regarding the lives of 53 political prisoners in this Prison expressing grave concern over the health and security of political prisoners on hunger strike.
The NCRI also called on the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Iran to establish a fact-finding mission to see into this situation.

SENIOR US SENATORS MEET IRAN OPPOSITION LEADER IN ALBANIA

SENIOR #US SENATORS MEET #IRAN OPPOSITION LEADER IN #ALBANIA

http://www.iranfreedom.org/en/opinion/2062-senior-us-senators-meet-iran-opposition-leader-in-albania

While August seems usually a passive time of the year in politics, it has been quite the opposite for Iran and the wide variety of developments around this controversial international dossier.A senior delegation of United States Senators travelled to Tirana, the capital of Albania, today, August 12, 2017, to meet the Iranian opposition leader Maryam Rajavi, who heads the National Council of Resistance of Iran.

The delegation, Senators Roy Blunt, Vice President of the Republican Conference, and member of the Appropriation, Select Intelligence, Rules and Administration, and Commerce, Science, and Transportation committees; John Cornyn, the Majority Whip, and a member of the Judiciary, Select Intelligence, and Finance committees; and Thom Tillis, a member of the Armed Services, Judiciary, Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs and Veterans’ Affairs committees, also visited members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) in the Albanian capital.

Tirana, Albania, August 12, 2017 - Mrs. Maryam Rajavi (center), the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran meeting a senior delegation from the United States Senate. From right: Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC), Roy Blunt (R-MO), and John Cornyn (R-TX).

The NCRI is a political coalition calling for regime change in Iran and considered the main threat to Tehran’s mullahs. The MEK is the main member of this coalition of a variety of Iranian dissident groups and individuals.

“Led by Senator Blunt, the delegation congratulated the safe and secure relocation of all Camp Liberty residents outside of Iraq and wished them success in their struggle for democracy and human rights in Iran,” according to an NCRI statement.

Rajavi expressed her gratitude for the tireless efforts of the U.S. Senate, particularly Senator Blunt, regarding the protection of thousands of MEK members in Iraq, and their safe relocation to Albania.

Senator Blunt was among several American dignitaries, including senior former officials, who at a July 2014 Senate briefing strongly condemned Iran’s highly destructive role in Iraq. While describing Tehran as part of the problem plaguing Baghdad and the entire country, Senator Blunt joined the initiative in demanding the urgent transfer of PMOI/MEK members stationed in a former US military base known as Camp Liberty near the Iraqi capital.

Senator Blunt and his colleagues John McCain (R-AZ) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and former Senator Carl Levin had urged former Secretary of State John Kerry to “press for the protection of Camp Liberty and to expedite the resettlement of the Camp Residents to countries outside Iraq, including the United States.”

Tirana, Albania, August 12, 2017 - Mrs.Maryam Rajavi (center), the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran meeting a senior delegation from the United States Senate. From right: Senators Roy Blunt (R-MO), John Cornyn (R-TX), and Thom Tillis (R-NC). up to the day's most important news.Top of Form

Earlier in April, Senator McCain, a long supporter of the Iranian opposition and a staunch critic of Tehran’s policies, also visited the MEK in Albania and met with Rajavi. MEK members were able to depart Iraq after a long 4½ year ordeal in Camp Liberty following a forced transfer from their 26-year home in Camp Ashraf, northeast of Baghdad. From 2009 following the transfer of their security from the US military to the Iraqi government, the MEK came under eight major ground and missile/rocket attacks staged by Iran-backed proxies against Ashraf and Liberty. This was parallel to a seven-year logistical and medical siege closing them off from the outside world. After losing over 160 of their colleagues to the attacks and blockade, MEK members were finally able to transfer out of Iraq to a variety of European countries, mainly Albania.

Saturday’s high-profile visit by the senior U.S. Senators comes at a time when Washington has slapped major new sanctions against Iran for its ballistic missile drive, support for terrorism and human rights violations. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards is now subject to sanctions under Executive Order 13224, and Specially Designated Global Terrorists. Considering the Guards control over 40% of Iran’s economy, these new sanctions come as a heavy blow to Tehran’s future ambitions. Analysts believe this visit sends a strong signal to Tehran over how the NCRI is gaining momentum through a growing consensus in Congress over the necessity of adopting a policy of regime change vis-à-vis Iran. This time last year Iran’s ruling clerics appeared determined on weakening or dismantling the PMOI/MEK. Only a year later, the tides have turned and it is the Iranian opposition that is now on the offensive. More such developments threatening the very pillars of Iran’s rule are most likely set to come in the near future.

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originally published in the huffingtonpost

SENIOR U.S. SENATE DELEGATION, MARYAM RAJAVI MEET IN TIRANA, THE ALBANIAN CAPITAL

SENIOR #U.S. SENATE DELEGATION, #MARYAM RAJAVI MEET IN #TIRANA, THE #ALBANIAN CAPITAL

http://diplomaticobserver.com/_haber/senior-u-s-senate-delegation-maryam-rajavi-meet-in-tirana-the-albanian-capital

delegation from the United States Senate meet with Maryam Rajavi, in the Albanian capital, Tirana, and discussed the situation of the members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) in Albania, the latest developments in Iran and the Middle East as well as solutions to end the current crisis in that region.

The Senate delegation was comprised of Senators Roy Blunt, Vice President of the Republican Conference, and member of the Appropriation, Select Intelligence, Rules and Administration, and Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committees; John Cornyn, the Majority Whip, and a member of the Judiciary, Select Intelligence, and Finance committees; and Thom Tillis, a member of the Armed Services, Judiciary, Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs and Veterans’ Affairs committees.

The meeting, at one of the centers of the MEK in Albania, was initiated by Senator Roy Blunt, as the delegation was on a visit to Albania.

Led by Senator Blunt, the delegation congratulated the safe and secure relocation of all Camp Liberty residents outside of Iraq and wished them success in their struggle for democracy and human rights in Iran. Having undertaken extensive efforts to ensure the security of MEK members in Camp Liberty, Iraq, and their transfer outside that country in previous years, Senator Blunt described the relocation as a major victory for the Iranian people and Resistance and lauded the efforts of Maryam Rajavi and the Iranian Resistance for the success of this major mission.

Maryam Rajavi thanked the Senators for their decisive position vis-à-vis the Iranian regime, especially the adoption of a new resolution which imposed sanctions on the clerical regime and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) for human rights abuses, the ballistic missile program, and the export of terrorism. She expressed gratitude for the efforts of the U.S. Senate, particularly Senator Blunt, regarding the protection of thousands of MEK members in Camp Liberty, Iraq, and their safe relocation to Albania.

Maryam Rajavi emphasized that contrary to the propaganda by the Iranian regime’s apologists, the ruling theocracy was rotten to the core and very fragile. Without foreign support, especially the policy of appeasement pursued in the U.S. and Europe, it would not have survived so long. She added that regime change in Iran is necessary and within reach because a viable and democratic alternative exists. Maryam Rajavi said equating regime change by the Iranian people for democracy with war and instability in the region is a sheer lie, the source of which is the Iranian regime’s lobby in western capitals. They demagogically turn the truth on its head, she noted, adding that the overthrow of the Tehran regime was a prerequisite to ending crisis and war in the Middle East.

Maryam Rajavi underscored the need for imposing comprehensive sanctions on the Iranian regime’s banking and oil sector, expelling the IRGC and its affiliated militias from Syria, Iraq, and other regional countries, taking urgent steps to punish the regime for widespread political executions, especially the 1988 massacre of 30,000 political prisoners, setting up a commission of inquiry to investigate this major crime against humanity with the aim of bringing to justice the perpetrators, and recognizing the aspirations of the Iranian people and Resistance to overthrow the ruling religious tyranny and to establish freedom and democracy, and a republic based on the separation of religion and state, gender equality, and a non-nuclear Iran.

The Senate delegation also met with a number of MEK members as well as witnesses to, and victims of, the Iranian regime’s atrocities in Iran and camps Ashraf and Liberty.

Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of #Iran
August 12, 2017

FORGET NEW IRAN NUKE DEAL, REFORM INTEL COMMUNITY

FORGET NEW #IRAN NUKE DEAL, REFORM INTEL COMMUNITY

http://www.iranfreedom.org/en/nuclear/2067-forget-new-iran-nuke-deal-reform-intel-community

of the Iran nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), argue for withdrawal based mostly on issues peripheral to JCPOA.
For example, critics argue Iran has disappointed U.S. expectations that Iran would no longer support international terrorism or work to destabilize neighboring countries or threaten the United States.

While these were U.S. expectations, there is no legally binding language in the JCPOA requiring Iran to change its international behavior.
Critics of the JCPOA also argue for U.S. withdrawal because Iran continues to develop long-range ballistic missiles — which are militarily practicable only with nuclear warheads. Critics note such missile development violates the 'spirit' of the JCPOA.
Yet again, the JCPOA does not ban missile testing by Iran in any legally binding language.
Indeed, a better legal reason for withdrawing from the JCPOA than the arguments above is that the Iran nuclear deal is not legally binding at all. The JCPOA is not a treaty, but an executive agreement, never submitted to the U.S. Senate for advice and consent, and ratification, as constitutionally required.
Preventing Iran, the world’s leading sponsor of international terrorism, from developing nuclear weapons is vital to U.S. and global security. Yet the JCPOA is not legally or instrumentally capable of stopping an Iranian atomic bomb.
Therefore, President Trump is obligated to terminate the fiction that is the Iran nuclear deal.
But the best argument for abandoning JCPOA is rarely made, that Iran is probably in material breach of the letter and main purpose of JCPOA because, like its ally North Korea, Iran has almost certainly developed nuclear weapons clandestinely.
The U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reports inspecting Iran’s nuclear program produced compelling evidence Iran probably developed nuclear weapons over a decade ago.
For example, IAEA’s 2011 report 'Implementation of the NPT Safeguards Agreement and Relevant Provisions of Security Council Resolutions in the Islamic Republic of Iran' is too timorous to say so explicitly, but not only proved Iran has a nuclear weapons program — it is a 'smoking gun' that Iran already has the bomb.
A cautious analyst can reasonably infer from IAEA reporting that — prior to 2003 — Iran already had all the knowledge and components needed to build atomic bombs. For example, more than 14 years ago:
• Iran procured equipment necessary for nuclear weapon development.
• Iran conducted hydrodynamic experiments that, according to the IAEA report 'are strong indicators of possible weapon development.'
• Iran cast and shaped uranium metal into hemispheres for a nuclear implosion device; a sophisticated nuclear weapon design.
• Iran verified the design of a nuclear weapon with non-fissile explosive testing in a containment chamber. During the Manhattan Project of World War II, at this stage the U.S. was 16 months from an atomic bomb.
• Iran developed and tested exploding bridge wire detonators, necessary to an implosion nuclear weapon. During the WWII Manhattan Project, at this stage the U.S. was 6 months from an atomic bomb.
• Iran manufactured neutron initiators which are used to start a fission chain-reaction in a nuclear weapon.
• Iran drafted 14 different workable designs for a nuclear weapon to fit inside the re-entry vehicle for the high-explosive (HE) warhead of Iran's Shahab-3 medium-range missile. Since designing a nuclear weapon is a lot harder than changing the shape of a re-entry vehicle — obviously Iran was trying to hide a nuclear warhead by disguising it as the HE warhead of the Shahab-3.
• Iran developed fusing systems for a nuclear missile warhead to perform a ground-burst or high-altitude burst above 3,000 meters.
The Congressional EMP Commission found in 2002 Iran apparently performed at least 5 fusing tests of the Shahab-3 at high-altitudes — explicable only as practicing nuclear electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attacks. For more evidence Iran already has nuclear weapons see my article 'Iran: The Worst Deal' in Family Security Matters, Oct. 3, 2015.
Former senior intelligence and national security officials of the Reagan and Clinton administrations warn Iran probably already has nuclear weapons, including: Ambassador R. James Woolsey, former director of the CIA; Fritz Ermarth, former chairman of the National Intelligence Council (NIC); Ambassador Henry Cooper, former director of the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI); and Dr. William Graham, former President Ronald Reagan’s science adviser and chairman of the EMP Commission.
Israeli intelligence officers warned that Iran probably already has atomic bombs, according to Joshua Davidovich, in The Times of Israel, Sept. 27, 2013.
In June of 2002, when the West first learned about Iran's clandestine nuclear weapons program from Iranian dissidents (not from the U.S. intelligence community), Russian General Yuri Baluyevski, deputy chief of the General Staff, declared, 'Iran does have nuclear weapons. These are non-strategic nuclear weapons.'
Like President Clinton's nuclear deal with North Korea, that pretended Pyongyang's clandestine nuclear weapons program was frozen, President Obama's JCPOA will enable Iran to clandestinely build and improve nuclear weapons and missiles so the fact of a nuclear-armed terror-state will become irreversible.
So why is the best argument against JCPOA rarely used? Because what is still President Obama’s highly politicized and error-prone intelligence community insists Iran does not have nuclear weapons and JCPOA will delay an Iranian atom bomb.
We don’t need JCPOA. We do need a reformed intelligence community.
Peter Vincent Pry is executive director of the Task Force on National and Homeland Security. He served in the Congressional EMP Commission, the Congressional Strategic Posture Commission, the House Armed Services Committee, and the CIA. He is author of 'Blackout Wars.'

Senior US Senators meet Iran opposition leader in Albania

Senior US Senators meet #Iran opposition leader in #Albania

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/598f68fae4b063e2ae058020

While August seems usually a passive time of the year in politics, it has been quite the opposite for Iran and the wide variety of developments around this controversial international dossier.

A senior delegation of United States Senators travelled to Tirana, the capital of Albania, today, August 12, 2017, to meet the Iranian opposition leader Maryam Rajavi, who heads the National Council of Resistance of Iran.

Tirana, Albania, August 12, 2017 - Mrs. Maryam Rajavi (center), the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran meeting a senior delegation from the United States Senate. From right: Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC), Roy Blunt (R-MO), and John Cornyn (R-TX).

Iran: A woman set herself ablaze in front of a bakery

At noon on Friday, August 11, 2017, a young woman set herself on fire and died in front of a bakery in Jiroft, southern Iran.

According to one of the locals, “Poverty is the primary problem people face. There are people who cannot even buy bread for their starving families.”

ANALYSIS: Congress is taking the lead on Iran policy

ANALYSIS: #Congress is taking the lead on #Iran policyhttps://english.alarabiya.net/en/perspective/features/2017/08/14/Congress-is-taking-the-lead-on-Iran-policy.html

A visit by a high-profile delegation of American Senators to Albania, home to members of the Iranian opposition, is sending major signals and messages to Tehran about growing consensus in Washington over the necessity to adopt regime change policy in the face of the mullahs’ belligerence.

The Senate delegation consisted of Senators Roy Blunt, Vice President of the Republican Conference, and member of the Appropriation, Select Intelligence, Rules and Administration, and Commerce, Science, and Transportation committees; John Cornyn, the Majority Whip, and a member of the Judiciary, Select Intelligence, and Finance committees; and Thom Tillis, a member of the Armed Services, Judiciary, Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs and Veterans’ Affairs committees.

The delegation met with Iranian opposition Maryam Rajavi, President of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) in Tirana, discussing recent developments in the Middle East and Iran’s menacing role.

“Maryam Rajavi thanked the Senators for their decisive position vis-à-vis the Iranian regime, especially the adoption of a new resolution which imposed sanctions on the clerical regime and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) for human rights abuses, the ballistic missile program, and the export of terrorism. She expressed gratitude for the efforts of the U.S. Senate, particularly Senator Blunt, regarding the protection of thousands of MEK members in Camp Liberty, Iraq, and their safe relocation to Albania,” according to a NCRI statement.

US Senators with Maryam Rajavi in Tirana, Albania. (Supplied)

Destructive meddling

Back in July 2014 several senior American figures, including Senator Blunt, staged a Senate briefing strongly condemning Iran’s destructive meddling in its western neighbor, Iraq. Characterizing the Iranian regime as part of the problem and not the solution, Senator Blunt emphasized on his demand for the PMOI/MEK members’ urgent and speedy transfer from Camp Liberty – a ransacked and deserted former US base near Baghdad International Airport west of the capital – to countries abroad in an effort to save their lives.

Senators John McCain and Jeanne Shaheen, joined by then Senator Carl Levin, former chairman of the Armed Forces Committee, issued a strong letter to former Secretary of State John Kerry seeking “protection of Camp Liberty and to expedite the resettlement of the Camp Residents to countries outside Iraq, including the United States.”

Senator McCain himself had back in April became the most senior US official to visit the PMOI/MEK in Albania. McCain is known to be a very vocal critic of the Iranian regime’s policies and actions, and a staunch supporter of the Iranian opposition in their struggle for regime change to establish freedom and democracy.

During his visit to Tirana McCain met with Iranian opposition leader NCRI President Maryam Rajavi, evaluating issues in relations to Iran’s belligerence across the Middle East and the struggle of the PMOI/MEK’s residency in Albania. His participation in a PMOI/MEK event sent alarm bells across Tehran, terrifying of the mullahs Washington coming in line with the Iranian opposition was receiving after their departure from Iraq.

Comprehending fully the potential threats posed by their opposition, the Iranian regime had long sought to annihilate the PMOI/MEK during their stay in Iraq. These Iranian opposition members were stationed in Ashraf, a city north of Baghdad, which they had built from scratch from 1986 onward. Ashraf residents were, however, forced to transfer to Camp Liberty following three ground attacks by Iraqi government forces and a logistical/medical siege from 2009 onward, all at the best of Tehran.

The delegation consisted of Senators Roy Blunt, John Cornyn, and Thom Tillis. (Supplied)

Tehran’s proxies

Tehran’s proxies continued their onslaught by launching five rocket and missile attacks targeting Camp Liberty, parallel to the Iraqi government continuing its blockade. More than 160 Ashraf and Liberty residents lost their lives and over 1,000 others injured. These attacks prompted the international community to support the PMOI/MEK in their transfer from Iraq to safe havens in numerous European countries. Most have currently settled in Albania.

Saturday’s significant meeting comes at a major turning point in US-Iran relations. Congress recently adopted new and comprehensive sanctions and President Donald Trump immediately signed the measures into law.

Tehran is extremely concerned over the NCRI and PMOI/MEK gaining growing recognition, especially considering the fact that the Trump administration is in the midst of weighing its comprehensive Iran policy. More than ever before regime change is becoming the most likely option for Washington’s Iran dogma.

Only a year ago the Iranian regime was placing its entire weight behind measures aimed at having its opposition – then seeking to pull out its last remaining members from Iraq – completely annihilated.

Many consider the progress made by the NCRI and PMOI/MEK as unprecedented and the necessary campaign to turn the tide against Tehran’s regime. After nearly 40 years of rendering havoc and destruction, it is high time the international community acknowledge the Iranian people and their organized opposition in their endeavor to bring about change in Iran with the objective of establishing freedom and democracy in Tehran.

صلح، آزادی با مقاومت ایران با مریم رجوی