In a joint statement, 20 former Ministers from Europe and Canada expressed their utter support of the nationwide Iran protests and the leading role the Resistance Units of the People’s Mujahedin Organisation of Iran (MEK/PMOI).
“The prospect of change in Iran has never been this accessible. It is time to recognize the right of the Iranian people to defend themselves by any means necessary and to overthrow this regime,” the statement reads in part.
The full text of this statement
Supporting the Uprising of the Iranian People and Condemning the Brutal Suppression of Young People Involved in the Uprising
Since mid-September, protests and anti-regime uprisings have spread all over Iran. The protests by women and youth have so far expanded to more than 140 cities in all 31 provinces. Demonstrations are taking place in 16 major universities. The protesters, chanting the rallying cry of “Death to Khamenei,” seek to overthrow the unelected religious dictatorship. The repressive forces fire tear gas and live ammunition at the protesters.
The new round of uprisings was sparked when Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman from Iran’s Kurdistan province, was arrested in Tehran under the pretext of mal-veiling and was murdered as a result of police beatings. As of September 25, at least 180 demonstrators have been killed and countless others have been injured, and over 8,000 arrested. By disrupting and disconnecting the Internet in large parts of Iran, the regime is trying to prevent the transmission and dissemination of news and images of protests, the true dimensions of the uprising, and finally revelations regarding the scope of its massacre and suppression. The international community must guarantee free access to the Internet for the people of Iran.
Resistance Units and the organized opposition are taking serious risks to play a vital role in organizing and sustaining these protests while putting up a resistance front against repression.
Over the last 40 years, executions and repression have been carried out by Iran’s current leaders, such as Ali Khamenei and the regime’s current President, Ebrahim Raisi. Amnesty International has repeatedly called for the prosecution of Raisi for his role in the massacre of political prisoners in 1988. In that year, 30,000 political prisoners, 90% of whom were from the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK/PMOI), were executed in accordance with Khomeini’s fatwa. During the uprising of the Iranian people in November 2019, more than 1500 demonstrators were killed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
In view of the above facts, we, the undersigned, issue the following call to the United Nations, its member states, and other international organizations:
- The prospect of change in Iran has never been this accessible. It is time to recognize the right of the Iranian people to defend themselves by any means necessary and to overthrow this regime.
- Strongly condemn the killing of demonstrators in Iran and take urgent measures to stop this repression. The dossier of this regime’s crimes must be referred to the United Nations Security Council and those responsible for committing such crimes must be brought to justice.
- The people of Iran have a democratic alternative whose goals are enshrined in the Ten-point Plan articulated by Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI). This alternative deserves all-embracing support.
- Any dialogue or dealings with the Iranian regime or the continuation of relationships with it must be predicated on the release of all those arrested during the recent uprising.
Signatories:
- Janez Jansa, Former Prime Minister – Slovenia
- Geir H. Haarde, former Prime Minister – Iceland
- Petre Roman, former Prime Minister – Romania
- Tony Clement, former minister of Industry, former minister of Health, former President of the treasury Board – Canada
- Tonio Borg, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy – Malta
- Wayne Easter, 40th Solicitor General of Canada, former Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture – Canada
- Åse Maria Kleveland, former Minister of Culture and renowned singer of Norway
- Corinne Lepage, former Minister of Environment – France
- Kimmo Sasi, former Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, and Minister of Transport and Communications – Finland
- Jan-Erik Enestam, former Minister of Defense, Minister of Environment – Finland
- Audronius Ažubalis, former Minister of Foreign Affairs – Lithuania
- Ryszard Kalisz, former Minister of Interior Affairs – Poland
- John Perry, former Minister of State for small business – Ireland
- Francis Zammit Dimech, former Minister of foreign affairs – Malta
- Anatol Șalaru, Former Minister of Defence – Moldova
- Marcin Święcicki, former Minister of Foreign Economic Relations, former Mayor of Warsaw – Poland
- Edvard Julius Solnes, former Minister of Environment – Iceland
- Mario Galea, MP, former Minister of Health, and former Chief Government Whip – Malta
- Stanislasv Pavlovschi, Judge, former Justice Minister – Moldova
- Nicola Renzi, Former Captain Regent and foreign minister – San Marino
