Rep. Kennedy noted the setting of the rally at the historic Brandenburg Gate and its parallels to the Iranian people’s current struggle for freedom. “We are at a historic point in history when it comes to the freedom of the people of Iran,” he said. “This is not just a problem for Iranians to solve, it’s a problem for anyone in the world who cherishes freedom and democracy and who hates the tyrannical regime of the mullahs in Iran.”

.@PJK4brainhealth:“Crimes against humanity are happening today, and it’s the mullahs in Tehran who are the fascist dictators today. Iran is the single leading nation in the world for executing their own people.
#IstandWithMaryamRajavi #FreeIran #BlackListRouhani pic.twitter.com/azISmJlUsI

— Iran Freedom (@4FreedominIran) July 6, 2019

“Crimes against humanity are happening today, and it’s the mullahs in Tehran who are the fascist dictators,” Kennedy said.

“Iran is the single leading nation in the world for executing their own people. Not only are they sowing terrorism amongst their own people in Iran, but they are also sowing terrorism across the world,” Representative Kennedy added.

Kennedy expressed his support for the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran(MEK / PMOI) and spoke about what his experience in politics taught him about the mullahs’ attacks on the MEK: “When the MEK continues to get attacked every day, it reminds me that the mullahs cannot attack the MEK on the 10-point plan offered by Madam Rajavi, or on the assertion that Iran is the leading sponsor of state terrorism, or that the mullahs support Hezbollah and Hamas in Syria. It can’t attack the MEK because the MEK is right and the mullahs are wrong,” he said.

When the MEK continues 2 get attacked on all sides,it means that the mullahs cannot attack the MEK on the 10-point plan by @Mada_Rajavi, or on the assertion that Iran is the leading state-sponsor of terrorism,or that the regime or Iran support Hamas & Hezbollah.#BlackListRouhani pic.twitter.com/7lngVESA48

— Iran Freedom (@4FreedominIran) July 6, 2019

Representative Kennedy also addressed the partisan nature of support for U.S. sanctions and encouraged his fellow Democrats to look past their dislike of Trump in their consideration of sanction: “There are many on the Democratic left who believe that because they do not like Trump they have to be against sanctions on Iran…I do not believe that this is the time for us to let up on the financial stranglehold on the mullahs,” he said. “The economy is crashing, inflation is spiking. The mullahs can’t support their regime when we cut off the supply of money they use to continue to control their people. We need to keep sanctions going strong until we bring down this horrible dictatorship.”

Staff writer

On December 12th, 2018, Patrick Kennedy, a former Democratic Member of the House of Representatives wrote a piece for the National Interest calling for sustained sanctions against the Iranian regime. Kennedy addressed critics arguments that sanctions hurt the Iranian people and masterfully illustrated how this is not the case.

'Sanctions Will Harm Only the Iranian Regime, Not the Iranian People' by Patrick Kennedy ((@PJK4brainhealth), member (D-RI) of the House of Representatives from 1995 to 2011. #FreeIran #IranProtestshttps://t.co/XIHw6RFY9W

— NCRI-U.S. Rep Office (@NCRIUS) December 13, 2018

His piece, entitled “Sanctions Will Harm Only the Iranian Regime, Not the Iranian People”, begins with an assessment of the former Iran nuclear deal which, he argues, failed “to generate moderation in the behavior of the Iranian regime”.

Under the deal, Tehran was able to continue stockpiling and testing ballistic missiles and expand its nuclear program unhindered. The financial windfall that the deal brought to the Iranian leadership was spent on oppressive mechanisms within Iran, and expanding the regime’s violent intentions abroad.

“The cash windfall from the JCPOA [Iran deal] has been channeled solely into the pockets of the mullahs”, Kennedy said, “that money has done nothing to alleviate the poverty of ordinary Iranians”.

A Situation with a Precedent

Kennedy turns to history to remind the American people that the same fears have been raised before. In South Africa, during the apartheid era, opponents to sanctions raised fears that they would hurt the South African population and only add to their plight.

But both Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela assured the West that sanctions would speed up the end of apartheid. It worked, and South Africa today has emerged from the shadow of apartheid stronger than ever.

“The story is much the same with Iran”, Kennedy writes. “Many critics have suggested that new American pressure is harmful to both the people and the regime”, however, Kennedy suggests, “in reality, the protests and strikes in Iran’s cities have made it clear that the people recognize their economic hardships are rooted in the self-serving priorities of the mullahs, not international pressures”.

This has been evident in the slogans on display during recent protests in Iran. The Iranian public have been chanting, “the enemy is right here”, and “they lie when they say it is America”.

Despite the regime’s best efforts and continued dissemination of misinformation and lies, the public knows that the mullahs are the root of their financial troubles. “The ongoing crisis of unemployment, financial exploitation and currency devaluation began long before the new US sanctions or the US withdrawal from JCPOA”, Kennedy writes.

Meaningful Change is the Only Option

Donald Trump has set meaningful change as his goal, a vision the Iranian public shares. The people of Iran have seen the effects of the West’s decades-long policies of appeasement to the mullahs. They have emerged from it no better off, and no more convinced that meaningful change can occur without a tough stance from the West.

“One does not need to reside in or visit an Iranian city in order to recognize the popular unrest and explicit calls for regime change are genuine, expansive, and persistent.” – Former Congressman Patrick Kennedyhttps://t.co/aCiPqDEusN

— NCRI-U.S. Rep Office (@NCRIUS) October 1, 2018

The Iranian opposition, the People’s Mujahedin Organisation of Iran (MEK) and its leader, president-elect Maryam Rajavi, declared 2018 a “year full of uprisings”. It believes that the determination and perseverance of the Iranian people can bring about meaningful change.

In meeting with Patrick Kennedy, we discussed the critical situation of the clerical regime in #Iran, the continued uprisings, and the regime’s resort to terrorism to break out of the crises, which mark the regime’s terminal stage#FreeIran2018https://t.co/rGVpUqP7QO pic.twitter.com/doa5iKj6rp

— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) August 27, 2018

However, the MEK has remained adamant that the US government and its allies have a role to play. They are looking to the West to offer support in the form of sanctions and diplomatic pressure, similar to those adopted against the South African government to bring about meaningful change there.

“Sanctions will impede an unwanted regime’s ability to stave off an uprising by a long-suffering people desiring freedom and democracy”, Kennedy concluded.

Staff Writer

 

 

On August 25th, the Iranian Communities commemorated the 30th anniversary of the massacre of 30,000 political prisoners by the Iranian regime. The victims, who were mostly MEK members and supporters, were executed over the course of a single summer. The Iranian Communities marked the anniversary with an interactive conference, which was held simultaneously in 20 major cities and world capitals across Europe and North America. Participants shared stories of the victims and survivors of the massacre and their families and expressed their support for the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) and the current uprising by the Iranian people which seeks to overthrow the Iranian regime.

 

Speakers included Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the NCRI; former U.S. Congressman Patrick Kennedy; several elected representatives from Europe, a number of political and religious dignitaries and jurists; and family members and survivors of the 1988 massacre.

 

Patrick Kennedy gave a speech in support of the Iranian Resistance. The following is the text of his speech:

Patrick Kennedy: We have gathered to commemorate 30,000 political prisoners in Iran in 1988, because if it is happening in Iran in modern times, it could happen anywhere.#1988Massacre @APA_ICE@JavaidRehman pic.twitter.com/l36P9GUmYI

— Iran Freedom (@4FreedominIran) August 25, 2018

“So I’ve said in previous events when it came to standing up for those were trapped in Ashraf, when it came to other struggles, for human rights for Iran, that this is not an Iranian issue, this is a human rights issue. And it’s the reason why we have people from all over the world gathered to mark this 30th anniversary of 30,000 political prisoners being summarily executed by a totalitarian fascist regime. Because we must remember them. Because if it can happen in Iran, in a modern era, it can happen anywhere in the world, where people do not stand up and stand up for human rights and those who suffer.

“So Martin Niemöller, a famous writer about the Jewish Holocaust, once said about the Nazis, that ‘First they came for the gypsies but I was not a gypsy, so I did not speak out. Then they came for the trade unionists but I was not a trade unionist, so I did not speak out. Then they came for the Catholics, then they came for the Jews, and I was not a Jew, so I did not speak out. And finally, they came for me and there was no one left to speak out.’

“We are here today to remember these 30,000 martyrs because it’s important for all of us to know that there but for the grace of God goes each and every one of us and our families. And that is why I say this is not just an Iranian cause, this is a universal human rights cause. And as I often say, it is for that reason that I proclaim how incredible it is that on this 30th anniversary of these martyrs dying for freedom in Iran, that we have a new generation of people in Iran willing to stand up and proclaim their support for a new Iran that is free and democratic and respects the freedom of religion and the role of women in society!

“As Maryam Rajavi just said, none of this would happen if it weren’t for an organization to support these resistance units.

“And I want to thank all of you who are watching this program, I want to thank the MEK and Madam Rajavi, because you are the ones who are keeping the flames of resistance going strong.

“You are the ones who are supporting the young people in Iran who are protesting. And you have the integrity of your beliefs because you were the ones who fought the Shah and the sadist regime of oppressors and you were the ones today fighting a new totalitarian dictatorship.

“So the MEK has been there on the side of freedom whether it was fighting the oppression of the Shah or today fighting the theocratic regime of the mullahs.

“Finally, as an indication of how effective you’ve been, Madam Rajavi, it is remarkable the courage of the young people today in Iran.

“They are in the streets across Tehran shouting ‘Down with Khamenei and Rouhani’, ‘Down with the dictator.’ They are rejecting both sides of the regime, saying, “Hardliners, reformists, the game is over!”

“They are no longer being confused by those who say they’re moderates. We know that all of them are on the side of oppression. All of them are on the side of dictatorship. And if you never felt that the MEK was making a difference, all you need to know is that the MEK is the target, the top target of these mullahs as they attempt to bomb both in Albania and in the Paris gathering. They are targeting the U.S. MEK activities.

“Why would the regime spend so much time and energy targeting the MEK if they did not know that the MEK was an existential threat to their continuing as a fascist dictatorship in Iran? A great pride in the fact that they are the number one target of this clerical fascist regime, because it’s a sign that their work trying to bring about change in Iran is a threat to them.

“So to the young protesters all across Tehran who are honoring the martyrs, 30,000 martyrs over 30 years ago: they are honoring their sacrifice by taking to the streets all across Iran. Let me just say a personal word. Today is also the anniversary of my father’s death, but I was very fortunate, my father lived a full life and he died of natural causes.

“I cannot imagine being any one of those family members who lost a loved one due to the fatwa. I cannot imagine having to live my life knowing that somewhere across Iran, my father, my mother, my sister or brother’s remains are scattered somewhere in a field that no one has yet located.

“So I will say this is why we all are here today, to re-pledge ourselves to the sacrifice that was made 30 years ago and to make good on that sacrifice by bringing back a new and free and democratic Iran.”

Maryam Rajavi Meets Patrick Kennedy to Discuss Resistance Movement https://t.co/RxOAji7pqZ#Iran#MEK#1988Massacre

— MEKIran (@MEK_Iran) August 30, 2018

Staff Writer

On Saturday, August 25th, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), met with former U.S. Congressman Patrick Kennedy in Paris. The two discussed the faltering Iranian regime, the uprising currently taking place in Iran (which has now entered its ninth month), and the regime’s use of terrorism as a desperate response to domestic and international concerns.

In meeting with Patrick Kennedy, we discussed the critical situation of the clerical regime in #Iran, the continued uprisings, and the regime’s resort to terrorism to break out of the crises, which mark the regime’s terminal stage#FreeIran2018https://t.co/rGVpUqP7QO pic.twitter.com/doa5iKj6rp

— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) August 27, 2018

Mrs. Rajavi described the current situation in Iran to Mr. Kennedy, including the continued uprising and the role of resistance units in expanding the protests against the clerical regime currently ruling Iran. Rajavi emphasized that the mullahs have no plan to address the mounting crises facing the regime as a whole, and the people’s demands for the overthrow of the regime will continue.

 

Mr. Kennedy discussed the discovery of terrorist plots against the MEK in Albania, France, and Belgium this year, as well as the recent arrest of two Iranian spies in the United States. Kennedy noted that these incidents point to the fact that the MEK poses an existential threat to the Iranian regime and is the only viable alternative to the mullahs’ regime. Mr. Kennedy added that there is no history or trace of another group that could present an alternative to the mullahs’ regime.

 

Mr. Kennedy continued to say that the MEK is the only genuine resistance in Iran, who has “kept the flames of resistance burning.” He described the history of the organization as one who has struggled for freedom since the days of the Shah’s dictatorship and SAVAK. Now the MEK continues its struggle against the theocratic regime ruling Iran. This continuity in the struggle against dictatorial regimes is an indicator of the MEK’s profound conviction in the practical implementation of democracy, Kennedy concluded.

 

The meeting between Maryam Rajavi and Patrick Kennedy followed an interactive conference held simultaneously in 20 capitals and major cities across Europe and North America to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the 1988 massacre of 30,000 political prisoners, mostly MEK members and supporters, at the hands of the Iranian regime. The perpetrators of this crime against humanity have never faced justice. Mrs. Rajavi has called upon the international community to launch an independent investigation into the mass executions.

Staff Writer