On Thursday, February 14th, a large group of Iranians gathered in Poland’s capital city for the second day outside of the Warsaw Conference. The protesters were supporters of the MEK and the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) who were rallying in solidarity with the Iranian people and their call for an overthrow of the oppressive clerical regime currently in power and the democratic alternative proposed under the leadership of Mrs. Maryam Rajavi and the NCRI.

Chants of "Regime Change" on day 2 of MEK's #FreeIran rally outside #WarsawSummit. Protesters vow to overthrow mullahs' regime, say #Iran's ppl reject both monarchy & mullahs' rule. #FreeIranWithMaryamRajavi@PolandMFA @SecPompeo @VP @USAdarFarsi @USAmbPoland @USEmbassyWarsaw pic.twitter.com/PaUEj7VVzL

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) February 14, 2019

Protesters at the rally on Thursday chanted, “Appeasement no; regime change yes!” and “Regime change!” Photographs of the crowd chanting and holding posters with photographs of NCRI leader Maryam Rajavi were posted on social media. A video posted on Twitter shows a group of protesters held a large banner reading, “Call on Warsaw Summit: Expel the Mullahs’ Illegitimate Regime and Recognize the NCRI as the Representative of the Iranian People.”

The Future of Middle Eastern Policy

The two-day rally coincided with the Warsaw Conference, which was jointly hosted by the United States and Poland, in order to discuss the future of Middle Eastern policy. The conference, which drew high-ranking policy-makers from dozens of countries, was mainly focused on Iran and its role in creating instability in the region.

The NCRI and MEK hoped that their rally would draw attention to the nationwide anti-regime protests that have taken place over the past year in Iran and the clear will of the Iranian people to replace the mullahs and their brutal theocracy with a free Iran.

How to Make Iran “Act Like a Normal Country”

 

When announcing the conference, United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that one of the primary goals of the event was to find a way to make Iran “act like a normal country.” After forty years, it is clear that the Iranian regime will never act like a normal country. The policy of appeasement has failed. The people of Iran are asking the international community to recognize the forty years of human rights abuses that the Iranian regime has inflicted upon its own people and to support the people’s right to overthrow the ruling regime and replace it with a peaceful and democratic Iran.

Wednesday’s Rally

 

The NCRI and MEK held another rally on Wednesday as the Warsaw Conference began. Wednesday’s rally included speeches from a number of well-known politicians from the United States and Europe, as well as representatives of the Iranian communities. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Algerian Prime Minister Sid Ahmed Ghozali, former U.S. Senator Robert Torricelli, and several Polish MPs and Senators were among the distinguished speakers at Wednesday’s rally.

#MEK supporters march on the streets of Warsaw in solidarity with the regime change protests in #Iran. They urge the #WarsawSummit to recognize right of Iran's ppl to overthrow mullahs & establish a free republic.#FreeIranWithMaryamRajavi@USAdarFarsi @SecPompeo @VP @USAmbPoland pic.twitter.com/u4DHwWJBQD

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) February 13, 2019

The protesters at Wednesday’s and Thursday’s rallies voiced their support for Mrs. Maryam Rajavi’s ten-point plan for a free and democratic Iran after the fall of the mullahs’ regime. Her plan includes gender equality, separation of religion and State, and a non-nuclear Iran. The rally on Wednesday was preceded by a brief press conference.

Staff Writer

On Wednesday, the MEK supporters held a rally in Warsaw condemning the Iranian regime’s human rights abuses towards its own people and standing in solidarity with the Iranian people by calling for the international community to recognize the people’s right to overthrow the oppressive theocratic regime currently in power.

MEK Holds Rally in Warsaw to Mark Four Decades of Regime Atrocities Prior to Warsaw Summit

The rally was planned to coincide with the beginning of the Warsaw Conference, which is taking place February 13-14. The primary focus of the international gathering of political leaders is to discuss Iran’s role in the future of Middle Eastern policy. The Iranian Resistance would like to make it clear that the old policy of appeasement has not been effective in containing the Iranian regime’s threat and the mullahs’ regime is past reform. The NCRI, led by Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, offers a 10-point plan for Iran’s future, including separation of religion and State, gender equality, and a non-nuclear Iran.

#MEK supporters march on the streets of Warsaw in solidarity with the regime change protests in #Iran. They urge the #WarsawSummit to recognize right of Iran's ppl to overthrow mullahs & establish a free republic.#FreeIranWithMaryamRajavi@USAdarFarsi @SecPompeo @VP @USAmbPoland pic.twitter.com/u4DHwWJBQD

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) February 13, 2019

A variety of highly-respected dignitaries, politicians, and representatives of the Iranian community gave speeches at the event, and then a large crowd of demonstrators marched on the streets of Warsaw, chanting, “Appeasement, no; regime change, yes!”

The Speakers

The following are some highlights from Wednesday’s speakers:

Rudy Giuliani, Advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump and former New York City Mayor: “Iran is the number one state sponsor of terrorism in the world. We should not be doing business with a regime that supports terror. The Warsaw Summit should be focused on how we change Iran. How do we change their behavior against their people. The last two Free Iran conferences I attended, the regime tried to bomb them; the last one was in Paris.

.@RudyGiuliani: We have seen regime change work & fail. In #Iran's case we don’t have to worry. There is a viable alternative. Maryam Rajavi's 10-point plan stands for a #FreeIran w/ a democratically-elected Gov instead of a tyrant/monarch.#FreeIranWithMaryamRajavi #WarsawSummit pic.twitter.com/EFJHIw2WUV

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) February 13, 2019

“The Iranian people have a right to freedom and democracy. They have a right to be free. We will soon achieve the dream of seeing Maryam Rajavi in a free Iran. We have the answer to who will be the alternative to the regime. Maryam Rajavi has laid out a ten-point program which we should support.”

Zbigniew Cichoń, Polish Senator from the PIS party: “Thousands of Iranians are in jail for demanding their rights. Even the lawyers who defend them end up in jail. All Poles are in solidarity with you.”

Marcin Święcicki, Member of the Polish Parliament, former Mayor of Warsaw, and a former Minister for Foreign Economic Relations: “The NCRI movement has a ten-point plan which among other things calls for abolishing the death penalty. We want to see the establishment of peace and democracy in Iran.

Mr Marcin Swiecicki, MP, former mayor of Warsaw: We had to fight for a long time for Poland to enjoy independence, democracy and human rights, where as in #Iran the fight is still ongoing.#FreeIranWithMaryamRajavi#IStandWithMaryamRajavi#WarsawSummit @USADarFarsi @SecPompeo pic.twitter.com/uEEzqLfy7Q

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) February 13, 2019

Ryszard Majer, Polish Senator and Vice President of the Foreign Affairs Committee from the PIS party: “We respect freedom and solidarity. Are those values important to you? Yes, every nation needs freedom and solidarity, freedom to decide for themselves. Also in Iran freedom for Iranian people is necessary for the entire world.

Mr Ryszard Majer: Freedom, solidarity and respect are important for all of us. I have met people who believe respect for life, freedom & solidarity are not merely empty words. #FreeIranWithMaryamRajavi#IStandWithMaryamRajavi#WarsawSummit#FreeIran@USADarFarsi @SecPompeo pic.twitter.com/QpMin1ooyD

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) February 13, 2019

“As a Pole, I understand this. For many years there was no freedom of assembly, no freedom of speech, for all of those who wished for change. Today I admire all of the efforts of Maryam Rajavi who works for solidarity and well-being in Iran.”

13:00: Robert Torricelli, former United States Senator (D): “We have tried to negotiate with Tehran. There have been negotiations with Tehran for 40 years. But they answered with terrorism. The lives of the thousands of martyrs laying in their graves are a testimony that this regime it not negotiable.”

.@bobtorricelli: Thousands of Iranians who at the risk of their lives have taken to the streets of #Iran, they are your choice, thousands of ppl of the diaspora across Europe and America, they are a choice, the NCRI is a choice, Mrs. Rajavi is a choice. #FreeIranWithMaryamRajavi pic.twitter.com/7xICR8DSMH

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) February 13, 2019

“A government that murders its opponents, cannot be trusted to respect the nuclear agreement. a murderous regime cannot be a trustable regime.”

“Those nations who believe we have no other choice than to accommodate Iran, we say to them: We are the choice! The democratic alternative. The thousands and thousands of Iranians who have risked their lives in the streets of Iran, they are the choice. The NCRI is the choice, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi is the choice.”

13:05: Zbigniew Cichoń, member of the Polish Senate from the PIS party: “As a nation, you have a right to fight. This is a dream that will soon become true. It will become true because our dream in Poland became true.”

Zbigniew Chichon:
The regime has executed so many people that questions its legitimity
I hope your dream of freedom will come true soon. Long live free and happy Iranians.#FreeIranWithMaryamRajavi#PolandSummit#IStandWithMaryamRajavi#WarsawSummit#FreeIran@USADarFarsi pic.twitter.com/CewURHwP0Q

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) February 13, 2019

“I believe very soon Iran will become a free state, a state of rule of law, not the rule of a few individuals against the people.”

13:10: Sid Ahmed Ghozali, former Prime Minister of Algeria: “The MEK is the only force capable of freeing Iran. If we love peace and stability in this region, we need to eliminate the threat of Iran’s regime. And in order to do that, the only option is to support the Iranian Resistance led by Maryam Rajavi. I hope and pray to God that next year we can hold this meeting in Tehran.”

Sid Ahmed Ghozali – Former Prime Minister of Algeria
It is a privilege for me to be here with you my Iranian friends who are in the resistance & who have sacrificed 10s of thousands in the path 4 freedom.#FreeIranWithMaryamRajavi#WarsawSummit#FreeIranRally @USADarFarsi pic.twitter.com/kMBMleiU9y

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) February 13, 2019

Javad Dabiran, member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI): “Forty years after the downfall of the Shah’s dictatorship, it is time for the overthrow of the mullahs. This regime has brought nothing but misery and corruption and death and killings. So, it is time they go. They have only faced one strong opposition, that of the MEK (PMOI).”

@JavadDabiran: 40 years ago, Iranian people’s uprising resulted in fall of Shah’s regime. At that time people wanted freedom and democracy. Today, these are still the aspirations of the people#FreeIranWithMaryamRajavi#PolandSummit#IStandWithMaryamRajavi#FreeIran@USADarFarsi pic.twitter.com/T4UWFBckPW

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) February 13, 2019

Malieh Malek Mohammadi, a representative of the Iranian communities in Europe: “It’s the era of uprisings and of the overthrow of the mullahs. This opposition, the MEK, has more than forty years of experience. Time has come for payback for the dictators in Iran. Democracy and freedom will come to Iran.”

Matin Doustmohammadi, a representative of the Iranian youth associations in Europe: “We had 40 years of repression. But I am proud that in these 40 years, the MEK and their supporters continued their Resistance. I salute the MEK’s “Resistance Units” inside Iran that are leading all the protests.
“The regime is not paying any price for its crimes. If the Western government want to respect their own laws, they should arrest the regime’s agents and put the IRGC on the blacklist and expel the diplomat-terrorists of this regime.”

 Homayoun Sim-Laqaee, a representative of the Iranian communities in Europe: “The fake ‘alternatives’ to the regime that have been formed by the Iranian intelligence ministry only aim to discredit the MEK, but they will not lead anywhere.

“The time has come for the downfall of the mullahs with the leadership of Mr. Massoud Rajavi, the leader of the Iranian Resistance.”

Staff Writer

 

 

President-elect of the Iranian opposition, Maryam Rajavi, addressed the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK-PMOI)‘s rally in Warsaw and stressed the importance of recognizing the Iranian opposition movement.

Addressing her “freedom-loving compatriots,” as well as the high-profile guests in attendance, including former Mayor of New York, Rudy Giuliani and the former Prime Minister of Algeria, Sid-Ahmad Ghozali, she told them, “the voice of the people of Iran” is “yearning for freedom and democracy.”

She continued, “the pain of our political prisoners in Khamenei’s dungeons, the sufferings of our Kurdish, Turk, Balochi and Arab compatriots, and the stifled desires and hopes of Iranian women, youths, workers, farmers, teachers, and students are resonating in your cries.”

Their demand, she said, is that the world recognizes their right to overthrow the repressive clerical regime and bring freedom to Iran.

Years of Sacrifice

The Iranian people “deserve this,” Rajavi said. “They have proven it through long years of their quest for freedom and steadfast endurance in confronting one of the world’s most oppressive and ruthless dictatorships.”

2018 saw Iranians take to the streets to protest the mullahs’ rule in numbers not seen since 1979. For their calls for democracy, many had to sacrifice their freedom or their lives, as the Iranian regime responded to dissent by locking up or even killing protestors.

An End to Appeasement

Maryam Rajavi and the MEK’s demands were simple: respect the Iranian people’s struggle against oppression and discrimination.

The west has long emboldened the regime through its policies of appeasement and pandering to the mullahs. Maryam Rajavi asked, “why they [the West] have recognized a regime in Iran which has invaded and occupied the country, which rules by torture and execution, which plunders Iran’s assets and spends the Iranian people’s wealth on terrorist groups to slaughter the peoples of the region.”

The question is why have they recognized a regime which has invaded and occupied #Iran, which rules by torture and execution, which plunders Iran’s assets and spends the Iranian people’s wealth on terrorist groups to slaughter the peoples of the region.#FreeIran pic.twitter.com/28A9xJp45e

— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) February 13, 2019

Rajavi acknowledged the progress coming from the Trump administration, which has re-imposed economic sanctions and withdrawn from the JCPOA. She also acknowledged the gesture from the EU following the uncovering of Iranian terror attacks on European soil. The EU has imposed sanctions on a branch of the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence (MOIS). However, she added that the efforts did not go far enough.

Europe’s Sanctions Are Welcome, Now A Change In Policies Is Required.

“They must stand up more decisively to this regime,” she said, adding “the mullahs must not have a single bullet, a single dollar or a single barrel of oil at their disposal.”

Maryam Rajavi called for the inclusion of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on European and US terrorist blacklists. “The IRGC is in command of the regime’s terrorist mercenary groups and their disastrous bloodletting in the region,” she said.

The policy of blacklisting the Iranian regime’s criminal institutions and figureheads will be effective only when the IRGC is placed on the terror lists of the U.S. and the European Union as a whole entity. #Iran#FreeIran pic.twitter.com/sE66uF98ge

— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) February 13, 2019

The IRGC is behind many of the most destructive elements of the regime, including the missile program, nuclear weapons activities, and cyber-attacks. It is also in charge of arresting protestors and cracking down on political dissent in Iran and looting the country’s institutions.

“The Revolutionary Guard Corps is the backbone propping up the clerical regime,” Rajavi concluded. “So, it must be designated a terrorist force without delay.”

Investigating Human Rights Violations

In addition to the blacklisting of the IRGC, Ms. Rajavi called for the international community to refer the dossier of Iranian human rights violations to the UN Security Council. She asked those gathered in Warsaw, “why haven’t they set up any mechanism to prosecute the regime’s leaders for the massacre of 30,000 political prisoners in 1988?”

She was referring to the summer of 1988 when the Iranian regime launched a bloody crackdown on the MEK and other opposition groups. More than 30,000 political prisoners mainly MEK activists were executed in regime custody. Women were raped before heading to the gallows. Many family members of victims were not informed until after their loved one had been executed when the regime billed them for the rope used in the execution.

Rajavi concluded, “in spite of this, the people of Iran will never relent. The uprisings and protests and the activities of the courageous members of [MEK] Resistance Units in Iran will carry on.”

Once again, I declare the demands of the people of #Iran and the Iranian Resistance, as the following: #FreeIran pic.twitter.com/IISaXkqb7D

— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) February 13, 2019

She ended her speech with the powerful sign-off, “hail to freedom. Hail to the people of Iran. Hail to all of you and your steel resolve to realize freedom.”

Staff Writer

 

On February 13 and 14, 2019, the Polish Foreign Ministry and the United States Department of State are hosting an international conference to discuss the future of Middle Eastern policy. The conference will largely focus on the threat posed by the Iranian regime to the surrounding region. High-ranking officials from several dozen countries are expected to attend the two-day event.

The Regime’s Response to the Conference

Unsurprisingly, the Iranian regime reacted to the announcement of the conference with rage and condemnation, Regime officials attempted to discredit the conference, demanded that the event be cancelled, and even made unspecified threats to “take action” against Poland for holding the conference. These efforts ultimately failed, but they provided valuable insights into the regime’s deep fear of any challenge to its authority, as well as its behavior when responding to feedback from the international community. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo initially said that the goal of the conference was to find a way to “make Iran act like a normal country,” and the mullahs’ response to the conference was another example of why this is not possible. The Iranian regime is past reform. The people of Iran are demanding a democratic alternative, and it is clear that the delegates at the Warsaw Conference should listen to their voices when determining future policy toward the Iranian regime.

NCRI/MEK Rally

On February 13th, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) and the People’s Mojahedin of Iran (PMOI/MEK) held a rally prior to the beginning of the conference in Warsaw. The rally’s purpose is to draw attention to the Iranian people’s desire for regime change and to show their support for the NCRI and its leader, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, as the democratic alternative to the theocratic regime. The most recent NCRI rally, held in Paris last week, drew thousands of Iranians.

Those attending and speaking at the rally will call upon the delegates at the Warsaw Conference to condemn the Iranian regime for its forty years of human rights abuses toward its own people, blacklist Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) agents in order to combat their efforts to conduct terrorist plots on foreign soil, adopt a firm policy toward the Iranian regime, and affirm the right of the Iranian people to overthrow the theocratic regime currently in power.

Live Reports: #MEK's #FreeIranRally Outside the #WarsawSummithttps://t.co/CLkcNDZxmr pic.twitter.com/4zSfaQBSZI

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) February 13, 2019

The attendees will also declare their support for Maryam Rajavi’s ten-point plan for a peaceful transition to a free and democratic Iran. Mrs. Rajavi’s plan includes a structured time frame for democratic elections to form a new government to represent the Iranian people after the fall of the clerical regime. The MEK and NCRI, led by Mrs. Rajavi, want to replace the oppressive regime with a democracy with a clear separation of religion and state, equal rights and representation for women and religious and ethnic minorities, an end to the death penalty, and an immediate cessation of all nuclear activities.

Notable participants in the rally will include Advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump and former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, former Algerian Prime Minister Sid Ahmed Ghozali, former U.S. Senator Robert Torricelli and several Polish Members of Parliament and the Senate. The speakers will hold a brief press briefing before the rally begins.

Staff Writer

 

With the days counting down to the Warsaw conference, where Western leaders will meet to discuss the threat the Iranian regime poses to regional and global security, the regime looks more isolated on the international stage than ever.

Tehran has had its requests to attend the landmark conference set for February 13-14 rejected. The reasons articulated by Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz who said, “Iran’s presence at the event would have hampered talks.”

#IranFreedom"In face of Iranian mullahs, we say them “you are on your last legs!”.Iranian people deserve a secular, democratic government that guarantees the culture&dignity of Iranian. We support10-point plan of #MaryamRajavi."So do many EUsupporters of #NCRI #Iran #PolandSummit

— Giulio Terzi (@GiulioTerzi) January 26, 2019

There are also indications that US sanctions, coupled with the European firms being forced to choose between continuing trade with Iranian markets and engaging with US markets, are having an effect. Poland’s state-run gas firm, PGNiG is closing its office in Iran and withdrawing from the country.

The EU also launched its own sanctions against Iranian Ministry of Intelligence (MOIS) on January 8^th. It placed a branch of the intelligence ministry and two of its officials on its official terror list after an Iranian plot to assassinate members of the opposition in Europe was uncovered.

A State-Sponsored Terror Campaign

The People’s Mujahedin Organisation of Iran (MEK) and other pro-democracy groups have been the target of a brutal campaign of state-sponsored terror.

The Iranian regime increased its operations in 2018, plotting several attacks against the MEK in Albania, France, Denmark, and Norway.

The Warsaw conference is an attempt to curb the regime’s destabilizing role in the region and end their terrorist activities abroad. Dozens of countries from across the world will attend the conference, illustrating the global nature of the Iranian regime’s destabilizing activities.

Closer to home, the Iranian regime funnels vast funds to terrorist and militia groups across the Middle East. Its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Quds Forces are active in Syria, Lebanon, Gaza, Yemen, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Their operations undermine the peace efforts in the region.

Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa has made it clear that Iran’s activities will be under the microscope at the conference.

Jan. 25, 2019 – Bahrain Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa is saying he will be talking about the Iranian regime’s multi-faceted terrorism during the Warsaw conference of foreign ministers focusing on the middleEast #iranRegimeChang #Iran#FreeIran#mojahedin pic.twitter.com/2oZccarYph

— behrouz (@behrouz69078096) January 26, 2019

A top diplomat for the country said, “next month there will be a gathering in Warsaw focusing on challenges facing Middle East stability and security. While I will be listening carefully to what others have to say, I will also deliver remarks in regards to the Iranian regime’s multi-faceted terrorism that we face on a daily basis.”

The conference has drawn ire from the Iranian regime. Following the Warsaw Conference’s announcement, the regime Foreign Minister Javad Zarif tweeted his thinly-veiled threats. “Reminder to host/participants of [the] anti-Iran conference: those who attended [the] last anti-Iran show are either dead, disgraced, or marginalized,” he said.

Where Next

The president-elect of the Iranian opposition, Maryam Rajavi, has praised the increasing hardening of attitudes towards the Iranian regime in the West. In a statement, the welcomed renewed interest in US and European sanctions

She underscored the importance of preventing the Iranian regime from developing weapons of mass destruction and urged the international community to acknowledge and address Iran’s glaring human rights violations. She once again reiterated that terrorism and Islamic fundamentalism are both pillars holding up the Iranian regime.

Moving forward, the West must recognize the sole democratic alternative to the mullahs’ tyrannical regime, the MEK and the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI). A firm response like this is the only action the regime understands and is the only way to bring democracy to Tehran.