Iran’s resistance units commemorate the victims of the 1988 massacre

Nowshahr, Iran-Dedicated to the martyrs of 1988 massacre

 30 years ago, Ruhollah Khomeini, the Islamic Republic’s founder and then-Supreme Leader of the Iranian regime, ordered the execution of all political prisoners who had ties to the PMOI/MEK. In a matter of months, the regime’s officials, many of whom continue to hold positions of power, executed 30 thousand political prisoners across Iran. The move was aimed at eliminating the opposition and prolonging the life of the Iranian regime.

But contrary to the regime’s wishes, the PMOI/MEK found deeper roots in the Iranian society and earned the respect of the people for the sacrifice that its members made for the cause of freedom and democracy in their country.

“Thirty years are gone but not their memories. The memories of the victims of the 1988 massacre continue to awaken the conscience of Iranian society and inspire them to rise. Those prisoners are continuing to have their impact,” NCRI president Maryam Rajavi said in her message on the 30^th anniversary of the 1988 massacre.

The Iranian regime’s leadership put huge efforts into erasing all traces of its crime and preventing it from backfiring against their regime. The bodies of the victims were disposed in secret mass graves and all documents were hidden or destroyed. Now 30 years after the 1988 massacre, even though many of the names and burial locations of the victims still haven’t been discovered, their memory still lives on, and the people of Iran pay homage to them and gain inspiration from their sacrifice in their protests and struggle for freedom.

One of the resistance units from Tehran has composed a poem in memory of the political prisoners of the summer of 1988 and recorded a video message of the poem. “I dedicate this poem to 30 thousand red flowers that sacrificed their lives for freedom in 1988. I salute the leadership of the Iranian resistance for being a source of inspiration for all women in our country,” she says.

In Gilan, a member of one of the resistance units has recorded a video in which he holds a poster that asks for justice for the victims of the 1988 massacre. “We are the supporters of the PMOI/MEK and we will continue the path of the martyrs of the 1988 massacre to change the regime and achieve freedom in Iran,” he says.

In Shiraz, the members of the resistance unit no. 444 held posters of the 1988 massacre. One of the posters reads: “We are supporters of the Mojahedin and we will continue the struggle of the martyrs of the 1988 massacre to change the Iranian regime.”

Iran crisis is a top Trump administration priority

A massive demonstration in Iran

 The New York-based llaf News Agency wrote a recent piece on the new U.S. policy vis-à-vis the Iranian regime:

The Trump administration is taking new measures following the launch of the “Iran Action Group” aimed at placing pressure on Tehran to respect U.S. economic sanctions and possibly imposing sanctions against other countries that do not abide by Washington’s measures.

The Iran Action Group will be directed by Brian Hook, previously appointed as the U.S. State Department Director of Policy Planning and Senior Policy Advisor to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Hook supervised Washington’s talks with their Europeans partners on Tehran.

Unifying efforts

Dr. Walid Phares, former foreign policy advisor to the U.S. President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign, expressed his thoughts about a possible face-off between the U.S. and the Iranian regime.

“Establishing the ‘Iran Action Group’ is a major step forward. Efforts against the Iranian regime and America’s ability between the State and Defense departments, the National Security Council, Congressional committees and embassies were all scattered. They now become unified. This is exactly why the U.S. government needed to establish a joint operations room because the Iran dossier, if not the most significant, is one of the crucial crises facing the U.S.

Iran in priority

Following the U.S. departure from the Iran deal and the Iranian regime’s expansion across Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen, parallel to the U.S.-Europe disputes over complying with sanctions, and considering Iran’s continuous threats against the U.S. and its allies in the Persian Gulf and the Middle East, the Iranian regime is now becoming the top priority of policy in the government, Congress and the State Department.

The Iran crisis is by far larger and more imperative than the North Korea crisis.

Hook’s plan remains unknown, Phares explains, yet he is considered one of the highly professional diplomats in the State Dept. and was chosen for this new role based on such credentials.

It must also be taken into consideration that the government could have specified an individual from outside the State Department. This decision has now placed wide authority in the hands of a very experienced diplomat.

Iranian opposition

There are many questions about the U.S. administration’s campaign against the Iranian regime and neglecting the role of a political opposition.

Despite Mike Pompeo taking part in an event attended by a number of Iranian-Americans of California and delivering a fiery speech against the Iranian regime, the U.S. administration has not entered a partnership with the Iranian opposition, Phares said.

Furthermore, those close to Trump have excellent relations with the Iranian opposition People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK). There are also relations among U.S. officials and other groups. There are also relations with student groups and independent youths, he adds.

Positive measures

The change we have witnessed to this day are important in and of itself, and in comparing Trump’s policies with those of Obama we realize the huge shift, Phares explains. The former U.S. president was heading towards full engagement with the Iranian regime. Therefore, going from the agreement to an exit of the Iran nuclear deal is a major development indeed, he adds.

Khamenei’s “mistake” that ensued a scandal

Iranian regime supreme leader Ali Khamenei

Iranian regime supreme leader Ali Khamenei gave a speech on August 10 that was quoted in Iran’s media in different versions. In parts of his speech, Khamenei made remarks about negotiating with US and JCPOA that some state-run media initially published but later censored when the national television aired the full remarks. His office and affiliated websites also redacted the controversial parts of Khamenei’s speech.

In the initial coverage of the speech, websites quoted Khamenei as saying: “I made a mistake in the matter of the negotiations and in response to the gentlemen’s persistence I allowed this experience and indeed they crossed drawn red lines.”

Later, national television aired the remarks quoting Khamenei as follows: “Why should we negotiate? JCPOA is a clear example of this. And indeed, all the red lines that we drew were not respected. The other party behaved like this, acted like this…”

The clear censorship created a lot of controversy among both Iranians and the Iranian regime’s forces. Khamenei’s office was compelled to issue a statement saying that the matter “had created controversies in the cyberspace” and “caused questions for some people.” The statement continued to clear the matter by publishing the correct sentence in Khamenei’s remarks as saying: “In the matter of JCPOA, I made a mistake to allow our foreign minister to talk to them [and] we made a loss.”

But this statement is also different from what Iranian media initially published. It is also not what the national television aired. In the end, it’s not clear what the Iranian Supreme Leader has really said, and his office’s statement only adds to the charlatanism and deception of the matter.

But there are a few takeaways!

Even Khamenei’s remarks are heavily edited and altered before made public. This could indicate the precarious situation the Iranian regime is in.

It is important to note that a confession to mistake by “Imam Khamenei” in these times is a big mistake itself. For the Iranian regime’s low IQ base, it is vital to see Khamenei as the innocent Imam who doesn’t make mistakes.

Ahmad Alamolhoda, Khamenei’s representative in Mashhad and the city’s Friday prayer Imam, tried to cover and clear the matter and said in last week’s Friday prayers: “When the Supreme Leader says clearly that this much that we advanced and allowed was a mistake and then says that they didn’t respect my red lines. If they had respected my red lines, we wouldn’t be in so much trouble. Well, you didn’t respect the Supreme Leader’s red lines and we took the hit.”

It is evident that Alamolhoda is trying to cover up for Khamenei and pretend that the Supreme Leader has been able to contain damages until now. In other parts of his remarks, Alamolhoda tries to make a scapegoat out of Hassan Rouhani for the Supreme Leader saying: “The president confessed that if not for your constraints [referring to Khamenei’s constraints for the negotiations] we would have made more concessions.”

It is noteworthy that during the negotiations, Hassan Rouhani and some of the negotiations team, including Javad Zarif, Iran’s foreign minister, repeatedly said that the talks were under the supervision of the Supreme Leader. Khamenei himself, during the talks and after signing the JCPOA, repeatedly praised the negotiations team as trustworthy.

But now that the JCPOA turned to be a noose around the regime’s neck instead of the Holy Grail it was meant to be, Khamenei tries as usual tries to accuse the government and president to keep the holy and innocent aura that he needs in front of his followers.

If the negotiation team wasn’t respecting the Supreme Leader’s red lines, why didn’t he point that out back then, while they repeatedly told that the whole process was under his supervision?

Iran’s regime and a strong opposition

Khomeini's decree to execute, with no hesitation, all unrepentant political prisoners

Excerpts from an article by Abdulrahman Mahabadi

Al Bashayer daily - Egypt

Considering Iran’s strategic position in the Middle East, the circumstances of its opposition is also quite significant. The People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) is the sole nationwide and serious force in Iran that has stood in the face of the mullahs’ regime from day one and has never gone back on its position of overthrowing this regime.

The first steps taken by the PMOI/MEK took two and a half years (after the 1979 revolution) to unveil the very nature of (Iranian regime founder Ruhollah) Khomeini and his regime.

The PMOI/MEK did not vote for the mullahs’ constitution, considering it against Iran’s national and popular sovereignty. This led to Khomeini going against his promises and personally entering the scene to prevent [Iranian Resistance leader] Massoud Rajavi’s candidacy, despite the fact that Rajavi enjoyed support from the majority of the people and political organizations. Khomeini went on to issue a fatwa saying “[PMOI/MEK] are worse than infidels.” This launched the regime’s killing spree that continues to this day.

Seeking to cement his dictatorship, Khomeini continued to pressure the PMOI/MEK to take part in his crackdown against Iran’s Kurdistan community and other non-religious movements. The PMOI/MEK, however, relied on their founding principle, saying “no” to Khomeini and continuing to defend the rights of the Kurdish people and other freedom-loving movements, and further angering Khomeini.

As the faceoff continued and the mullahs sustained their efforts to force the PMOI/MEK into succumbing to their demands, this organization launched a 500,000-strong march in Tehran on June 20^th, 1981. This once again portrayed this PMOI/MEK’s perseverance and challenged the regime’s claims of legitimacy.

Khomeini no longer tolerated these peaceful measures and ordered the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) to open fire on the demonstration. This brought an end to the first phase of the Khomeini/PMOI faceoff.

The PMOI/MEK have stood firm on their positions and through the years they have been able to present to the world the sole democratic alternative to the mullahs’ regime, found in the largest coalition established back in 1982 and known as the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI).

Through the years of the 1980s Iran-Iraq War and with Khomeini pledging to fight until the very last house, the head of the NCRI signed a peace agreement with the Iraqi government following Baghdad’s retreat from Iranian soil. The Iranian people and international community welcomed the accord at the time and four years later, while maintaining their principles, the PMOI/MEK transferred to Iraq to launch the “National Liberation Army of Iran” and deliver such a blow to the Iranian regime that it forced Khomeini to give in to United Nations Security Council Resolution 598 in 1988.

This was considered a “chalice of poison” by Khomeini and proves the correct nature of the PMOI/MEK’s strategy.

It has now been four decades that Iran has been witnessing these two forces in a fierce battle. The religious dictatorship ruling Iran against the NCRI.

In this roadmap we have witnessed thousands upon thousands of Iranians sent to the gallows by this regime as they said no to its dictatorship. In 1988, over 30,000 political prisoners insisted on their allegiance to the PMOI/MEK and were sent to be executed.

In these four decades, neither collusion, concessions, promises of leading government roles; nor arrests, torture and execution; nor conspiracies nor very significant pledges; nor assassinations, bombings, missile or ground attacks; nor conspiracies by the Iranian regime and/or various parties of the international community; nor bogus terrorist designations were able to stop this true opposition movement from moving forward. They have now become the beacon of hope for the Iranian people and a large spectrum of nations across the globe. The Iranian people’s current uprising is the rendered result of such an ongoing struggle in Iran.

Now, at the end of the fourth decade of this dictatorship, we are witnessing a strong opposition bringing the possibility of overthrowing this regime closer than ever before. It won’t be long that history will raise the hand of the victor in this 40-year long battle.

Justice Must Be Done for Iranian Dissidents’ Families

 By Ken Blackwell | August 22, 2018 | 9:50 AM EDT

heartache of having a loved one taken from you only to then see the person or persons responsible escape justice. The lack of closure that results from an unsolved crime is surely made all the worse by the unique injustice of a perpetrator being identified and yet enjoying absolute impunity. Imagine being witness to such a thing, and then imagine how much worse it would be if your loved one’s killer was known to everyone but never faced a day in court, and instead went on to live high on the hog, ascending to greater levels of wealth and power in the society you both inhabit. Even more disturbing is to see that they take pride in the crimes they have committed, and that they continue their ruthlessness. Now imagine that experience stretching over 30 years, multiply it times 30,000, and you may begin to have a sense of what the families of murdered Iranian political activists are dealing with.

This summer marks the 30th anniversary of a massacre of political prisoners that has been widely described as one of the worst crimes against humanity to take place in the post-World War II era. Following a fatwa by the founder of the Islamic Republic, Iranian officials assembled three-person “death commissions” in cities throughout the country, which were tasked with interrogating dissidents over their political affiliations and their views regarding the theocratic system. The trials, such as they were, sometimes lasted as little as a minute, after which those who refused to renounce their political beliefs were summarily executed, usually in groups of several people and without regard for the prisoner’s age or any other mitigating factors, including pregnancy.

The main target of the massacre was the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), which was then and still remains the leading voice for pro-democratic resistance to the government of the mullahs. Its membership makes up the vast majority of the 30,000 people who were hanged and quickly buried, in secret mass graves, over the course of a few months. As such, the MEK and its affiliates now count as their members, both within Iran and throughout the expatriate community, most of those who lost friends and family to the regime’s ruthless machinery. And these individuals and groups are leading the call for an international inquiry into the 1988 massacre, as a means to securing justice for its many victims.

This call is going to be reiterated on Saturday in the context of an event that is scheduled to take place simultaneously in nearly 30 cities across Europe and North America. The event will once again showcase the personal stories of the survivors and relatives of the victims. And given that the overlapping events will all be livestreamed to one another and to the global press, it may allow those stories to reach their largest audience to date.

Every defender of human rights should hope that the world is watching and that this commemoration of 30-year-old human rights violations finally spurs the international community to action. Some Western governments have passed resolutions over the years acknowledging the reality of this crime and formally condemning it. But few practical steps have been taken which might result in the United Nations identifying the perpetrators, clarifying the scope of the killings, and filing charges in the International Criminal Court. In absence of such steps, thousands of killings will continue to go unpunished, and so tens or even hundreds of thousands of people will be deprived of even the most basic sense of justice or closure.

After 30 years during which the Iranian regime has continued to perpetrate and defend its human rights abuses with impunity, this must be made a major priority for all the free, democratic nations of the world. As far as the United States is concerned, it is potentially significant that the 30th anniversary of the massacre coincides with the State Department’s creation of an Iran Action Group whose declared goal is to compel a serious alteration in the behavior of the Iranian regime.

That noble goal, which is a concrete step in the right direction under the leadership of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, cannot be accomplished as long as the people who are responsible for the very worst of that behavior continue to occupy some of the most influential positions in Iranian government and society, including, shockingly, the position of Justice Minister. These individuals must be removed and brought to justice if there is to be any hope of change. And it should be clear from the past 30 years of impunity and from the complete collapse of President Hassan Rouhani’s supposed reform initiative that the current institutions of Iranian government will never take action to remove them on their own.

The U.S. has already been reaching out to its European allies with a clear sense of purpose regarding Iran policy. Now, as the Iran Action Group works to move that strategy forward, it should recognize both the practical and symbolic importance of making human rights in general and the 1988 massacre in particular a major point of focus in that outreach. And if the international community truly values human rights, it cannot fail to follow the IAG’s lead.

Ken Blackwell is a former United States Ambassador to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights.

How Does US Sanctions Weaken The Iranian Regime By Launching The Iran Task Force?

 How does US sanctions weaken the Iranian regime by launching the Iran task force?

 “Our enemy is here; they (Iran’s leaders) lie when they say it is America.” By this slogan the Iranian protesters responded to Hassan Rouhani’s remarks following the US sanctions,  of which he said are against the Iranian people.

The shattered economy of the Iranian regime has been thwarted by US sanctions in a massive turbulence. And while there is no rescue shore for it, The Mullahs are between a rock and hard place of Iranian resistance, popular demonstrations  and US economic sanctions.

After the abolition of economic sanctions by Obama and the European governments, the Iranian regime spent $1.8 billion for terrorism and the wars in Syria and Yemen.

While the Iranian people were heavily under economic pressure, the mullahs spent the money supporting terrorist groups like Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen and Iraqi militias.

What can launching the Iran task force do?

Launching the Iran task force monitoring US economic sanctions, for many reasons can have a weakening effect for the Iranian regime.

Economic sanctions alone cannot weaken the regime, but the financial resources that the Iranian regime has accessed through oil.  Those will be cut and the mullahs will no longer be able to use the terrorist groups to advance their goals.

The Iran task force is an appropriate mechanism that prevents the Iranian regime cheaters from circumventing the sanctions.

The ruling regime in Iran is a religious dictatorship, not an ordinary government. We are talking about a regime that over the past four decades, has kept its rule in three ways; Internal repression, nuclear project, and interference in other countries affairs under the banner of the issuance of the revolution, the issuance of terrorism and religious fundamentalism, which show that the mullahs simply do not change their behavior.

Considering that the mullahs have not been able to reach the atomic bomb, they have increased their terrorist activities, and now  after US economic sanctions, the resources of the Iranian regime’s support for terrorism are not enough.Therefore the exertion of terrorism and fundamentalism have received a major blow, and there is only one lever left for the Iranian regime.

Internal repression:

Internal repression was another lever (instrument) that the Mullahs regime used to continue their own rule, but this method has lost its effectiveness since the beginning of 2018. Although the Iranian regime still uses an iron fist to suppress anti-government protests,   people are no longer afraid of repression, and by chanting slogans such as “Nor Gaza either Lebanon” “My life for Iran”, “Let go Syria think of us”, “Our enemy is here“ they (Iran’s leaders) lie when they say it is America. They are not only opposed to the mullahs’ terrorist interference, but by chanting slogans “death to dictator” they demand their overthrow.

Economic sanctions alone cannot be able to overthrow the mullahs’ regime but they strengthen the Iran’s people in toppling the theocracy in Iran, by the help of their own opposition, the National Council of Resistance of Iran.

Finally it should be said that the launching Iran task force is good but not enough, and the regime’s overthrow will only be achieved by the Iranian resistance and the people of Iran.

Related:

Outcomes Of Popular Iran Uprising, An Unstable Regime

MEK, A Challenge Much Bigger Than US Sanctions For Iran Regime

What Is The Basic Cause Of Anti-Government Protests In Iran?

Iran's Supreme Security Council's new measures for Spying and act of Terrorism Against the PMOI/MEK

Iran's Minister of Intelligence, Mahmoud Alavi

While referring to the widespread protests in various cities in August, Hassan Rouhani, the President of the clerical regime, demonstrated his animosity against the PMOI and said on August 6: "There is nothing wrong with the people’s protests ... but it shouldn’t be like some people respond to a grouplet(’s requests).”

Subsequently, the regime’s Supreme Security Council, in an instruction to the Ministry of Intelligence, the terrorist Quds Force, the Revolutionary Guards Intelligence and other agencies involved in export of terrorism and fundamentalism, ordered them to take further measures to spy on the PMOI and the Iranian Resistance and to set the stage for terrorist acts.

1. The Ministry of Intelligence stations in various European countries were ordered to collect more information from movements and activities and to use more resources.
2. The Ministry of Intelligence and the Quds Force should examine the human, political and technical capabilities and potentials for terrorist acts in European countries, in particular Albania, through the use of non-Iranian mercenaries, such that these actions can be attributed to the "internal conflicts of the Mojahedin (PMOI)" or "natural incidents" and the regime would not be blamed for.
3. To justify the already disclosed terrorist plots and scandals in Albania and France (April and July 2018),  it is imperative to add to the dimensions of the psychological warfare and the demonization campaign accompanied by the massive influx of false information and the production of fake documentaries. In this regard, the Ministry of Intelligence and its agents and mercenaries abroad must cooperate with the cultural advisers of the regime in European countries, the overseas directorate of the State Radio and Television, the Islamic Propaganda Organization and other relevant organizations. The priority is to employ the hirelings and mercenaries of the regime, especially non-Iranian agents who can carry out their mission under the cover of journalism.
4. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Intelligence, and the Quds Force have been ordered to press upon European governments, especially Albania, to curtail the activities of the Iranian Resistance. This task should be done through friendly "governments and parties" in the region, Europe, and the Balkans, using political and economic relations.
5. The regime’s mercenaries and agents should be dispatched to Albania and used under the pretext of PMOI family members. The Ministry of Intelligence and the Quds Force are required to send their agents, with the help of some so-called non-governmental organizations, in groups under the pretext of the "Family members of the Mojahedin", with the same pattern of their actions in Ashraf and Liberty.

National Council of Resistance of Iran

Security and Antiterrorism Committee