Struan Stevenson condemns abuses in Iran and Iraq

                     

The president of the European Iraqi Freedom Association (EIFA) condemned Iran's meddling in Iraq and widespread abuses of human rights in both countries.

Struan Stevenson criticised the US for appeasing the Iranian regime over its human rights violations. And he praised Iranian Resistance leader Maryam Rajavi for her 'democratic and tolerant version of Islam' that can play a vital role in isolating the Iranian regime.

He told a conference to mark International Human Rights Day in Brussels: "Not every day is Human Rights Day in Iran and Iraq. For too long, the international community has remained silent towards human rights violations in Iraq and Iran.

"Maliki utilised the claim of fighting a war against terror to secure his grip on power and the West fell for it.

"When Maliki came to power, step by step his government distanced itself from Washington and got closer to Tehran. A clear indication of this was Maliki’s approach towards the main Iranian Opposition, members of the People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI/MEK).

"3500 PMOI members had lived in Iraq for almost 25 years. But from the first day after the fall of Saddam, Tehran had conspired to massacre their arch foe and to annihilate Ashraf and in Nouri al-Maliki they found a willing tool."

"The predictable outcome materialised in the form of six brutal massacres during the years 2009 to 2013. We warned the US, UN and EU again and again that these massacres would take place. But our cries fell on deaf ears."

He added: "The PMOI and Maryam Rajavi's democratic and tolerant version of Islam, can play a vital role in isolating the Iranian regime and its twisted Islamic Ideology inside Iran."

And he said of Iraq: "It has a dreadful human rights record and now is in third place after only China and neighbouring Iran in the number of people it executes. In spite of vast oil revenues, per capita income is only $1,000 per year, making it one of the world’s poorest countries.

"The situation for women in Iraq is dire. Women are subject to rape, attack and violence. Iraq has 5 million widows and 5 million orphans, but only 120,000 receive state aid.

"The world now looks to Haider al-Abadi to take control and restore order inside Iraq. He must purge the army of Iranian mercenaries and all those that Maliki recruited under his sectarian policy, restoring patriotic officers and turning it into a professional and national army.

"The new Prime Minister should also disclose to the Iraqi people the names of those who carried out the executions, massacres, bombardment and rocket attacks against innocent people and those responsible for poverty and state corruption; all should be held accountable in the courts. He must re-establish the independence of the Judiciary, dismissing those who have turned Iraq’s justice system into a political tool wielded by Maliki. He must also arrest and hold to account the perpetrators of the six massacres at Camps Ashraf and Liberty."