PACE expresses concern over Iranians in Camp Liberty, Iraq

                   

Statement issued today by The Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe:

"The Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe once again draws the attention of the international community to the situation of Iranian refugees in Camp Liberty (Iraq).

In particular, the Committee is worried by a recent statement of the Iraqi Minister of Justice, in which he said that if Iran asked for the extradition of the residents of Camp Liberty, Iraq would deliver them. The Committee warns that this would constitute a violation of the principle of non-refoulement and a breach of international laws and conventions.

Liberty residents are protected persons under the 4th Geneva Convention and, according to the UNHCR, are entitled to protection under international law. In addition, if carried out, this would also be a breach of the agreement signed between Iraq and the United Nations, in December 2011, where Iraq committed itself to guaranteeing the safety and security of residents until they left Iraq.

There are almost 3 000 Iranian refugees in the camp and, to date, 116 have been killed, 7 (including 6 women) have been taken hostage, 18 died as a result of a medical siege, and 1 300 injured in attacks, notably 4 rocket attacks in 2013.

The Committee urges the Iraqi authorities to comply with the UNHCR call for the government of Iraq to do everything possible to guarantee a safe and secure environment for this population. The Iraqi authorities must also release the 7 hostages taken from Ashraf Camp.

The Committee encourages Council of Europe member States to consider favourably the resettlement demands of Liberty residents, particularly as the UNHCR has called on all countries to redouble their efforts to find humanitarian solutions for this population outside Iraq."

Iran : Un Téhéranais tué par la police dans un raid contre les antennes satellites

                    

CNRI - Un homme de 65 ans, Ali Mohammad Khoï, a été tué dans un raid de la police dans la rue Chah Nazari et le boulevard Mir Damad de Téhéran, pour y saisir les antennes satellites. Cet incident est survenu le 28 septembre quand les agents ont pris d’assaut des domiciles pour y arracher les antennes.

Quand les agents ont voulu entrer dans le bâtiment dont M. Ali Mohammad Khoï était le gérant, il leur a demandé leur carte d’identité et leur autorisation, mais les forces de sécurité l’ont menacé de l’arrêter et l’ont repoussé violemment, le faisant tomber. Sa tête a heurté le sol entrainant sa mort. Les agents ont menacé ses proches de ne diffuser aucune information à ce sujet, ni de porter plainte.

Le plan d’urgence pour éradiquer les récepteurs satellites, lancé en juin dans divers quartiers de Téhéran, a connu un coup d’accélérateur la semaine dernière.

Mohammad Fazeli, vice-commandant du renseignement des pasdaran de la province de Khorassan Razavi, dans le nord-est de l’Iran, a annoncé dans un rare état des lieux le 28 septembre, l’existence de 50 millions de récepteurs satellite en Iran.

Il a reconnu que pour régler cette question, la saisie des antennes satellites ne servait à rien. (Médias officiels, 27 septembre). Avant lui, le mollah Mohseni Gorgani, chef de la cour suprême avait déclaré aux autorités à ce propos qu’ « il est nécessaire de prendre des mesures spéciales pour empêcher ce flot ‘qui sape les fondements’ parce que demain il sera trop tard » (agence Fars, du corps des pasdaran, 28 mai 2014).

Les efforts du fascisme religieux pour empêcher les Iraniens de regarder les chaines satellites et la répression de grande ampleur qui s’abat sur Internet, trahissent la peur des dirigeants du régime d’un accès à libre à l’information et de la montée des protestations d’une population excédée par la tyrannie et l’oppression. 

Des journalistes iraniens contre Rohani qui a nié l’existence de journalistes emprisonnés

                   

 Un groupe de journalistes iraniens ont adressé une lettre ouverte au président du régime des mollahs dans laquelle ils ont protesté contre la dénégation d’Hassan Rohani concernant l’existence de journalistes emprisonnés en Iran.

Cette lettre ouverte, signée par 135 journalistes iraniens, a été publiée le jeudi 2 octobre par des sites Internet d’information persanophones basés à l’étranger.

 Les signataires de la lettre précisent qu’un an après l’avènement de l’actuel gouvernement, aucune des revendications des journalistes iraniens n’a été satisfaite et qu’en outre, dans une interview avec la chaîne télévisée CNN, Rohani a nié la réalité de l’existence de journalistes emprisonnés en Iran.

Lors de son voyage à New York pour participer à la l’Assemblé Générale de l’ONU, en réponse à une question posée par un journaliste, Hassan Rohani a dit : « Je ne pense pas que quelqu’un ait été emprisonné en Iran à cause de ses activités journalistiques. »

L'Iran ne coopère pas avec l'AIEA estiment la majorité des parlementaires américains

                    

 Une grande majorité des membres de la Chambre des représentants des Etats-Unis a écrit au secrétaire d'État John Kerry pour exprimer son inquiétude sur "le refus" du régime iranien de "coopérer pleinement" avec l'Agence internationale de l'énergie atomique" sur son programme nucléaire.

354 parlementaires américains dont son président John Boehner et de nombreux démocrates, ( 80%  du Congrès) ont écrit: "Nous estimons que la volonté iranienne de révéler ou non pleinement tous les aspects de son programme nucléaire servira de test fondamental pour vérifier l'intention de l'Iran de signer un accord définitif".

"La seule raison pour laquelle Téhéran bloque les enquêteurs internationaux est que Téhéran a effectivement quelque chose à cacher", affirment les parlementaires.

Dans un rapport du 5 septembre, l'AIEA a accusé Téhéran de n'avoir pas répondu à toutes ses questions sur son programme nucléaire, en particulier sur ses éventuels volets militaires. L'Iran avait jusqu'au 25 août pour éclaircir cinq points soulevés dans un accord conclu en mai avec l'AIEA, mais la République islamique s'est contentée d'"entamer les discussions" sur deux d'entre eux.

Le Congrès américain a, à plusieurs reprises, exprimé ses doutes face aux négociations nucléaires entre l'Iran et le groupe "5+1" (Allemagne, Chine, Etats-Unis, France, Royaume-Uni, Russie). 

Henri Leclerc: "We defendied Iranians who were defending very important values"

        

'The right to resist oppression is one of the four fundamental rights in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that our 1789 revolution acknowledges; the right to resist oppression'English translation of an interview with INTV opposition satellite TV.
Reporter: Following the great victory of the Resistance and the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) in France in the verdict of the French judiciary to drop charges made against them after a collaboration between the dictatorship ruling Iran and the French government in 2003, we have here the prominent French lawyer Mr. Henri Leclerc to speak briefly about this case:
Q: Mr. Leclerc, you were the lawyer in this case from the very beginning in 2003 and even then you emphasized that this case is groundless and there is no serious evidence. Now that your opinion has been proved right after 11 years, what do you think?
Henry Leclerc: I feel that we wasted a lot of time. The French judiciary wasted a lot of time and effort in arriving at what I suspected from day one; namely that this case is empty. It is utterly empty! The idea was for them to ultimately say that those who are resisting in Iran are terrorists and that their organization, their will to fight, could only end up on charges of terrorism.
I said then that firstly, to resist is a right and secondly that terrorist operations are in nature terrorism, but we have no such thing going on here. It took us a long time to get to this point and without a doubt the reason was that the case had trade and economic reasons behind it rather than political reasons. It was a difficult case, but we got to a point where the judges dropped all the charges.
Q: Given your long experience in important cases in defending the human rights and the rights of nations and peoples, how would you compare the case of the PMOI and the Iranian Resistance with the historical cases that you have worked on?
Henry Leclerc: Of course, I have worked on various cases related to the defense of human rights, including in France and many other countries. However, here, we really had a case that was empty. This meant that at times, what was judged was the act to resist and to protest. These acts are at times difficult and may be violent in confronting another violence that emanates from a tyrannical regime. In the case of the Iranian Resistance the French judge had nothing of the sort; he just assumed things. Of course they did have some charges that were brought up by the mullahs’ regime. In my opinion, if the French foreign minister had not gone to Iran to sign economic pacts and Iran reciprocated by demanding the arrest of the PMOI, such a thing would have never unfolded.
This case had one noble issue in it. We were defending people who themselves were defending very important values and at the same time their acts or the acts they had been charged with were not seriously criticized. There was nothing in this file; nothing! Generally those who are suspected of doing things are not condemned; only the criminals are condemned. Finally, they had to confess to this. I believe that the judges, especially the last judges that we faced, said that it is no longer possible [to continue this file].
I feel that at one point the government became less partial in this case. But of course, this case also fits within international politics. It is clear that the authorities treated this case in an illogical manner. They stated: “In any case, these are dangerous people. We know that they are dangerous. We know a lot. This is a cult. They do not respect individual freedoms.”
But then, you need to provide evidence. However, there was nothing but rumors without any foundation or meaning. I am really happy that the French judiciary reached the point of acknowledging that the PMOI is innocent.
Q: You know that the Iranian regime really exploited this case that was launched in collaboration with a number of organizations in France and with the French government at the time to oppress the dissidents, especially the Ashrafis who were in Camp Ashraf then and later in Camp Liberty. I am sure you have heard now that as soon as the verdict was announced, the Iranian state TV and the media affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards declared that the French judiciary, in coherence withPMOI, has acquitted the members of this grouplet who for years had been charged with terrorism. What do you think about this reaction by the regime and the abuse of this case by the regime against the law?
Henry Leclerc:This is absurd! Of course there is no collaboration between the PMOI and the judges! The French prosecutor judges are very rigid. The decisions they make are sometimes delayed, but the decision was ultimately made in this case. In my opinion, politicians in France today are impartial.
We also need to say that the issue of Iran is part of the intricate geopolitical problems and the ongoing fights in the Middle East. Moreover, we do have a direct intervention by the West… these are all problematic. We really need to have our friends in Camp Liberty under protection. In any case, it is my opinion that the verdict to drop all charges is a very positive parameter. Today, after 11 years of investigation, work and study, we know that those who were prosecuted in this case cannot be condemned for any illegal act; and in reality this includes the National Council of Resistance of Iran and the PMOI.
Q: the people of Iran, especially the Ashrafis, i.e. the residents in Camp Liberty, are now very grateful for your defense in this case, in particular because this was a face-off between the Iranian people and the regime. What is your message to them?
Henry Leclerc:I have been involved in the issue of Iran for many years. I have never been to Iran. But as a defender of human rights, I have been defending Iranian friends since the time of the Shah. I began to defend a number of people and here I had Iranian friends in exile. We did a lot relating to those who had been tortured and killed by the SAVAK. One should say that we all held out great hopes for those who struggled at that time. Regrettably, we saw what happened. After the despicable dictatorship of the shah, another tyranny assumed power; they were the mullahs. We saw some friends who had gone to Iran for the cause of revolution who got killed and are no longer with us. And we saw those who exercise their right to resist. The right to resist oppression is one of the four fundamental rights in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that our 1789 revolution acknowledges; the right to resist oppression.
I then set out to defend the people here. Afterwards, we constantly faced the problem of residence for the refugees in France. We had the French treatment that included threats, expulsion, withdrawing protection; the reason was always economic relations with Iran. And then we had this terrible case where to start with they detained people in ludicrous conditions in prison because they had nothing against them! We knew that the case was groundless. We knew they had not been arrested for terrorism, but they had been arrested for their behavior that endangered the economic interests of France. We fought this. We fought in front of the French authorities and especially the judges and finally we were heard by the judges.
What I want to say to the Iranian Resistance fighters is that the situation is difficult now. The whole world is a bit worried. We are worried about them too. But I want to tell them first not to abandon the fundamental spirit of human rights: that tyranny should never be accepted. Tyranny can only exist if people accept it. Yes, it does take a long time and people do get killed. There are terrible and difficult moments. But if we don’t resist, tyranny will surely triumph. Therefore, we need to have resistance fighters. This was my first point. Second that the democrats in the world, the defenders of freedom in the world, will always support those who resist. And my last point for them is that although I am pretty old and I set out on this fight when I was young, it is my hope that one day I will go to Iran.

Israel didn’t assassinate Iranian physicist in 2007 — Revolutionary Guard did, sister says

         

National Post-Sept. 30, 2014 - Iran has long been suspected of carrying on a covert program to develop nuclear weapons.
When Iranian nuclear physicist Ardeshir Hosseinpour was “gassed” to death in 2007, the finger of suspicion was immediately pointed at Israel.
Now, his sister claims he was murdered by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard (IRI) because he would not cooperate with its efforts to divert nuclear work from peaceful purposes to building an atomic bomb.
If Mahboobeh Hosseinpour’s account can be confirmed, it could affect the next round of nuclear negotiations between Iran and the P5+1, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany.
Speaking to The Media Line from Turkey via Skype in a conversation 
, Ms. Hosseinpour, 54, said she learned through her sister-in-law, Sara Araghi, of her brother’s secret research.
This was stored on a DVD, which also contained research and formulae for building an atomic bomb 12 times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb and methods for neutralizing it.
Ms. Hosseinpour said in November 2004 her brother was contacted by three special agents working for IRI’s defence department. They gave him a personal message from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, 
enlisting him to work on increasing uranium enrichment capabilities in order to build atomic weapons.
The nuclear physicist was also asked to teach and supervise Russian and North Korean scientists to accelerate the project.
In return, “he was offered a two-star rank in the revolutionary guard and ownership of factories.”
After Dr. Hosseinpour’s death, his wife went to his office at Shiraz University and removed the DVD from its hiding place. She also found evidence the room had been searched and items were missing
, including a photo of him with then-president Mohammed Khatami. The DVD was later stolen.
Dr. Hosseinpour’s mother, who died in 2011, was also warned to be careful. She was told Ayatollah Khamenei had issued a fatwa, ordering scientists to work on enriching uranium to 20% for the benefit of the Islamic Republic.

Iraqi PM standing up to Iranian regime gains support in Europe

                     

Press Release issued on Thursday by the Brussels based European Iraqi Freedom Association:
In recent days, the European Iraqi Freedom Association (EIFA) has received numerous reports of the activities of the Iranian regime and its puppet Nouri Al-Maliki against Mr. Haider al-Abadi, the new Iraqi Prime Minister. The regime is seeking to prevent the removal of its supporters from senior Iraqi government posts.

These activities include staging bogus protests against al-Abadi. Some Iraqi TV stations have shown video clips of agents affiliated with Maliki distributing money to the poor to encourage them to join these demonstrations.

In recent days, Mr. al-Abadi has taken some brave steps to dissolve several illegal and repressive bodies previously formed by Maliki, such as the so called Military Office of the Prime Minister, frequently used by the Iranian regime in Iraq. Such actions have infuriated Tehran.

EIFA calls on Prime Minister al-Abadi to adopt a firm stance against the ruling theocracy in Iran and all its criminal militias and proxies inside Iraq. Cleaning up the governmental, military and security institutions of the mullahs’ agents and exposing their atrocities against the Iraqi people will strengthen the Prime Minister in sorting out the present crisis. EIFA declares its full support for such a stance. The new Iraqi government will surely enjoy the firm support of all European nations, parliaments and politicians in standing up to the meddling and interference of the Iranian regime and its cronies in Iraq.

Struan Stevenson, Chairman of European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with Iraq
(2009-2014) and President of European Iraqi Freedom Association (EIFA).