Former US diplomat Mitchell Reiss discussed his history with Iranian Resistance group, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), and how the international community should support the MEK, during the Free Iran Gathering in Paris last month.
Reiss, who was chairing a panel discussion, explained that he first became aware of the MEK and their role as the Iranian people’s resistance in the mid-2000s, when over 3,000 MEK members were being held as virtual prisoners inside Camp Ashraf in Iraq.
He said: “The conditions there were oppressive. These courageous individuals, both men and women, had risked their lives to help the United States when it entered the country to liberate the Iraqi people from Saddam Hussein. For their efforts, they were repeatedly threatened by members of the Iraqi government who were acting as proxies for the Iranian regime. And on at least three occasions, these unarmed defenceless people were brutally attacked and murdered by the agents of Iran.”
The survivors of these attacks were moved to Camp Liberty in Iraq for their safety, but they were still subjected to inhumane treatment and mortar attacks. Those who survived Camp Liberty were eventually moved to Albania and are now under the protection of the Albanian government, which resists the Iranian Regime’s threats against the MEK.
Terrorist designation
Reiss addressed that the MEK was once wrongfully listed as a terrorist organisation by the US, in a desperate attempt by then-President Bill Clinton to appease the Regime in the 1990s and were only removed in 2012, after then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ordered it. This also happened in several European countries, who removed the MEK from the terror list prior to 2012.
Reiss said: “This is a great victory for the democratic opposition, and a blow to the mullahs in Tehran.”
Uprising
He then addressed that during the last round of major protests in Iran, over a stolen election in 2009, the people were “brutally repressed by the regime” and their cries were ignored by the US.
But now, he sees that there has been a change and during the latest uprising the eyes of America have been fixed on Iran, thanks in no small part to Rudy Giuliani and John Bolton who both have Donald Trump’s ear and have been vocal in their support of the MEK.
Reiss said: “All over Iran, we have seen protests erupt spontaneously, protesting the endemic corruption, protesting the economic mismanagement, protesting the support for foreign adventures in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, and elsewhere instead of investing in their own people at home. The fear of the regime is diminishing and the people are once again finding their voice.”
The uprising has led the US to change its policy on Iran, by pulling out of the Iran nuclear deal and reinstating sanctions that will weaken the Regime and allow the people to take over.
He advised that a future Iran, with Maryam Rajavi at the helm, will pay attention to human rights, gender equality, and regional peace. That future, he promised, is within reach.
He said: “The good news is that you have many friends on your side, here on our panel and throughout American and Europe, who all want a better future for the Iranian people. We all want to help. We all want to see you and all the people of Iran enjoy the benefits of egalite, fraternite, and liberte. That is the goal and we are today closer than ever before to realizing it.”
Source » ncr-iran