Anthea McIntyre، former Conservative MEP, addressed an online event on October 15, 2020, on the Iranian regime’s terrorism and how it undermines global security.

The event, hosted by the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI). Members of Parliament of the U.K. and Irish politicians joined the online conference. Also, many Iranians supporters of the MEK and the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI)from various countries participated in the event. They focused on the fact that the Iran’s regime is a critical threat to global security, which is especially true considering the mullahs’ terror plots in Europe.

The event came in the wake of new threats by the regime’s incarcerated diplomat-terrorist Assadollah Assadi. Assadi, who arrested following the regime’s foiled bomb plot against the NCRI’s “Free Iran” gathering in 2018 in Paris, threatened Belgian authorities with attacks by the mullahs’ proxy groups if he is found guilty.

The foiled bomb plot in 2018 and Assadi’s threats once again underline the need for European countries to take firm action against the mullahs’ regime.

Anthea McIntyre Former British MP & MEP in the Iranian opposition NCRI online conference—October 15, 2020

Thank you so much. It’s a great honor for me to be joining such distinguished colleagues this afternoon. I’m particularly aware of how much work you, Struan, have put into to this campaign, and what you have done for the people of Iran. So, I think you’re a great standard to follow. 

I particularly want to pay tribute to the women of Iran. They are really playing a very active and prominent role in the popular protests, which of course, are ongoing. Women are really in the forefront of these protests. They’re challenging the regime’s misogynist and repressive policies. And just by their active participation in civil disobedience, they really are a driving force for change in Iran. They’ve been given a platform ad they’re inspired by the NCRI President Elect, Maryam Rajavi, a lady for whom I have enormous respect. She has done so much, and she is leading the Iranian resistance movement, a movement that embraces and encourages the leadership role of women. 

The NCRI is in such stark contrast to this ghastly theocratic dictatorship in Iran, which has really tried to reduce women to second-class citizens. And of course, that is why the regime sees the NCRI and Madam Rajavi as a serious threat to its survival, especially as these popular protests are continuing in the country. So, the regime desperately hopes to eliminate this source of inspiration for Iranian women. And as has been mentioned already several times this afternoon, we’ve seen its terrorist operations against the NCRI’s gatherings abroad, both in Paris in June 2018 and in Albania earlier the same year. And at the same time, the regime is cracking down heavily and brutally on the protests in Iran. 

A recent report by Amnesty International revealed that more than 7000 men, women, and children were arrested in connection with a nationwide protest in 2019. And it says the Iranian authorities have committed further widespread patterns of serious human rights violations. These include many forms of torture, beatings, mock executions, waterboarding, sexual violence, floggings, electric shocks, the forced administration of chemical substances, and the deprivation of medical care. In addition to this, hundreds of people have been subjected to grossly unfair trials on faceless trump top national security charges. And we’ve also seen death sentences handed down on the basis of so-called confessions obtained through torture. 

So, given the gravity of the violations perpetrated and the systematic impunity that prevails in Iran, Amnesty International is renewing its call on member states of the UN Human Rights Council to mandate a UN led inquiry into the violations with of course the views to ensuring accountability and guarantees of no repetition. 

The UK Government and other European countries, and  I want to include her also the European Union, who have an appalling record as supporting the Iranian regime, they must all heed this call. They must take the regime’s human rights violations seriously. And the regimes state terrorism against Iranian dissidents in Europe, which of course are related issues. There must be a firm policy to counter the Iranian regime and to hold the regime’s leaders to account for these atrocities and these acts of terrorism. We must also support the Iranian people and their resistance movement for change. 

So, part of this policy must include making trade and diplomatic relations with Iran contingent upon an end to support for terrorism, an end to executions, and the immediate release of all political prisoners. They must also pledge to investigate all the possible terrorist activities in Europe by the Iranian regime and to prosecute those responsible, and to expel Iranian diplomats who facilitate these crimes. It’s time we all stood up to them and supported the Iranian resistance movement, and Maryam Rajavi. And I am very privileged to be able to do so.