Excerpts of the speech of Rt. Hon. David Jones, UK MP, Former Secretary of State for Wales, and Former Brexit Minister, at the Free Iran 2022, is as follows:
Mrs. Rajavi, colleagues, friends, especially friends in Ashraf 3,
May I say how delighted I am to be here with you today virtually if not in person at this important global conference today.
Today, we are gathered to support the popular struggle for a free and democratic Iran.
And also, to mark two important recent court decisions in Europe which prove that it is possible to hold the Tehran regime to account and end its policy of impunity.
The first case in Belgium resulted in the sentence of an accredited Iranian diplomat, Asadollah Assadi to 20 years in prison for terrorism offences.
And the second case was the recent conviction of an Iranian citizen Hamid Noury by the Stockholm District Court in Sweden for involvement in the 1988 massacre of political prisoners in Iran under Sweden’s law of universal jurisdiction. That conviction resulted in a sentence of life imprisonment.
However, given their willingness to prosecute terrorist criminals to conviction, it’s troubling that some of our European allies such as Belgium appear to be contemplating enacting new legislation that would result in convicted criminals being sent back to Iran to serve their sentences.
There can be little doubt that Tehran would immediately release prisoners if they were to be returned on such terms, and therefore I think that the proposal is a bad one, and I do hope that our Belgian friends will reconsider it. Because the point is that bullies should be confronted with firmness.
They shouldn’t be appeased and the United Kingdom and its European allies should take the lead to establish an accountability process through the international courts and through the UN Security Council to hold Tehran to account.
They should be seeking of the prosecution of those regime officials who are responsible for outrageous, such as the policy of hostage taking.
And such as notoriously the historic and current human rights violations that amount to crimes against humanity and I have in mind particularly the 1988 massacre of political prisoners and the roles of Ebrahim Raisi the current president and the supreme leader, Khamenie should also be subjected to judicial scrutiny.
Popular protest and resistance among ordinary Iranians is growing by the day, and the United Kingdom and the EU governments should give every support to the brave people of Iran and the leader of the democratic opposition Mrs. Rajavi to reflect their courage in the face of the regime’s repression.
The international community must support the forces of Democratic Change in Iran, and I believe that that change is coming and that Mrs. Maryam Rajavi will be the person to deliver it.
So I hope that you enjoy this conference and I wish you well. And I trust that before too long we will be celebrating the return of freedom and democracy to the people of the great nation of Iran. Thank you very much.
