On June 29, 2024, at the Free Iran 2024 World Summit hosted at the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) headquarters in Paris, Norwegian MP Michael Tetzschner delivered a speech.
1. Norwegian MP Michael Tetzschner Calls for European Cooperation with Iranian Resistance, Condemns Regime's Hostage-Taking Policy #MaryamRajavi4FreeIran #FreeIran2024 #BerlinDemo29June https://t.co/234KJ1Z3uF
— Iran Freedom (@4FreedominIran) June 29, 2024
The full text of Norwegian MP Michael Tetzschner’s speech follows:
Ladies and gentlemen, it is a great honor I take this opportunity to address a very important summit for the first time. A majority of my colleagues, members of the Norwegian Parliament, have recently supported and signed the Declaration of Support for Freedom and Human Rights in Iran.
It’s a worldwide campaign of parliaments backing the Iranian Resistance, and we are proud to be a part of that initiative. There is an ongoing human rights crisis in Iran. Recent reports highlight the severe human rights abuses in Iran, particularly against women. The international community is alarmed by the increasing number of executions with the figures rising dramatically in 2023 compared to previous years.
This troubling trend underscores the urgent need for attention and action. According to Amnesty International’s report from May this year, a spike in executions in Iran leads to the highest number of executions since 2015. Iran alone accounted for 74% of all recorded executions in that year.
Furthermore, hostage-taking seems to become a norm of conduct for the Iranian regime to carry out terrorist acts in Europe. Two EU states have traded convicted criminals in exchange for captured innocent citizens. These exchanges are disgraceful and counterproductive, as they only serve to embolden the regime and encourage further acts of terrorism.
We condemn the Iranian regime’s policy of hostage-taking. The regime’s use of terrorism to achieve its objectives higher the risk of continuing appeasement. When countries release convicted terrorists in exchange for hostages, they signal to the same regime that its action will not face serious consequences, thereby encouraging further hostage-taking and terrorism.
We can also say that the fate of Iran will affect the security of Europe. Iran is the mastermind of international terrorism. It’s not enough to stop the regime’s proxies, Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, militia, what you call them. It’s the mullah regime that has to be brought down. Just a democratic Iran will secure a safer world.
Given these circumstances, there is a growing consensus that we have to reassess the current policies towards Iran. The West should be the broader coalition to cooperate with the Iranian Resistance, particularly the National Council of Resistance of Iran, as a true representative of the Iranian people. We see the hope for a free Iran in the Ten-Point Plan of Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, a plan for a secular democratic republic and a free society.
We support the plan and feel optimistic and encouraged by the strong commitment to the principle of a free society. Rule of law, freedom of speech and press, cruel party system, separation of religion and state, equal right for everyone to participate in the governing of the state in accordance to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. I wish you all the best for the future.
Thank you.
