Saturday, July 16, 2022: Thousands of freedom-loving Iranians, supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), and the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) held a great demonstration in Stockholm.
The gathering attended by several Swedish MPs and distinguished European politicians. This major rally comes two days after a Stockholm court ruling that condemned Hamid Noury, one of the executioners in the 1988 massacre of more than 30,000 political prisoners, to life in prison.
At the Stockholm’s court verdict emphasized that the MEK members were the main target in the 1988 massacre in Iran.
The ruling comes after more than two years of investigation, including 92 trial sessions in Sweden and Albania. Contrary to Noury’s victims, who were sentenced to death in kangaroo trials, the executioner, and his lawyers had enough time to justify their crimes against humanity and resort to bogus excuses. However, justice prevailed.
It is worth noting that MEK supporters have tirelessly continued their rallies outside the court sessions in the past two and half years. They repeatedly urged the Swedish authorities to hold Noury to account, despite the regime’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) agents’ propaganda to downplay the crime.
The report of the speeches of this great gathering is as follows:
Swedish MP Kjell Arne Ottosson
Many Iranians have come to voice their protest against the regime in Iran, which spreads terror and fear, and suppresses its population. The number of executions has increased in Iran, and that is why you’re here today to show your protest. In the Swedish Parliament, we support your cause for a free and democratic Iran.
Swedish MP Ingemar Kihlström
I want to voice my support for what you’re doing for a free Iran. As a democrat, it is important for me to show my support for human rights. It doesn’t matter where you live in the world. Iran’s regime doesn’t respect human rights.
Those who committed these crimes must stand trial. We must work so that the people of Iran can have freedom. Criminals must be prosecuted. In my parliamentary request, I am fighting for the women of Iran to have equal rights. Let’s work together to restore human rights in Iran.
Former European Parliament Vice President Dr. Alejo Vidal-Quadras
This is a victory for justice and truth against opportunistic policies. I want to congratulate all of you freedom fighters, I want to congratulate the extraordinary team of lawyers led by Kenneth Lewis that presented to the court undeniable evidence. I also want to congratulate Maryam Rajavi for her wise and brave leadership that took us through this trial. And I want to congratulate the families of the victims who have finally seen justice for their loved ones.
It was proven in court that the Iranian dictatorship is an outlaw political system that inflicts the worst atrocities to its people. No more appeasement. No more dialogue. No more negotiations. The rulers of Iran are a bunch of murderers that should not be accepted as members of the international community.
The message of the Stockholm court must be listened to by the Belgian Parliament that should not accept a treaty of impunity for another criminal, Assadollah Assadi. Assadi must stay in prison for the rest of his life.
The days of the Iranian fanatic regime are counted. The trial of Hamid Noury proves it. We will go on with no hesitation for the freedom of the Iranian people until all criminals of the regime are brought to justice and given the punishment they deserve.
Long live the freedom in Iran. Long live Maryam Rajavi.
The NCRI’s President-elect Maryam Rajavi’s Message
After nearly three years, the Swedish Judiciary handed down its verdict, sentencing to life one of the perpetrators of genocide and crime against humanity in the massacre of political prisoners in 1988. And I stress this is only one out of all the murderers involved.
Of course, we welcome the ruling, which is the outcome of your efforts and sacrifices and deserves to be congratulated. However, full justice will be only done when all the masterminds and perpetrators are prosecuted in the Iranian people’s courts. That includes Ali Khamenei, Ebrahim Raisi, Hossein-Ali Nayeri, Gholam-Hossein Mohseni Ejei, and others.
Also, the mercenaries and operatives whose collaboration with the regime Amnesty International has documented.
In the Iranian people’s ultimate call for justice, the secrets of the biggest massacre of political prisoners in contemporary history will be revealed. The questions that Massoud Rajavi asked the UN Human Rights Rapporteur on February 12, 1996, will also be answered.
— What is the exact number of political prisoners executed during the massacre and before and after it?
— Where are the bodies buried?
— Where are the mass graves?
— How many of those executed were under 18?
— How many of them were women, especially teenage girls?
— And the number and addresses of official and unofficial prisons and safe houses of the Intelligence Ministry, the IRGC, and the State Security Force
The story of the 1988 massacre is the story of an inhuman regime’s confrontation with its only existential threat, i.e., the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK).
Khomeini’s fatwa for the massacre remains the main criterion for the regime’s conduct vis-à-vis the PMOI and the Iranian Resistance.
The physical, political, and ideological elimination of the PMOI/MEK topped the clerical regime’s agenda from the first year.
We still have a long way ahead of us before we achieve complete justice. But the Iranian Resistance’s extensive legal, political, and enlightening campaign over the past 33 months has already achieved a great victory so far. And you had an indispensable role in this victory.
The court’s ruling has crushed the multidimensional plot by the Intelligence Ministry and its mercenaries to derail the Call for Justice Movement against the PMOI/MEK.
Their plot included the necessary preparations to have Hamid Noury acquitted and released.
The trial would have turned out differently if some of the court sessions had not been held in Albania. The court was presented with decisive documents proving Noury’s guilt to which the prosecutor repeatedly referred.
Now, we have taken one step forward in the path to Call for Justice Movement. However, it must continue until all the regime’s leaders and officials face justice.
I want to be clear: Genocide, crime against humanity, and massacre must be recognized – with precisely these legal terms– by national and international courts and the UN Security Council. And international investigation must be carried out in the presence of the representatives of the Iranian Resistance.
The Iranian people’s fight against the clerical regime and the Resistance movement that started on June 20, 1981, independent from any foreign government or power, will forge ahead with full power until we overthrow the mullahs as desired by the Iranian people.
Kenneth Lewis, the Lawyer of MEK members in Stockholm court
We can feel very clearly that the times are really changing. I had the honor to be the lawyer for MEK since 2003. In 2004, I went to Iraq to convince US forces to release them from internment. I was on the team that helped get the PMOI off the European Union’s terror list. The US was later forced to remove them from its list.
Indeed, we can feel that times are changing. On Thursday, it was a historic movement for all of us. 34 years ago, when the regime was forced to end the war with Iraq, it feared that the people of Iran would punish them for carrying out this slaughter for such a long time. That’s why Khomeini issued a fatwa to execute all supporters of the PMOI who continued their support for the organization. This led to the execution of probably some 30,000 prisoners. Although the news reached the world, the regime denied that the massacre occurred. They not only denied it, but they tried to hide the evidence by hiding the mass graves where the victims were buried.
Now, 34 years later, a court of law in a democratic country held a trial for 92 days, where Hamid Noury was prosecuted for his role in this massacre. The judgment is historic not only because Noury was sentenced to life in prison, but because the court confirmed that the massacre of prisoners has actually occurred as we have claimed for years and years. The court states that it has refrained from pointing out the names of others who were responsible for this crime and were not on trial. But when you read the decision, you’ll see the names of some of the key perpetrators, including Ebrahim Raisi, who himself was a member of the Death Commission. The court has clearly stated that there was no legal basis for Khomeini’s fatwa under Iran’s laws or international law.
Unlike Noury, who had two lawyers during the 92 days of trials, the victims had no lawyers and their trials lasted only minutes before they were sent to their deaths.
60 plaintiffs testified in court. Aside from Noury’s role, many of these testimonies included others’ roles, including Nayeri, Pourmohammadi, Eshraghi, and Raisi. The mullahs’ regime is clearly declared to be one of the greatest violators of human rights in the world. With this verdict, it is possible to hold Raisi and Khamenei responsible for crimes against humanity.
It is our hope that this will be possible one day soon, and the perpetrators of this massacre will stand trial for their crimes.
Noury’s lawyers have declared that they will appeal the verdict, a privilege that his victims did not have.
The massacre in 1988 in fact represents genocide, not only against the PMOI but also against the leftists. We should never forget the martyrs who were killed in this massacre, and even less should we ever forgive. We will continue the struggle.
Aboulghassem Rezaee, Deputy Secretary of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI)
We have taken the first step. And we will continue until we defeat this regime. We salute all the martyrs from June 20, 1981, to the uprisings of this year. We will continue their path. We will not allow what happened to the 1979 Revolution be repeated to this new revolution.
In the past year, it was obvious that the main target of all propaganda was the main alternative of the regime. The historic epic of the 1988 massacre will not be forgotten and can’t be erased with propaganda. When we said down with this regime, we stood by our word, and we will continue to pay the price.
In the history of Iran, there is no movement that has stood against this regime for 44 years. We’ve been through storms and blood baths, in Ashraf and Liberty, and back during the Shah’s regime. But never did we give in to the demands of the Shah or the mullahs’ regime. Had we accepted the rule of Khomeini, he would have opened all doors to us. But we stood by our principles and said no to the rule of Khomeini and the mullahs.
The June 17 coup d’etat in 2003 was staged because we stood by our principles. Likewise, your stance and persistence during the nine months of this court has helped achieve this victory. Had it not been for your efforts, had it not been for the testimonies in Albania, had it not been for the cooperation and contribution of our Marxist brothers, the result of the trial would have been different.
Our enemies wanted to portray an image as if the 1988 massacre victims did not know they were going to be executed. But many facts became evident.
There are many fronts, but we will fight in every one of them, and they all lead to the freedom of our country.
Parviz Khazaei, NCRI Rep. in Nordic countries
Khomeini’s fatwa stated that anyone who maintains support for the PMOI must be killed. Khomeini stressed that the process had to be carried out very quickly. This is exactly how Adolf Hitler worked as he ordered to get rid of all Jews and everyone who were ill or mental problems.
Hail to all of you who did not let this court case from going down the wrong path.
This is just the beginning. We will bring this regime, and all its officials, to court. Time does not erase crimes against humanity and genocide. We will bring this regime to a Nuremberg-style court very soon.
At the same time, what is happening in Belgium is a shameful show of appeasement to give in to the hostage-taking policy of the regime. We will stand in front of all Belgian embassies every day.
Message from Khebat Org. Secretary General Kak Baba Sheikh Hosseini
The verdict of the Swedish court in conviction of Hamid Noury means the conviction of the entirety of the mullahs’ regime. It is a very strong document to try other criminal leaders of the mullahs’ regime, especially Raisi. It is a victory for the Justice Seeking movement. Raisi’s hands are tainted with the blood of Iran’s children. He has executed many Iranians.
I would like to thank the Swedish judiciary and the members of the Iranian Resistance who exposed the regime’s atrocities and prevented the trial to be steered in favor of the regime. The mullahs’ regime is at a dead end on all fronts. Their destructive policies and corruption, and their atomic bomb program, their missile program, and their meddling in other countries, has created many crises for the people of Iran.
All protests and demonstrations of the Iranian people going on every day show that the people want regime change. The mullahs’ regime will be overthrown by the people of Iran.
The struggle of the people of Kurdistan in many fields continues. They will continue their struggle until the regime is overthrown and its repressive forces will be swept from their territories.
The Khebat Organization is the leading force for regime change in Kurdistan. We will continue our struggle until this regime is overthrown. We believe that there should be no dealing or negotiation with this regime.
Today the regime is making fake alternatives to compromise the struggle of the Iranian Resistance. But the people of Iran have rejected these tactics and shown their will to change this regime. Our organization considers the NCRI as the only alternative to the Iranian regime and the only alternative that will restore the rights of Kurdistan.
Iranian Resistance Supporters March in the Streets of Stockholm
After the speeches, supporters of the Iranian resistance marched in the streets of Stockholm. Freedom-loving Iranians continue their protest and demand the prosecution of the Iran regime’s heads, from Khamenei to Raisi for their mass crimes against the Iranian people.
