Ryszard Czarnecki, Member of the European Parliament from Poland, and former Minister for European Integration addressed the first day of the Free Iran World Summit on July 1, 2023.

Ryszard Czarnecki: There Is No Doubt That the Future Of Iran Lies In This Alternative

The full text of Ryszard Czarnecki, Member of the European Parliament from Poland’s remarks, is as follows:

Dear Mrs. Rajavi, sisters, and brothers,

The recent deadly attack on Ashraf 3, resulting in the killing of one MEK member and the injury of many others, has provoked great anger among members of our European Parliament. Some people claim that the PMOI (People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran) is in Albania for humanitarian reasons and has no right to engage in political activities. Having known them for many years, I can affirm that regardless of the country they are based in, they have a tradition of acting within the framework of the laws of their host countries. However, it is completely impossible for them to deprive themselves of political activity. If that were the case, why did they leave Iran and go into exile in the first place?

I distinctly remember that in 2016, the MEK (Mujahedin-e Khalq) sought guarantees for their basic rights before being transferred to Albania. The Albanian Prime Minister, Rama, personally provided me with this assurance in a letter dated April 19, 2016. I have tweeted this letter, and you can find it on my Twitter. In this letter, the Prime Minister wrote, and I quote in English and Albanian: “Albania is fully, fully engaged and committed to ensuring that the Iranian refugees have all the rights stipulated in the Geneva Convention, 1951, the European Human Rights Convention, and the entire international legislation.”

After the Prime Minister of Albania signed this letter, both we in the European Parliament and the MEK members at Camp Liberty were convinced to proceed with the transfer to Albania because these conventions guaranteed all their rights, including the right to engage in political activity and freedom of expression. It was after this that over 3,000 residents of Ashraf were transferred to Albania. I would also like to mention that during these past years, they have held numerous political meetings in Albania, which were attended by senior Albanian officials. This clearly demonstrates that there was never a commitment to refrain from political activities. Therefore, I urge the Albanian Prime Minister to instruct the relevant authorities to fulfill the obligations that he himself advised six years ago.

Today, after the developments of the past nine months, there is no doubt that the future of Iran lies in this alternative. The Iranian Resistance Movement, led by Madame Rajavi, is currently working to bring democracy and freedom to Iran through her Ten-Point Plan for a secular and democratic republic. This plan represents a comprehensive vision for a better future for the Iranian people. Last month, Madame Rajavi was invited to the European Parliament, where she was received by a far greater number of members than many heads of state. This demonstrates the admiration and support that the European Parliament has for her and her movement.

Finally, I would like to make a personal remark. I come from Poland, a nation that has fought for freedom for many, many years, spanning over a century. This is the reason why representatives from various political parties in Poland are present here today. We, in my country, truly understand the profound value of freedom, the most important wealth of all.