Iranian resistance (NCRI), the main source of Mullahs fear, said Patrick Kennedy

Madam Rajavi, My fellow dignitaries, and our host, the country of Albania;

Faced whit growing popular protests across the country and unable to quell them with brutal crackdowns, the mullahs regime has stepped up its terrorist plots against the Iranian resistance (NCRI) abroad, which its senior officials blame for the unfolding uprising. The regime in Tehran knows that the synergy between the protesters in Iran and the NCRI threatens its very existence. In 2018 the regime has intensified its disinformation and propaganda campaign against the Iranian resistance in order to tarnish Iranian resistance (NCRI) ‘s image and reputation and paves the way for more terrorist plots. Major social media companies like Twitter, Google, and Facebook have all in recent months suspended and removed hundreds of fake accounts and Web sites connected to the Iranian regime disinformation operation.

There has been a surge of terrorist plots targeting the Iranian dissidents and the Iranian resistance (NCRI) here in Europe soil this year. Three separate Tehran backed terrorist attacks in France, Albania, and Denmark was foiled by close cooperation between the police and the security and traditional authorities of several European countries. The foil plots are reminiscent of the regimes assassination and terrorist campaign against the Iranian dissidents and expatriates in Europe during the 1980s and the 1990s.

At the time the E.U. and its member states responded firmly by expelling the regimes intelligence personnel from E.U. member states, and cutting off diplomatic relations, and suspending the dialogue with Iran. But today the response has been very, very weak and inappropriate to the emerging threat. The targeting of the organized resistance movement demonstrates the regime’s fear of the Iranian resistance (NCRI) coalition and its main constituents the PMOI/ MEK as the Democratic alternative to its rule.

It shows that the Iranian resistance (NCRI) is a real force for change and that the 10 points democratic platform presented by the Iranian resistance (NCRI) President-elect Mrs. Maryam Rajavi offers a viable roadmap for the people of Iran to establish a fair and free and democratic secular republic in Iran at this crucial juncture in history. That is why Mrs. Rajav’s democratic platform is gaining support among Iranians both at home and abroad as well as receiving international recognition by parliamentarians and dignitaries in Europe and North America as the most viable alternative for the future of Iran.

The popular protests in Iran are continuing and expanding across the country despite a brutal crackdown by authorities. Today a majority of people in Iran live below the poverty line while unemployment inflation and corruption are replete. However, the regime continues to spend Iran’s wealth on sponsoring terrorism and its proxies in the Middle East.

The authorities also prioritize financing repressive forces like the Revolutionary Guard Corps and Basij at home to guarantee that the theocracies grip on power continues and they do this instead of addressing the economic crisis at home.

People from various social strata are taking part in the nationwide protests, women, teachers, retirees and ordinary citizens who have lost their savings and pensions due to the sudden bankruptcy of financial institutions controlled by the IRGC. The strikes by workers in the sugarcane factories and the steel mills as well as the student protests across the country are the latest examples of the growing popular dissent against the theocratic regime. “Down With the dictator,” “our enemy is right here,” these are amongst the chants that we hear in Iran.

Thus the unfolding uprising in Iran is not only social restrictions on economic woes, but it’s also a clear expression of popular demand for a genuine democratic change in that country. The supreme leader, regime’s officials, including IRGC commanders and Hassan Rouhani, have in recent months admitted publicly to the key roll theIranian resistance (NCRI) and PMOI/ MEK are playing in organizing these protests.

 So thank you for spreading the true message of what’s going on in the real world other than allowing these mullahs to spread their propaganda. At the same time, these officials are trying to tie the uprising to the United States, Israel, and Saudi Arabia, in order to depict the legitimate popular demands for change and increasing support for the Iranian resistance (NCRI) as some sort of foreign initiative rather than the projection of a democratic aspiration of the Iranian people.

This proves that theocracy has had an impasse that is not willing and able to address the legitimate demands of the people for genuine change because its survival depends on the continuation of domestic repression and its support for terrorism. The regime has, therefore, responded with increasingly posing executions, arbitrary arrests of protesters and other activists in Iran, while stepping up its terrorist activities and espionage against the Iranian resistance (NCRI) and dissidents abroad.

The human rights situation in Iran continues to deteriorate with brutal crackdowns and massive arrests and executions by the authorities in response to the ongoing popular protests and strikes against the regime across the country.

The Iranian regime also continues to carry out inhuman and degrading punishments, like public hangings, flogging, amputations and eye gouging, to name a few.

The reality is that the human rights situation in Iran has only gotten worse under Rouhani’s tenure, despite the claims of him being a force for moderation. Under Rouhani’s, the regime is complementing this domestic repression with terrorist plots against dissidents overseas.

 The U.N. General Assembly and the Human Rights Council adopted over 60 resolutions with the latest one this past November, condemning this regime and its systemic human rights violations. Iran is the leading executioner per capita, with many of those hanging carried out in public.

One of the most heinous human rights violations committed by the Iranian regime is the massacre, 30 years ago, in 1988, of 30.000 political prisoners. This was done as a result of a fatwa issued by then the supreme leader Khomeini, and a majority of the victims were members and supporters of PMOI and the Iranian resistance (NCRI) . Amnesty International described the massacre as an ongoing crime. In a report, just published last week, the report came out from Amnesty International, and they say categorically that we ought to investigate finally what happened in 1988 and where the bodies are buried and bring those responsible to justice, once and for all.

It’s clear that we have seen these terrorist plots foiled against a gathering of Iranian resistance (NCRI) in Paris, we’ve seen it again here in Tirana, and yet the Iranian embassy here in Albania has doubled in size. The Albanian government ought to kick out every single Iranian diplomat in this country for what they were part of in bringing terrorism to this soil.

They brought terrorism into Albania and they should not be permitted to allow to continue here or anywhere in Europe when you consider that they try to bomb officials, elected officials from all over Europe, not only in Paris, all over Europe, these events happen. And they have been in the United States as well.

 So that is why I want to echo Madam Rajavi in saying that IRGC ought to be put on the terrorist watch list.

Let me conclude by saying that I visited many of you today here, and what is amazing that you built in a year and it said to me something very hopeful. It said that if you could rebuild Ashraf in Camp Liberty, and you could build Ashraf here, in Albania, then it won’t be long before you’re going to build Ashraf in Tehran.