On Tuesday November 23 2008, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi entered Berlin to participate in some parliamentarian sessions. Upon her arrival, she was welcomed by a number of German parliamentarians, political and human rights personalities, and members of the German Solidarity Committee for a Free Iran. Then Mrs. Rajavi attended the parliamentarian session held in the German Palace for Parliament’s president.
In the session, the declaration of 150 members of German parliament in support of democratic change in Iran, signed by 9 chairmen of committees of German Parliament, was presented to Mrs. Maryam Rajavi by the chair of the session Mr. “Hermann-Josef Scharf, representative of German Federal Parliament from Democrat-Christian Faction.
Mrs. Rajavi presented the list of names and particulars of over 20 thousand martyrs of just resistance of the Iranian people to Mrs. Ingrid Holzhüter, the head of German Solidarity Committee for a Free Iran.
In her speech in the German Parliamentary session, Mrs. Rajavi appreciated the bravely initiative of 150 Federal Parliament members including 9 commission chairmen for presenting the declaration in support of the Iranian Resistance. She said: “The strict attention of the German parliamentarians to the Ashraf City situation indicates an admirable responsibility regarding an urgent humanitarian problem”.
She added:” I am speaking to you on behalf of a movement that has been struggling against Islamic fundamentalism for three decades; struggle for democracy and equality of women and men; its outcome is a vanguard equality movement with upbringing of a generation of women leading in all levels of resistance, and a generation of men believing in equality ideal. ”
Mr. Rajavi added: “The Iranian people and resistance are able to carry out democratic change because the resistance enjoys vast popular support in the Iranian society; the social network of the resistance organizes a great numbers of demonstrations of students, teachers, and workers; the mullahs haven’t been able to eliminate this resistance with the severest methods.
“During last two years, the competent European Courts have annulled five times the illegal and outrageous terrorist designation of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI) and the European parliaments have called on the European Union in 16 resolutions and declarations to end the lawbreaking; the unjust terrorist labeling of the PMOI has blocked the pivotal force of the Resistance and as a result of this injustice, not only the Iranian people but the whole world have lost.
“The clerical regime takes advantage of the outrageous terrorist designation of the PMOI to suppress, execute and torture in Iran and to conspire against the 3,500 PMOI members residing in Ashraf; the Ashraf City is the inspiring point of the Iranian people’s struggle for obtaining freedom, particularly to the youth and the women; the Ashraf residents have been residing in Ashraf legally since 22 years ago and have been protected by the Multi National Force. In numerous statements, parliamentarians and relevant international organizations have underscored Ashraf residents’ rights. In early October, in a statement, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) declared, ” Transferring protection of Ashraf under the present circumstances violates the principle of non-refoulement, the Fourth Geneva Convention, the Refugee Convention, the Convention Against Torture, IHL and International Law.”
Mrs. Rajavi concluded: “Countering religious fascism is a responsibility that Germany and other western powers must be committed to. The time has come to end the policy that has brought disaster; this change will necessarily pass through correction of the West’s biggest mistake, namely ignoring the Iranian people and Resistance and annulling the illegal lable of terrorism. The time has come that the German government recognizes the National Council of Resistance of Iran; the Iranian people deserve acquiring freedom and democracy; they ask you to help them.”