On the eve of World Day Against the Death Penalty, a gathering was held on October 8 in Berlin in front of the Reichstag building with the participation of dozens of German lawmakers and personalities. The gathering and an online conference simultaneous with it was hosted by the National Council of Resistance of Iran, calls for an end to the death penalty in Iran and calls on the European Union to put pressure on the Iranian regime in this regard.

The NCRI has been fighting for years for the realization of democracy and the establishment of a secular government in Iran. The 10-point plan for a future free Iran, presented by NCRI President-elect Maryam Rajavi, states that the death penalty will be abolished after the overthrow of the regime. Participants in the conference are express their support for Maryam Rajavi’s 10-point plan. They are also calling on the EU to stand with the Iranian people and their Resistance in the struggle for freedom and to end the policy of appeasement toward the ruling regime in Iran.

President-elect Maryam Rajavi is the keynote speaker at the online conference.

“From the outset until the present day, the record of this regime is entwined with executions, hangings, and bloodshed,” Mrs. Rajavi began her speech.

She also mentioned the growing number of executions under so-called reformist President Hassan Rouhani.”All of the regime’s internal factions –the so-called reformists and principlists—are complicit in all these crimes. Some 4,300 people have been executed only during Rouhani’s tenure,” Mrs. Rajavi stressed. “The mullahs wage unbridled vengeance towards our Arab, Kurdish, and Baluch compatriots.”

“Nothing like the execution of 120,000 children of the Iranian people better characterizes the mullahs’ religious dictatorship… The Iranian people’s Resistance and uprisings have been inspired by these sacrifices and are forging ahead to overthrow the regime. Therefore, for the mullahs, the chants of No to the Death Penalty echo their overthrow,” she added.

The Iranian people’s desire is this: Form an international fact-finding mission; examine the ample documents, footages, and evidence of these crimes, particularly the 1988 massacre and the November 2019 bloodbath; send the dossier on these major crimes to the UN Security Council. All elements are there for the prosecution of the bloodthirsty mullah at the helm and other leaders of the clerical regime… Investigate what happened to our people in Mahshahr, Shiraz, in cities in the south and west of Tehran, or in the impoverished suburbs of Kermanshah,” Mrs. Rajavi continued.

The NCRI President-elect also underscored the Iranian people’s desire, addressing the European leaders. “Our people urge the international community to compel the clerical regime to free all detained protesters and all political prisoners,” Mrs. Rajavi ended.

At the event, many members of the German Bundestag and politicians announced their support for the struggle of the Iranian people and their organized Resistance led by Mrs. Rajavi toward a free and democratic Iran.

They also condemned the gross violation of human rights by the mullahs and the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), including the execution of protesters like Mostafa Salehi and Navid Afkari, a wrestling champion. German figures called on the EU to exert pressure on the Iranian regime to abolish death penalties and free all political prisoners, protesters, and prisoners of conscience.

Summary of Repression and Human Rights Violations in Iran – July 2020

“142 countries have abolished the death penalty. According to Amnesty International reports, Iran is the leading executioner per capita. Most human rights activists agree the death penalty doesn’t have a purpose,” said Christian Zimmermann, Editor of the Human Rights Newsletter.

“We salute all the people who were executed by the criminal regime. The last ones were Mostafa Salehi and Navid Afkari, a wrestling champion. His execution angered the entire world community. His crime was to stand up against the tyranny of the regime. The mullahs might be able to slaughter our heroes, but they will pay a heavy price. Navid has become a symbol for all people who stand up for freedom,” said Maliheh Malek, member of the Iranian community in Germany and the program’s director.

The people of Iran are suffering from both the coronavirus and the brutal religious dictatorship. The hope for something better is increasing. The meaning of resistance is to fight for something better. I learned about the resistance in Iran through the people of Ashraf. They are led by Madam Rajavi, who has a ten-point plan for Iran that abolishes the death penalty and fights for the equality of men and women. Ashraf 3 represents a society that nourishes equality, former Speaker of German Federal Parliament Prof. Rita Suessmuth addressed the conference in her message.

“The execution of Navid Afkari and Mostafa Salehi led to international outrage and focus on this regime. This regime is criminalizing any kind of resistance and prosecuting political dissidents. During last year’s national protests we saw thousands of detentions. Even the parliament and Interior Ministry have admitted to the high number of people who have been killed and detained,” said Prof. Norbert Lammert, German Federal Parliament Speaker (2005-2017) and Chairman of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.

“Everyone here today is the voice of Navid Afkari and all freedom fighters who were executed by the Iranian regime. We and our resistance fight for the abolishment of the death penalty and freedom in Iran. The third article of Maryam Rajavi’s ten-point plan is the abolishment of the death penalty. The regime uses executions to maintain its power. We are convinced that Germany and the EU acknowledge human rights and support it in their own legislations. Then they must also support it in Iran,” said Maryam Manouchehrian of the Iranian community in Germany.

 

“What we need is unity. We have seen that the mullahs’ regime does not want to talk. In the 1979 revolution, the people of Iran were very hopeful but due to the regime, many of them had to leave their country to avoid being executed. The mullahs only speak the language of torture and violence,” said Martin Patzelt, member of the German Bundestag and reporter of the Human Rights Commission on Iran.

“What is happening in Iran is unimaginable: torture, sexual violence, mock executions, and death sentences… You have me by your side in your call for the death penalty to be abolished. You know that I am at your side in my work for an Iran in which it is possible that all people can express their opinion, regardless of religion, skin color, sexual identity or ethnicity,” said Dr. Christian Staeblein, Bishop of the Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg in his message.

“The dictatorship of the mullahs in Iran can be summed up in murder and lies. The sooner the regime is removed, the sooner the people of Iran will achieve freedom. Iran has the second-highest misery ranking in the world,” said Leo Dautzenberg, former member of the German Bundestag.
“Shocking videos show how agents of the regime are torturing activists in public. Obviously, if they are not afraid of doing this in public, they are also committing these crimes in prisons. We want to be the voice of the people of Iran. We want to be the voice of Mostafa Salehi, the father of two kids who was executed for taking part in protests. Others were sentenced to death for taking part in the 2019 protests,” he added.

“Twelve of my family members, who were members of the MEK, were killed by the regime. My children died in hopes that their sacrifice will pave the way for new generations of Iran. The regime’s incompetence has killed many of my compatriots,” said Mr. Yahya Shojaei, the father of 12 MEK members executed by the Iranian regime.

“The mullahs only understand the language of force and they’re afraid of the people. We believe that the path of our children was just and the blood that was shed for the freedom of Iran is bearing fruit now. I salute Iranian Resistance leader Massoud Rajavi,” he added.

“The mullahs’ regime is evil and against humanity. But words are not going to be enough. The EU and the UN have the means to use sanctions against human rights violations. All these mechanisms must be used. The regime murders because it is weak, and we must use all the pressure we can against it. The regime is also spreading propaganda to remove attention from the Iranian Resistance,” said Hermann-Josef Scharf, Vice President of the Christian Democrat Party in the Saarland State Assembly.

“Unfortunately, recent reports from Amnesty International and many eyewitnesses are suggesting that the current regime in Iran is using the pandemic and the current situation as a cover for strengthening their actions against the opposition,” said Michał Kamiński, Polish MP and former Chair of the ECR group in the European Parliament (2009-2011).

“That’s why it’s so important to repeat today the very important part of Madam Rajavi’s program for the new Iran, which is stated in the ten-point-plan, that there is strong opposition against the death penalty,” he emphasized.

“Is it wrong to say I want to be free? Is it wrong to go to the street and say the mullahs are taking away my dignity? The mullahs are killing people. What are they doing? They have killed and tortured not only in their country but also elsewhere. They killed Iranian dissidents in my own district in the Mykonos restaurant,” said Detlef Wagner, Deputy Mayor of Berlin.

“In 2018 more than 100,000 people attended an event in Paris to protest the regime and I was shocked to hear that a man linked to the regime tried to bomb the event. While the mullahs’ regime exists, I will attend every event and call for the overthrow of this regime,” he added.

“You are all right to say that the international community must no longer tolerate this. And that is why I am happy to promise you my support as a member of the parliament… Together with my colleagues, I will try to have an impact in Iran, we must do everything we can so that this inhuman practice of execution finally comes to an end and that the prisoners are freed,” said Dr. Christoph Ploss, German MP and President of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany in Hamburg.

“The terror in Iran has not reduced. Many people have been executed because of their protests against the mullahs’ regime and because they stood up for democracy in Iran. There are many people in Germany who support the overthrow of the regime. We know they use terror in Iran and in Europe. They try to discredit the NCRI. We will not stop our support for the NCRI. Their path is right and we must resist against the mullahs. We must also support the people in Iran and show our solidarity with them,” said German MP Thomas Nord.

“The execution of Navid Afkari has shown how inhuman the regime of Iran is. We will never accept this brutal act. We must be very strong in our approach to Iran. We must never accept them,” said German MP Dr. Fritz Flegentreu.

“What we have seen in Iran since 1988 to date is an ongoing crime against humanity. I condemn this practice of execution by the regime that from my point of view, a very clear sign of the weakness of this dictatorship, and these crimes must have ramifications for the regime in Iran. The regime’s leaders must also be held accountable for their crimes, impunity is not an option and here the West must not look the other way,” said German MP Christoph De Vries.

“People in Iran are not living in freedom. They have been suppressed by the mullahs for 40 years. They are still carrying out executions. Germans must not look away while people are being tortured and executed. People of Iran have the right to live in freedom and a democratic future,” said German MP Klaus-Dieter Gröhler.

“We want to draw attention that the people who are on death row must be freed and the death penalty in Iran must be abolished. We remember Navid Afkari and Mostafa Salehi. We are with you and fight against human rights abuses,” said German MP Sebastian Brehm.

The mullahs’ regime is desperate and tries to resort to religion as a means to suppress freedom and extend its power. The founders of the MEK said from the beginning that the real line is drawn not between religions but between tyrants and the people,” said Reza Mohammadi of the Iranian community in Germany.

“The key problem of the people of Iran is the Islamic fundamentalism that the mullahs represent. The regime tries to divert attention from the people’s protests. Navid Afkari became a symbol and showed who is on the side of the people. Those who remained silent in face of his execution disgraced themselves,” he added.

“Hail to the national hero Navid Afkari. I salute all martyrs who were tortured and killed in the mullahs’ prisons. This dictatorship has only been against athletes. It represents misogyny and repression. However, in the face of this regime have been athletes who stood up for freedom. Navid Afkari was an example who gave his life for freedom,” said NCRI member Bahram Mavedat, member of Iran’s national football team in the 1978 World Cup.

“Today we commemorate the death of 30,000 political prisoners in 1988 and 1,500 people who were killed in the 2019 uprising. It is the duty of us athletes to show strength and use all our means to be the voice of those who died. We must support the resistance units,” he added.