At the beginning of September, the Iranian Resistance marked the 55th anniversary of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) with a special ceremony at Ashraf 3, Albania.

The ceremony was centered on a speech by Iranian opposition President Maryam Rajavi, which we will cover in this short series.

In this part, we will look at Maryam Rajavi’s comments on how people’s desire is for the overthrow of the regime.

Maryam Rajavi said: “Today, Iran is plagued with poverty, repression and the coronavirus pandemic. Socio-economic gaps have never been wider. The suppressive machine does not stop for a moment in protecting the mullahs’ religious fascist regime. The regime’s Judiciary has been handing down a barrage of death sentences. Inspired by the sacrifices of thousands of [MEK] martyrs, upheavals and rebellions have been sprouting across Iran. Uprisings are on the horizon.”

She noted that with each passing year, the MEK has only grown stronger, with Resistance Units multiplying and the Eternal Light Operation posing more of a threat to the regime. Right now, she advised, the society is in an explosive state with rebels and protesters waiting for the right time to revolt, highlighting that the young people are set to play a key role.

Maryam Rajavi then referred back to the November 2019 and January 2020 uprisings, which left no doubt that the solution to all of the Iranian people’s problems is the overthrow of the religious dictatorship, saying that the Iranian people “do not want anything from the regime, except its overthrow”.

She said: “They are not looking back to the past. They have set their sights on the future. They chant, “Death to the oppressor, whether it is the Shah or the (mullahs’ Supreme) Leader”. They target all the manifestations of the mullahs’ rule. They have felt with their flesh and blood that the regime is incapable of reform and it must be overthrown in its entirety. Everyone knows that the mullahs will not peacefully give up their power.”

Maryam Rajavi then advised that these are the policies that the MEK and the wider Resistance have been representing since 1981 and that the people’s calls have confirmed the MEK’s authenticity and righteousness in these matters.

She noted that the regime’s treatment of detained protesters, specifically torture and execution is similar to what happened in the 1980s to the MEK.

Maryam Rajavi said: “The accounts of tortures of Navid Afkari and his brothers, and the double execution and long prison sentences for them have shocked and outraged not only the people of Iran but the entire world. Today, we learned that the regime has changed its place of detention. This is what we say, and what our people and the world public say: Do not execute! Free them!”

She went on to talk about the execution of protester Mostafa Salehi and the death sentences issued against (and then hastily and temporarily retracted following a massive campaign) three young protesters.

Maryam Rajavi said: “The MEK are proud that their tradition of struggle and resistance has proliferated among millions across the country.”

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