On November 24, members of the British House of Commons and House of Lords attended a conference in solidarity with the Iranian people and their organized resistance. As the keynote speaker, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), said, “The uprising is rooted in Iranian society’s desire for freedom, justice, and Iranian women’s liberation.”
“The Iranian people have expressed their desired alternative in their uprising and chants. That alternative has the following features:
- It rejects the rule of religious tyranny.
- It promotes the establishment of a democratic republic and rejects a return to the shah’s dictatorship.
- It is committed to gender equality and rejects forced veiling and all forms of misogyny.
- It emphasizes the separation of religion and state. Believing or not believing in a religion should not cause any privilege or discrimination against any citizen. Sunni and Shia are brothers and sisters.
- It defends the freedoms and equal rights of oppressed nationalities with autonomy within Iran’s borders.
- Different parts of Iranian society have different beliefs, religions, languages, and nationalities. But today, they are united in the struggle to overthrow the regime and rebuild tomorrow’s free Iran.”
“I emphasize two basic demands. The first one is for Western governments to accept the legitimacy of the Iranian people’s struggle to overthrow the regime. They must recognize that the fight between young people and the Revolutionary Guard Corps is necessary, correct, and fair,” Mrs. Rajavi added.
“The second demand is to declare the entire Ministry of Intelligence and the IRGC terrorist entities. Shut down the Iranian regime’s embassies and expel their agents and operatives. This regime does not represent the Iranian people and has no legitimacy. It must be expelled from all international organizations.”
Anna Firth, British MP from the Conservative Party
“Today is the International Day for the elimination of violence against women. So, it could not be timelier for us to be having this conference today. The murder of Mahsa Amini but in mid-September sent shock waves around the world,” said Anna Firth MP. “The Sunday before last, we heard the tragic news that the Iranian regime had sentenced a protester to death; an action that this UK government condemns in the absolute strongest terms.”
“These are vitally important issues. Women’s rights are human rights and I’m encouraged by the cross-party attendance and the very strong and distinguished lineup of speakers today which reflects the strong widespread support for the brave women and girls of Iran in both Houses of the UK parliament. I’m looking forward to hearing their remarks and recommendations but first, it’s my huge pleasure to introduce our keynote speaker, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran Mrs. Mariam Rajavi.” See more…
Rt Hon Theresa Villiers, British MR, Former UK Secretary of State for Environment and Northern Ireland
“I’m very pleased to be able to be here. This conference on the situation in Iran and efforts around the world are being made in this era to track down violence against women and girls. It is of huge concern that we see these gross human rights violations perpetrated against women in Iran,” said Rt Hon Theresa Villiers MP. “So I am here to support those brave women who have been speaking out. Those who’ve been protesting for 70 days now following the appalling death of Mahsa Amini and their courage really is just incredible.” See more…
Jim Shannon, British MP from the Democratic Unionist Party
“I’ve always supported the group of people who are protesting against the regime in Iran and that’s a pleasure for me to come along,” said Jim Shannon MP. “The stance that you’ve taken and support the people of Iran. So, I wanted to be here to express my support for the Iranian people, and their organized resistance, which has been phenomenal to you Madam Rajavi. Because you are truly fighting the good fight.” See more…
Prof Lord Alton, Crossbench Peer Member of the House of Lords
“It’s a great pleasure to follow my colleagues from the House of Commons. We are in the presence of one of the bravest women in the world today,” said Prof Lord Alton. “Someone I’ve admired for the last three decades and it’s always wonderful to see you Madam Rajavi, the President-elect of the Iranian Resistance movement.” See more…
Lord Turnberg, Member of the House of Lords
“Everyone knows that the current regime in Iran is a danger to the world and a large sponsor of terrorism abroad. It creates havoc in the region, and in the countries around it,” said Lord Turnberg. “It is a danger to Israel, always promoting terrorism in that region. But most of all, it’s a danger to the Iranian people the Iranian.” See more…
Lord Bellingham, member of the House of Lords, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Asia and the Pacific from 2010-2012
” “I’ve always taken a great interest in your country Madam Rajavi and I’d just like to say really five quick points. I think that what happened with the start of those female protests, the students and the school children, really has actually littered the torch of freedom. Over years, we have seen many appalling incidents of brutality in your country,” said Lord Bellingham. “The Iranian embassy is doing a number of nefarious things in this country, not least promoting organizations. I think we need to keep a very close eye on what is actually happening within the Iranian diplomatic mission here in this country.” See more…
Lord Polak, Member of the House of Lords
“It is time we finally proscribed the IRGC in this country. The IRGC is the parent body of Hezbollah. We proscribed Hezbollah. I will continue to call for the IRGC designation but the key reason we’re here today this is to talk about the brave women of Iran,” said Lord Polak. “I called on the government to take immediate action to remove Iran from the UN Commission on women’s rights. It is totally ridiculous, it’s incredibly concerning that Iran was ever elected to the UN’s top women’s rights body, and raises larger questions and concerns of how the UN actually allowed this to happen.” See more…
Anthea McIntyre, former MEP and former vice-president of the Conservative Party
“I’m really pleased to once again have the opportunity to support the Iranian Resistance movement. For a number of years, we criticized the way that the European Union pursued a friendly relationship with Iran and the mullah’s regime,” said Anthea McIntyre MP. “I remember being appalled at the way the EU High Representative Federica Mogherini frequently went to Iran, capitalizing on the Ayatollahs.” See more…
Bob Blackman, British MP from Conservative Party
“I would want to hold a debate in parliament about what we should be doing and how we confront the regime of the mullahs and bring it to an end and restore democracy to Iran,” said Bob Blackman MP. “We know of course that the regime is using live ammunition on the streets of Iran to kill defenseless women and children.” See more…
Baroness Eaton, Member of the House of Lords
“I’m absolutely delighted and thoroughly encouraged by hearing the recommendations from you and colleagues about what can be done towards ending prevailing state of violence against women in Iran. There are concrete and articulated options before the United Kingdom and the international community,” said Baroness Eaton. “Our government, our allies and the international partners only need to muster the political courage to implement these concrete recommendations. I suggest that they look to the brave women and girls of Iran for inspiration and courage.” See more…
Rachael Maskell, Labor and Co-operative MP for York Central
“We are seeing it at the moment with the Revolutionary Guards having their last days of freedom and we need to ensure that that has been brought rapidly to an end by prescribing that organization,” said Rachael Maskell MP. See more…
Lord Indarjit Singh of Wimbledon
“We must use our membership of the UN Security Council to address the deteriorating human rights situation in Iran and secure the prosecution of those responsible for serious human rights violations,” said Lord Singh. See more…
