I also would like to start by congratulating Mrs Rajavi and Iranian people for this great victory. 

For years, it looked almost like mission-impossible. You had to go from court to court and appeal after appeal until you finally succeeded and justice prevailed for the PMOI and the Iranian resistance. It is important to emphasize that this would never have been achieved if it wasn’t for your hard work and persistence which really is an example to many of us. 

The people of Iran have suffered all too much and these 15 years of unjust terror labeling of their main opposition by the west made things much more difficult for anyone who wanted to resist the tyranny. This label had become the main obstacle blocking a democratic change in Iran and I really think last week’s victory is a bright star into a better future for the Iranian people.

I also want to pay tribute to all those who are struggling for democracy under unbearable circumstances inside Iran. What has been very striking with the uprising in Iran in contrast to those in North Africa and other Arab countries is the key leading role women play in Iran. We all saw the women who were at the forefront in the 2009 uprisings in Iran and how they stood fast despite severe beatings by the revolutionary guards. I really think those women should be praised for what they do which is beyond bravery. 

Our immediate concern now after the US-delisting is the fate of the 3300 refugees in Iraq who were evacuated from their homes of 25 years in Ashraf and are now leaving in prison-like conditions in Camp Liberty near Baghdad airport. Iraq had long declared its goal to make life “unbearable” for these people and it is a shame that the UN mission in Iraq just keeps following Iraq’s requests without making that country to honor its signed agreements to allow the residents access to their minimum living requirements. 

We have nearly 1000 women in Camp Liberty who are under constant watch of male guards like prisoners. The man currently in charge of the Liberty camp is the same person who conducted the previous massacre at Ashraf in 2011. This should not be tolerated by the UN and the international community. 

It has been already four years since the EU removed the PMOI from the terrorist list. After the American delisting last week, there are no more excuses for EU and other Third countries not accepting the refugees from Camp Liberty. It is time for action. The EU must show its part of international solidarity, and so must other democratic countries too. This is the only chance we could expect and celebrate another and new steps towards more equity and solidarity, towards democracy, stability, cooperation and openness of the country and the region, for a better life of Iranian people."

Romana Jordan, MEP

Video:

Photography