The Year of Revolution and Freedom

Congratulations to my compatriots in all cities and villages across Iran and to Iranians across the world on the advent of the Persian New Year 1398.

Congratulations on Nowruz to the families of martyrs, to the resistance units, to supporters of the Iranian Resistance, to political prisoners, to members of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), to MEK Iran freedom fighters and to Massoud Rajavi.

Parallel with this year’s uprisings, which exhibit the Iranian society’s devotion to welcome rejuvenation and spring, there was a continuous effort within the ranks of the Iranian Resistance to improve and advance humanitarian values and ideals. This effort was ongoing throughout the movement, from the Mujahedin-e Khalq organization, to other members and supporters of the Resistance in various countries, and to members of the resistance units in different cities inside Iran.

The remarkable features of these efforts were reinforced resolve, renewed choices, increased motivation and advances by leaps and bounds in realizing the values of the ideals of humanity and struggle.

Yes, this is indeed a new day with a new revolution in the making, bringing about change. Everyone is passionately endeavoring to create new values to reach the glorious destination of freedom. Everyone is trying their best and making their greatest sacrifice to fulfil their commitment to their enchained nation. They are showing that the strength within their collective enterprise and their coherent and robust organization as well as the power of their people is that enormous and undying force that will uproot the mullahs’ theocratic regime.

This is why the Iranian Resistance’s Leader, Massoud Rajavi, declared that we have entered a new phase. Regardless of how long it takes and despite all the ups and downs, we must be ready and prepared because the policy of appeasement has failed, a policy which had protected the inhumane mullahs for three decades.

Now the overthrow of the inhumane enemy is inevitable. Before all else, the army of freedom must be determined and get prepared by diving into a sea of rebellion and revolution. The instruments of revolution must be prepared.

My salutations to your unwavering resolve, your vigor, and our people’s resistance.

Again, I would like to remind you of Massoud Rajavi’s words in his historic (1980) speech in Rasht, when he said, “Life is tied to the future. Life belongs to those who have a future. Now, it belongs to you… If you choose, if you rise up, if you are vigilant, then you would be the ones who will shape the future. It has always been like this, and it will always continue to be like this. Today, walls will only be torn down in this way.”

We Can Free Our Occupied Homeland

The regime’s campaign to demonize the opposition — the Mujahedin-e Khalq under the leadership of Massoud Rajavi and NCRI President Maryam Rajavi — has failed. Iran’s youth knows that the Resistance is part of Iran’s social fabric and a movement seeking justice for over 30,000 political prisoners massacred during the summer of 1988.

Khamenei’s speeches over the years lauded the power of his regime, claiming it continues to enjoy popular support. He called Iran’s youth the “driving force” of his regime. Khamenei failed to mention that over the past four decades his regime executed tens of thousands of youths.

However, he acknowledged that he is facing a dilemma of defections among his regime’s supporters, and stated that the regime’s enemy is not the U.S., but MEK Iran, who are active and present “among us” inside Iran.

Khamenei admitted that his regime’s survival faces “a treacherous road” full of “obstacles”, and is in need of a major “intellectual and practical overhaul.” He described senior regime officials as “tired, out of steam and lacking any spirit.”

Khamenei added, “We have economic problems. We have an economy relying on oil, which itself is a major problem. We also lack a culture of cutting back on consumption.” Clearly, facing the crippling sanctions scheduled for early November, are a major concern for Iran’s Supreme Leader.

There is no cure for the crises, ordinary Iranians continue to protest. As Massoud Rajavi, the Leader of the Iranian Resistance and Mujahedin-e Khalq has reiterated, “No nation can achieve her rights and freedoms for free. One must pay the price. This is the significant point.”
Yes, we can overcome the evil of religious dictatorship;
We can take down the walls of repression;
And we can free our occupied homeland.
The mullahs must go. Sovereignty belongs to the people of Iran.
God bless the protesters across the nation
Long live freedom

Freedom of the Last Group of Political Prisoners in Iran

The historical leader of MEK Iran, Massoud Rajavi was introduced as a candidate for the 1st Presidential Election in June 1979. Soon Rajavi became the most popular candidate, representing the youth, the ethnic and religious minorities and the most progressive forces in Iran. However, this was alerted by the regime’s supreme leader who disallowed Massoud Rajavi from continuing the race. Rajavi withdrew voluntarily to prevent any conflict with the government.

January 20 is the anniversary of the freedom of the last group of political prisoners in Iran under the Shah’s dictatorship in 1979. This is the day when the motto of “free all political prisoners” became a reality. This was one of the main slogans chanted in popular demonstrations and uprisings under the Shah.

The last group of political prisoners incarcerated by the Shah’s regime included two of the most prominent and well-known political prisoners of the time, Massoud Rajavi and Moussa Khiabani. Those were the days when nationwide popular uprisings against the Shah had broken the spell of repression, and under the public opinion pressure from inside Iran and abroad, the Shah’s dictatorship had been forced to free the last group of political prisoners on the night of January 20, 1979, just three weeks before the fall of the Shah who had fled the country only four days earlier on January 16.

In preparation for their freedom, the last group of political prisoners had already been transferred from the Evin Prison to the Qasr Prison in downtown Tehran.
People had been gathering for days outside the Qasr Prison demanding their freedom. With the flight of the Shah, the last obstacle for their freedom was gone. The Shah later wrote in his memoirs that his greatest mistake was releasing the political prisoners from jail.

One of the great concerns in those days was for the safety of the prisoners who had been held until the last minutes by the Shah’s regime. People feared that the Shah’s secret police, SAVAK, would stage-manage their murders. The interrogators of the Evin Prison had a record of feeding cyanide to a number of prisoners and killing them.

On the night of January 20, 1979, people from Tehran and other cities had gathered outside the Qasr Prison waiting for hours, demanding the immediate release of all the remaining political prisoners. On the other hand, the families of MEK Iran prisoners and other groups of people had been staging a sit-in outside the Justice Ministry in Tehran since a week before, demanding freedom of the last group of political prisoners.

Meanwhile, the regime had declared a state of emergency (curfew). Nobody was allowed to move around the city after 9 p.m. They warned the gathering of people outside the Qasr Prison, firing shots into the air to disperse them. Their threats were not heeded. Angry people clenched their fists and spoke out about their intention to bring down the walls of the prison to free the political prisoners. Their persistence finally bore fruit and forced the authorities to back down.
After a few hours, the gates of Qasr Prison were opened. Massoud Rajavi, Ashraf Rajavi, Moussa Khiabani, and a number of other Mujahedin-e Khalq members walked out of prison and went directly to the Justice Ministry where people were holding a sit-in.

On January 21, 1979, the Kayhan daily reported on the enthusiastic gathering of the people of Tehran and their warm welcome to the last group of political prisoners. The area surrounding the prison was filled with excitement until midnight. Relatives and families of prisoners, as well as their comrades and acquaintances who had been waiting impatiently all night with chants of hail to Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK), salutes to Fedaii, opened their arms to embrace 125 of the best children of this nation.
Massoud Rajavi who faced overwhelming support of the people said:
‘Are there any words by which one could thank you, people? Indeed, all of us owe our freedom to you, the people of Iran, and not to anyone else or any other particular group.’”