Evin Prison: The Iranian regime’s notorious torture factory

A prison guard stands along a corridor in Tehran's Evin prison

The Iranian regime lives in constant fear of an uprising to overthrow it. Such is its paranoia where opposition groups are concerned it has spent the whole period of its existence, eliminating dissenters.

Located at the foot of the Alborz mountains in northern Tehran, Evin Prison was originally constructed in 1972, under the reign of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. It was then operated by his infamous security and intelligence service (SAVAK).

Opponents of the Shah

Thousands of political prisoners were incarcerated there during that period, including many supporters of the Peoples Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI/MEK), fierce opponents of the Shah, and it was from this point on, its reputation of hell on earth had begun.

The 1988 massacre

With countless numbers having been incarcerated at the time of the now infamous 1988 massacre, thousands of their number can be added to the 30,000 dissidents that were murdered across Iran. This was done under the orders of the then Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini to execute all those who opposed his regime.

‘FREE IRAN’ CONFERENCE CONDEMNS TEHRAN’S HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES

Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran 

The annual “Free Iran” gathering of the Iranian Resistance, People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), commenced on July 1st attracting tens of thousands of participants from over five continents, including prominent political figures from the United States and Europe.  A wide range of topics were addressed and human rights were at the forefront.  Speakers used the opportunity to condemn Iran’s government for violating the rights of its people.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich also spoke of the regime’s oppressive nature and its constant threatening of dissidents.  He discussed the massacre of political prisoners in 1988 and highlighted that Iran’s current justice minister, Mostafa Pourmohammadi, played a critical role in the killings.
Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), reiterated that Iran’s Supreme Leader and all regime officials need to be brought to justice for their crimes against the Iranian people, especially the 1988 massacre of 30,000 political prisoners.  During the event Rajavi also paid tribute to those fallen for freedom.

‘A freer Iran is on the horizon’

By Rudy Giuliani - - Monday, July 17, 2017

I am so overjoyed by the focus of this conference, the theme of this conference, the hashtag of this conference. #Free Iran.

Without Madame Rajavi, people sitting there, all of you, we wouldn’t be where we are. We can see being able to convince the world that there are no moderate members of the present Iranian regime. When I hear the word moderate and I hear the name Rouhani, I think of the fact that he has actually killed more people in Iran than Ahmadinejad. He is a complete phony. He presents a moderate image to the world and to the Iranian people he is a violent, vicious murderer, so they’re afraid of him.

As Madame Rajavi said, it is long past time to declare the Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization. They have on their hands the blood of so many of your people and they have on their hands the blood of my people too, whom they helped to kill in Iraq. We should declare them a terrorist organization so we can cut them off of support around the world. And time has come for regime change in Iran.

Not only do we have regime change, but we have an alternative, and that alternative is you. It’s a democratic alternative. It’s a force for change. It’s well organized. It has popular support. And it has a vast network of supporters. And whoever doesn’t believe that, I ask them to do two things: Take a look at how many of your fellow compatriots are murdered by the regime. Think of how frightened the regime in Iran is of the MEK. That will tell you how strong you are…. And second, supporting the MEK is one of the reasons and one of the ways to break that loose under the leadership of a great hero, Madame Rajavi.

Why the Iranian regime is incapable of reforming from within

Maryam Rajavi, president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran

The unprecedented strength of the Iranian opposition People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) in Paris and Albania has severely alarmed the Iranian regime. It has also raised a pertinent question, can the Iranian regime be reformed within?
At the gathering in Paris, Kouchner said: “Zarif was welcomed in France yesterday. I do not want to blame French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian. We are an old republic, and on this basis we can welcome everyone and accept him in our country, but perhaps we should do the right thing at the right time”.

The annual PMOI gathering was held on July 1 at the Villepinte convention hall, northeast of Paris. Tens of thousands of supporters from all over the world gathered to attend this gathering. As the hall did not have the capacity to accommodate all participants, thousands remained outside the hall.

A gathering in Tirana, the capital of Albania, was held to join the Paris summit via satellite. Nearly 3,000 PMOI members who relocated from Iraq to Albania attended this gathering.

This huge rally represents the PMOI’s strength despite being in exile. It shows their capability of organizing such a large gathering and hosting hundreds of political and parliamentary figures from all over the world.

Maryam Rajavi, the main speaker of this gathering, is an influential leader of this Muslim-democratic movement who believes in gender equality and pluralism. In her speech she emphasized on three essential facts.

How To Tackle The Iran Dilemma

The Iran dossier is high-priority issue on the desk of US President Donald Trump and his entire administration. Both his Secretary of Defense and National Security Advisor have long years of experience in dealing with Iran’s belligerence, especially seen in the mullahs’ meddling in the Middle East.

The 1988 massacre is a highly sensitive matter for the mullahs’ regime in its entirety. While mainstream media in the West continue to mistakenly differentiate various elements in Iran as “moderates” or “reformists”, all factions inside the regime apparatus consider this issue a red line.

This very opposition, represented politically by the renowned National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) and its President Maryam Rajavi, held its annual convention in Paris on July 1st emphasizing it is high time for the international community to adopt a policy of regime change vis-à-vis Iran.

For the past year, however, the Iranian opposition People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) has focused its efforts inside Iran through its network of activists on raising public awareness about this massacre. This has been welcomed on a wide-scale by Iran’s very young population, with nearly half the country under the age of 35.

A delegation of US Senators and Representatives sent video messages and were present at the scene to support a cause seeking freedom for the Iranian people. Standing by their side was a long slate of American dignitaries, including former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Massive ‘Free Iran’ Rally Calls for Regime Change

Maryam Rajavi, president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran

As the number one state sponsor of terrorism and the source of a fundamentalist ideology, the Iranian regime is the principal contributor to the crises that are riddling the Middle East. And the past eight years have proven that appeasing the mullahs ruling Iran will only render a bad situation worse.

This was the message delivered by the July 1 Free Iran gathering in Paris, an event attended by tens of thousands of Iranians expats and hundreds of politicians, activists, parliamentarians and religious figures from across the globe.

The international community should take that message seriously if it wants to avoid another war.

“Would giving concessions ever change the behavior of this regime? The answer is no,” said Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), during her keynote at the event. “This is something that has been already tested repeatedly for the past three decades by the US and Europe. And is it possible to contain this regime? No. the policy has been called containment, but in effect, it does nothing but obstructing the adoption of a firm policy against the regime.”

Former US ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton, who spoke at the Free Iran rally, called it “an arc of control which if it’s allowed to form will simply be the foundation for the next grave conflict in the Middle East.”

A democratic alternative to the Iranian regime – 'Free Iran' rally highlights MEK's role in Iranian resistance

Maryam Rajavi, president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran

But many of the speakers and delegations also spoke of the real possibility of regime change in Iran, as they noted major changes on the international scene. Speaker after speaker from the United States pointed to the new policies of the Trump administration, while others acknowledged the Obama administration for its efforts to remove the MEK from the terrorist list.
Still, the highlight of the event was the keynote address by Maryam Rajavi, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) President-elect. She noted that there was an alternative to the current regime and its extremism.

"Since last July, the Iranian Resistance has hoisted the banner of seeking justice for the victims of the massacre of political prisoners 29 years ago, turning it into the main focus of political discourse in Iran today," said Rajavi.

She noted that in the recent Iranian elections, which many speakers called a "sham", that the slogan of the resistance was "No to the executioner, no to the charlatan". It was a slogan that was widely embraced by the Iranian people, and referenced the attempt by Khamenei to elect Raisi, a member of the death commission in the 1988 massacre.

Rajavi said there is alternative to the Iranian regime and it is the Iranian resistance.

"It is relying on political prisoners, who reaffirmed their support recently for this gathering from the depth of their cells and dungeons. It is relying on women, workers, teachers, professionals, and selfless youths. It is relying on their unsparing love and generous support, those who barrow money and sell their houses and properties to help keep this Resistance independent, strong, and solidified," said Rajavi.