NCR statement , Paris, May 31 - In a press conference on Wednesday, May 31, members of the Swedish Parliament presented an all-party statement signed by 180 members of the Parliament of Sweden. In this statement, the majority of representatives in the Swedish Parliament called for the adoption of a new policy on Iran. The honorable representatives Bengt Silfverstrand (Social Democrat and member of the Foreign Affairs Commission), Gullan Lindblad (Moderate and leader of the party's women), Karl-Goran Bi orsmark (Liberal, member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and Vice-President of the Parliamentary Human Rights Group), Rolf Kenneryd (Center, senior party official), Rignhild Pohanka (Green Party), Rose-Marie Frebran (Christian Democrat and senior party o fficial) and Henrik Jarrel (Moderate) were present at the press conference.

The Swedish MPs condemned the mullahs' suppressive and terrorist policies, continued flagrant violations of human rights, and bloody suppression of domestic uprisings in Iran. "The time has come," they stressed, "for the adoption of a firm, practical p olicy on Iran and assist the Iranian people, who demand the clerics' overthrow, by imposition of military, economic, commercial, political and diplomatic sanctions and restrictions on the regime." The Swedish MPs emphasized, "In our view, supporting the aspirations of the Iranian people, now represented by the National Council of Resistance and its President-elect, will expedite the establishment of democracy in Iran and contribute to the restorat ion of stability in the region."

Reiterating the fact that the policy of appeasement under whatever pretext will have opposite impact, they recalled that "the mullahs' firing of Scud-B missiles at a base of the National Liberation Army of Iran demonstrated that the regime totally dis regards international covenants." "It is, therefore, necessary," they stressed, "that the United Nations Security Council undertake binding measures concerning the repeated violations of international standards and the widespread suppression of the Irania n people by the ruling regime."

TT news agency, Stockholm, May 31 - Let us Boycott the Iranian regime and support the National Council of Resistance. Backing this call are more than half of the members of the Swedish Parliament.

180 representatives from different parties have signed this statement. Mr. Bengt Silfverstrand (a Social Democrat) said, "This is a moral obligation for all of us. This is the suitable opportunity for these measures to bear fruit." He has sponsored this initiative and made these remarks at a press conference in the Parliamen t of Sweden.

The statement condemns suppression and violations of human rights by the present regime. It has been demanded in the statement that decisive measures should be taken diplomatically, politically, economically, and militarily as well as carrying out puni shments against the Iranian regime. it has been also stressed on the need for the UN Security Council to impose strong, binding punishments. The statement will be soon given to the government of Sweden and the Iranian regime's embassy.

Radio Sweden, Program 4, May 31 - Half of the Swedish parliamentarians signed a statement calling for a complete economic boycott of the Iranian regime and support for the National Council of Resistance. Flagrant violations of human rights in Iran has been also condemned in this statement...

Sponsor of this measure in the Swedish Parliament, (Mr. Begnt Sfverstrandt): "It is 16 years now after the fall of the shah, that Iran has this terrorist regime."

A: Yes. We expected that after Khomenini's death, the moderate forces within the regime would change the situtation. At this point, this has become scandalous. We therefore believe that the time has come to expand the pressures on this regime. Internat ional experience has proven that if we bring pressure on the mullahs now, it will produce results. Examples are that of South Africa and Zimbabwe...

Q: Did all the parties within the Parliament of Sweden endorse this statement? A: Yes, all the seven parties. And up until this hour 195 people have signed, because of a shortage of time, Now, if had waited another week, this figure would have reached 225 in the least. But it really will not make much difference. For example, Italy supported this cause with a decisive majority.

Q: In other words, this is an extensive support on the part of the Swedish Parliament? A: Yes, really extensive.

Reuter, Rome, May 24 - Iran's main opposition movement said on Wednesday that it had won supoprt from a majority of members of Italy's lower house of parliaemnt for international action against the Tehran government.

The Mujahideen Khalq/National Council of Resistance (NCR) published a declaration it said had been signed by 317 of the 630 members of the Chamber of Deputies.

Among signatories were the leaders of four major political parties including Massimo D'Alema of the ex-communist Democratic Party of the Left (PDS) and Umberto Bossi of the Northern League, the NCR said.

The document accused Iran's Islamic overnment of what it described as "ferocoius violations of human rights" including the execution and torutre of dissidents. "We believe that the policy of compromise with the Iranian regime for whatever reason has terrile results. It is really time to take a firm posiont towards the Iranian regime," the declaration said.

Expressing support for the NCR it added: "The Security Council of the United Nations must take adequate measures in response to continued violations of human rights in Iran." Italian parliamentarians who attended a news conference said a copy of the declaration had been sent to Prime Minister Lamberto Dini.

They urged Italy, which has substantial trade links with Iran, to drop its opposition to following U.S. President Bill Clinton's call for a trade and investment embargo with Iran. Clinton has alleged that Iran supports international terrorism and is seeking to build an atomic bomb. Iran denies both charges.

"The embargo proposed by Clinton maybe one way of dealing with this regime which has already done too much damage," said Lucio Malan, a member of the lower house foreign affairs committee for the Northern League.

Associated Press, May 30 - Iran has executed tens of thousands of suspected government opponents in the last 16 years and kept large numbers of political prisoners languishing in jail, Amnesty International said Wednesday.

Opposition activists have been targeted for attack over the past 18 months and even Iranian dissidents who fled abroad are not safe, the London-based rights group said in 17- page report.

Despite Iran's refusal to allow human rights investigators into the country, Tehran has not been able to hide its "appalling human rights record,"Amnesty said. Over the past 15 years, scores of dissidents living outside Iran have been "assassinated in circumstances suggesting they may have been extrajudicially executed by Iranian government agents," it said.

The report cites cases of long-term political prisoners held without trial, and suspected executions of government opponents both inside and outside Iran by government agents... Four leaders of religious minority groups _ three Christians and a Sunni Muslim _ were found dead recently in suspicious circumstances, believed killed by Iranian government agents, the report said...

NICOSIA, May 31 (Reuter) - Iran's state news agency IRNA dismissed Amnesty International allegations of human rights abuses in Iran as lacking in evidence.

In the first Iranian reaction to the report on Tuesday, IRNA said Amnesty had merely repeated previous allegations that the government restricted its opponents and that four religious minority leaders were killed under suspicious circumstances....

IRNA quoted "political circles" as saying that Amnesty "has acted as per the policies of the United States against Iran" since the 1979 Islamic revolution toppled the pro-Western late shah of Iran and brought Moslem clergymen to power.

"Observers say the United States will use every means to exert pressure on Iran and the Amnesty International is one such American tool," it added.

TEHRAN, May 31 (Reuter) - Eleven men convicted of drug smuggling, kidnapping and armed attacks against police were hanged in southern Iran, a newspaper said on Wednesday. The eleven were executed in a prison in the provincial capital Kerman on Monday, the daily Hamshahri said.

NICOSIA, May 29 (Reuter) - An Iranian judge has said that 50 people detained after rioting in a Tehran suburb in April are due to be put on public trial, the daily Iran said on Monday. The 50 people would "soon" be tried publicly, head of Tehran Islamic Revolutionary Courts Gholamhossein Rahbarpour was quoted by the newspaper as saying.

He said they were "adventurers" and did not belong to any opposition groups.

The riots in Tehran's teeming working-class Islamshah suburb were sparked by demands for better fresh water and lower bus fares but turned into a wider protest against high prices. A journalist at a Tehran newspaper told Reuters on Monday that local journalists had been able to confirm that 16 people were killed in the riots, but the news was not published. An Iranian official had said that not more than five people were killed. Residents said dozens were injured and hundreds arrested.

Mojahedin press statement, May 30 - The mullahs' press announced yesterday that a public trial will be held "soon" for 50 political prisoners. They are among the 600 arrested in the April 4 uprising in south Tehran.

Mr. Massoud Rajavi, Leader of the Iranian Resistance, then sent a list of names of 101 of these prisoners for the United Nations Secretary General and asked for immediate intervention to save their lives. Among those arrested are five adolescents under 18 years of age and an eight-year-old boy. At least 50 were killed in the south Tehran upheaval and hundreds arrested.

A press spokesman for the Mojahedin said the announcement of a trial for these 50 is but a hollow show and a propagandistic maneuver on the part of the mullahs to conceal their slaughter of the people and the torture and execution of those arrested in the south Tehran uprising.

This spokesman emphasized on the need for participation of an international delegation which would include representatives from the UN Human Rights Commission, the International Red Cross, Amnesty International and the Iranian Resistance to examine the situation of these 600 prisoners.

A special team of experts from the Intelligence Ministry has been assigned to interrogate and torture the arrested, the spokesman recalled.

Back Home