Protest Rally of Iranians in Front of the Swedish Parliament on the World Day Against Death Penalty

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NCRI – On October 10, the International Day against the Death Penalty, Iranians and Supporters of the Iranian Resistance, condemned the executions committed the Iranian regime by holding a demonstration and rally in front of the Swedish parliament in Stockholm with the presence of political figures and human rights defenders.

They also expressed their support for the Justice-seeking Movement for the victims of 1988 massacre in Iran and prosecution of perpetrators of the Crimes against Humanity.

While pointing to the Iranian regime’s criminal record as the world’s leading record in executions, the speakers at the gathering expressed their support for the formation of an international investigation committee on the massacre of 30,000 political prisoners in 1988, by the order of Khomeini and the prosecution of the perpetrators of the crime.

In his speech, Struan Stevenson emphasized the responsibility of the international community and especially the European Union against brutal executions, calling for European states to protest against the wave of executions in Iran and condemn the visit of European officials to Iran.

 

In his speech Tahar Boumedra, the joint head of the Justice Organization for the Victims of 1988 Massacre in Iran, emphasized that the audit of the perpetrators of the crime would not be possible without the establishment of an independent fact finding Committee capable of holding the regime accountable internationally.

“We have held many demonstrations with the same content to stop the death penalty in Iran,” said Ambassador Andrea Budkol, deputy director and planning director of the Amnesty International in the country. We all agree that the conditions in Iran are terrible. The situation in terms of violation of human rights is still very serious. The actual number of executions is much more than what is officially announced. Because many executions are carried out secretly. A large number of opponents of the Iranian regime are also executed as “ordinary criminals.” Some are also executed on charges of “Moharebeh”….

Famous Kurdish artist Kamal Gurag residing in Sweden began his speech with a famous Kurdish epic, and said: the ruling regime in Iran is a fascist regime that the people hate…

He added, “I do not see the difference between Iran’s (regime’s) laws and the rules implemented by ISIS. The Iranian regime is the killer of all the peoples of Iran; … it is not acceptable for the countries of the world to cope with this regime for lucrative economic transactions. We must stand up to seek justice for the martyrs of 1988 massacre.

Eric Walbery, a human rights lawyer pointing out the growing number of executions during the Rouhani era, said: Iran (Iran’s regime) has a capital punishment more than any other (government) in the world in proportion to the country’s population.

Kent Olson, former Swedish parliamentarian, praised the protesters for attending the gathering in spite of the bad weather conditions, and said: “No repressive regime can survive. The determination to change is evident in your face. So then the question is not whether change is possible or not? The question is, when change will be realized. Governments should also understand that the Iranian people are calling for change.”

Dr. Sofhan, from Syrian opposition, also called for the establishment of an Independent International fact finding delegation on 1988 massacre, saying that the report of the UN Special Rapporteur on Iran has provided a good basis for such a delegation. Dr. Sofhan also condemned the regime’s meddling in the region, including in Syria, Iraq and Lebanon.

In her speech to the Stockholm demonstration, while listing the crimes of the clerical regime against the Iranian people, Safoora Sadidi addressed the role of the Iranian youth in the struggle for the establishment of freedom and democracy in Iran.

Representative of Khebat Organization of Iranian Kurdistan participated in the demonstration and while condemning the wave of executions by the regime, expressed his solidarity with the justice-seeking movement for victims of 1988 massacre.

At Stockholm rally, some of the young supporters of the resistance performed some art show.

At the end of the rally, the participants marched in front of the Swedish parliament.

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