‘We must do everything we can’ for freedom

Sen. John Boozman, Arkansas Republican

I’m deeply troubled by the increased human rights violations in Iran, along with the regime’s continuing nuclear ambitions. I remain staunchly opposed to the Iranian nuclear deal that was negotiated under the previous administration. I was proud to recently support additional sanctions legislation in the Senate that will penalize the regime for its non-nuclear-related activities and abuses.

Yours is a noble cause and it’s very important that we continue the dialogue on this matter. I hope it is a productive gathering. I wish you the best of luck, and I assure you that Americans stand with you in the path for democracy, freedom and human dignity.

Sen. Robert Menendez, New Jersey Democrat

Every day, you’re a voice for the voiceless, you fight for the rights of Iranians who remain silenced under a suppressive, brutal regime. I’m proud to stand with you and share your vision of a brighter future for Iran. A future in which all Iranians live their lives without fear and enjoy a thriving democracy that respects human rights and the rule of law.

Across the region, Iran continues to threaten the national security interests of the United States. It continues to pursue a belligerent ballistic missiles program. It continues to align itself with Putin and it continues to prop up Bashar Assad’s brutal regime in Syria. And even as it continues to supply terrorist across the region with money, weapons and resources, the people of Iran continue to suffer under a repressive regime with absolutely no respect for the basic human rights of its people.

We must do everything we can to support the [Iranian people] in their quest for freedom. Students and scholars, artists and political prisoners, men and women who believe in the rights of all people to basic human dignity.

Thank you for coming together and making their voices heard. I’m proud to stand with you in this fight for justice and human rights for peace and security and, above all else, for a free Iran.

House Foreign Affairs Chairman Ed Royce, California Republican

My colleagues and I are deeply concerned about the ongoing threat posed by the Iranian regime which brutally mistreats its own people and exports violence abroad by sponsoring terrorism. The regime also continues to limit free speech and foster violent discrimination against religious minorities.

During the election this spring, the Iranian people were given a false choice between a hardliner and a hard hardliner, both of them handpicked by the ayatollah. What does it say when close to 3,000 executions took place during the first term of the so-called reformer, Hassan Rouhani?

My colleagues and I in Congress will continue to press for sanctions on senior Iranian officials involved in these human rights abuses in this past year.

The people of Iran deserve a government that treats them with dignity and respect. Which is why the U.S. Congress will continue to push back against the regime’s cruel and illicit behaviors. I thank you.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat

The American people stand in solidarity with the Iranian people in your mission to build a democratic, free and non-nuclear Iran.

We stand with you to support the right of every Iranian man, woman and child to speak freely, without fear of persecution or arrest. We stand with you to support Iranian women, students and minorities as they drive progress towards a more democratic and free country.

We stand with you to support the aspirations of Iran’s young people. We stand with you in your efforts to advance peace and stability in Iran. And we stand with you to denounce the horrific 1988 massacre of political prisoners by the death committee.

The treatment of women is especially concerning. Every country benefits when it recognizes talents and contributions of women and girls to our future.

Rep. Brad Sherman, California Democrat

I’m especially honored to know that Madame Rajavi is in the audience.

I look forward to a democratic, secular Iran that all civilized nations will view as a worthy partner. The Islamic Republic regime is among the worse human rights violators in the world.

Human rights abuses are not new in Iran. In 1988, Iran executed thousands of political prisoners. That is why I co-sponsored recently a resolution condemning the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran for the 1988 massacre and calling for justice for the victims.

I want to commend Madame Rajavi for her advocacy of democracy and human and women’s rights in Iran. Only the ballot box determines who holds power, when both women and men can speak freely and parties can debate. Only when there is a secular government that allows all to practice the religion of their choice, only then would the Iranian people be able to govern the country for the benefit of all.

Rep. Eliot Engel, New York Democrat

The government of Iran must stop imprisoning political prisoners. It must stop and release all its Americans. It must stop being the No. 1 sponsor of terrorism around the world.

The Iranian people again deserve to be free and, by your rally today, you are sending a clear message to the world that we will not stop until Iran is completely free and the Iranian people have the freedom that all of us hold so dearly all around the world.

Iran has been the No. 1 state sponsor of terrorism and has worked with all the worst nations of the world, in terms of the human decency and the human well-being.

The Iranian people deserve better, and that’s why I support the gathering today.

Free Iran to the great Iranian people. That’s what we all want to see. And that’s why we work together and congratulations for your courage.

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, Texas Democrat

I applaud all of you in Paris gathering today to say no to Islamic fundamentalism and to advocate for democracy in Iran. It is very important for us to be united, very important for us to stand together. And I know the strength, the honor, the love, and as well, the respect for freedom and democracy [you have].

Our efforts must now be focused on freeing the people of Iran. And to demand justice for our brothers and sisters inside Iran. I’m so glad that we are free, in the court decision here in the United States has indicated that you in fact are promoting and supporting democracy and freedom as well.

That is why my colleagues and I in the United State Congress have co-sponsored House Resolution 188, which calls for my country and the United Nations to do the right thing. To hold accountable the perpetrators of the 1988 massacre of political prisoners in Iran. We will continue to work with you. As you know, many of those criminals who had a direct role in that crime against humanity are still serving and unfortunately in the highest levels of the Iranian government.

I want to salute and thank my sister, Maryam Rajavi, who again I had the privilege of meeting to call as she has done, to call attention to the plight of Iranian women and minorities. She has stood fast, she has been strong.

Maryam, it’s so wonderful to know of your leadership and your fight for women and families and your leadership of free people. Thank you for your 10-point plan for a free and democratic Iran as a model for the entire Middle East. Your plans call for the ballot box to serve as the only measure of legitimacy for a future government in Iran. You are absolutely right. The precious right to vote is something so precious to all of us here in the United States. So let us work together to help transform Iran, this beautiful nation, into a nation that respects the rights of all people, the rights of journalists and human rights activists, families, men and women and children, college students, everyone in a nation where its citizens can flourish in freedom.

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, California Republican

I want to make sure that Maryam Rajavi and all of you and the MEK know that I’m one of your team. I’m someone who wants to work with you in the future to make sure that the people of Iran are given a choice as to what government they are going to have.

This mullah dictatorship has thus corrupted that society. This mullah dictatorship has been financing terrorism. This mullah dictatorship has suppressed the people of Iran themselves. It’s up to us to stick together. The people around the world, especially those of you and the MEK, with the rest of us in the outside world, stand together to what? Not reform the mullahs. They are not going to be reformed. We need regime change.

The United States should be doing everything we can to support those people who believe in democracy and want to eliminate their oppressors and the mullah regime — this radical Islamic regime that does not reflect the heart and soul of the people of Iran.

When Iran is free of this mullah domination, we know that the people there in Iran, like the people of MEK, are a step above. They are educated people, there are people there who are very responsible, and have very sophisticated business, scientific endeavors, etc. Well, we have one obstacle in our way, that’s the mullahs’ regime.

Today, I’m very pleased to join you in Paris with holding our fists high and the people of Iran deserve to be free. And the people of the United States and other countries of the world that are free countries should stand with those people in Iran who are struggling for freedom.

Rep. Judy Chu, California Democrat

From here, in Washington D.C., to all of you in Paris, I want you to know that I stand in solidarity with you in your fight for freedom, democracy and human rights in Iran. I’m so impressed by the many students, scholars, former political prisoners, women’s right advocates and other leaders who have joined together once again for this important cause.

Like you, what I truly want is for all Iranians to be able to return to a free and democratic Iran that respects human rights. That begins by opposing this repressive regime. Iran may have just had an election, but we know power still rests with the clerics. And under Ayatollah Khamenei, Iran continues to be a world leader in cruel and inhumane punishments. Hundreds are senselessly executed every year.

That is why I thank you for speaking out against Iran’s human rights abuses. We cannot let up. I believe that the Iran nuclear agreement is a historical opportunity, but it cannot be a lifeline to Iran’s repressive regime.

So long as Iran’s leaders continue to kill their own people and support terrorists who kill others, I will continue to support sanctions and pressure. I strongly support your work to establish a free and democratic Iran. not one that funds terror or threatens world peace, with a dangerous nuclear program.

Rep. Paul Gosar, Arizona Republican

It is my pleasure to wish you a successful conference and to thank you for all your efforts to reform Iran.

Your platforms respecting human rights, women and religious minorities are badly needed in Iran. Your hard work and patience will pay off. History is on your side, so stay the course. The eyes of the world watch your work and appreciate your efforts.

Rep. Steve Cohen, Tennessee Democrat

To my friends at the Iran freedom rally, I send greetings. As the co-chair of the Congressional Iran Human Rights and Democracy Caucus, it’s an honor to greet you today.

I have long been a supporter of the Iranian people for a free Iran. I strongly support an Iran that is democratic, secular and non-nuclear. The Iranian people deserve a government that respects their fundamental rights and freedoms, including freedom for speech, association, assembly, and gender and religious equality.

I continue to condemn the Iranian regime’s abuses of human rights and its support of terrorism. I’m sponsor of a resolution that condemns the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran for the 1988 massacre of political prisoners and calling for justice for the victims.

To my Iranian-American friends, thank you for being here and for your unwavering support for the fight for democracy and human rights in Iran. Your courage is an inspiration to me and all members of Congress.

Rep. Tom McClintock, California Republican

The Iranian liberation movement has continued to grow and spread throughout the years. As the tyranny of the mullahs has become more oppressive, the international resistance to it has become more resolute. The more the story of Iran is told, of its proud ancient heritage of freedom and civilization, and of its current curse of despotism and terror, the more the world has rallied to your cause.

We have seen this in the liberation of the MEK freedom fighters trapped in Iraq.

Today, the world is awakening to the danger of a nuclear-armed Iranian regime…. Gone are the days when our government freed billions of dollars for the Iranian regime to finance its terrorist operations around the world. The next popular uprising in Iran will be met not by ambivalence from the United States, but by its wholehearted support, both moral and material. There will be no more pallets of cash for the mullahs, no more undermining the position of the Iranian resistance, and no more patience for the atrocities of Islamic extremists.