EU delegation should not ask who took this picture

“I am not exaggerating to say that there are about 3000 protest gatherings each year, in Iran, by workers who demand their unpaid salary and premiums.”  These are the words of Amiri, the spokesman for the Interior Ministry in Rouhani’s government, reported in the state newspaper “Mardom Salary”of 14 November 2014. Amiri warned, “These gatherings should not threaten the country’s security”.  Counting on the statics given by this official in Iranian regime –who, of course, tries to minimize the case- a simple calculation shows that there is one anti – government protest every 2 hours in Iran. The number of last year protests, recorded by the Iranian resistance, however, was around 5700. Together with the 2000 executions, since Rouhani took office, these unbelievable figures display the gap between the Iranian people and the regime. They also explain the thousands political prisoners who exist now in Iranian regime’s torture chambers. As western nuclear negotiators advised us these statistics, however, are not something to worry about. The final nuclear accord is not to deal with these trivial matters. A few days after the final accord a high ranking delegation from the European Union is rushing to Tehran to discuss more important matters with their old friends in the Iranian regime.

European Union ‘s Annual report on breaches of human rights in Iran emphasized that lack of basic freedom  along  violations of basic human rights, including rights of women, continued, in Iran, in 2014.The report also mentioned the flagrant breaches of freedom of religion and also asked the Iranian regime to stop the executions.

Last week, days after the conclusion of nuclear talks, a report made by England’s ministry for foreign affairs pointed out that human rights situation in Iran, between January and June 2015, aggravated .The report also referred to Violations of the rights of free expression, critical conditions in jails and suppression of religious minorities, by the mullahs regime.

A similar report published, by the US State Department, on June 25 this year revealed, “Iran continued to severely restrict civil liberties, including the freedoms of assembly, speech, religion, and press, and to execute citizens at the second highest rate in the world after legal proceedings that frequently didn’t respect Iran’s own constitutional guarantee to due process or international legal norms”

The report also mentioned  other Iranian violations including, “ disappearances; cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, politically motivated violence and repression, lack of an independent judiciary, legal discrimination and violence against women, ethnic and religious minorities.”

“The government took few steps to investigate, prosecute, punish, or otherwise hold accountable officials, whether in the security services or elsewhere in the government, who committed abuses,” The report said. “Impunity remained pervasive throughout all levels of the government and security forces.”

Following the talks that led to the final nuclear accord, a delegation from the European Union visits Iran this week. The world and, in particular, the Iranian people are watching this visit very closely. It is time to question the Iranian regime authorities and its blatant violations of human rights. This is something that was promised during the talks.

One of the recent problems in the Iranian society is the sharp increase in suicide attempts. The escalating trend of suicides, with an increase in poverty and unemployment across Iran, are directly related to the Iranian regime’s plundering policies adopted by senior officials. As some organizations belonging to the regime reported,” From March 2014 more than 1,437 people committed suicide in Iran. Of this number 985 were men and 452 were women” This, of course, is not related to the final nuclear accord and should not occupy the minds of EU visitors to Tehran.

 The picture above belongs to a woman laborer working in a Bread Workshop in the city of Mashhad who committed suicide and self-immolated on July 12th after fierce disputes with her employers. The flame was immediately contained by people in the area and she was transferred to an emergency hospital.

The EU delegation traveling to Iran should be cautious not to ask their hosts who took this picture .The photographer may be arrested on charges of  “assembly and collusion against national security,” and “propaganda against the state “ , charges that may lead to torture and execution .

Maryam Rajavi, leader of the Iranian resistance, said in her interview with Al- Arabia TV, “The resistance continues, so I like to tell the people of the region, Mullahs do not represent Iranian people. These people do not want this regime. Iranian people are craving for a free democratic Iran.”