Freedom instead of Islamic republic!

Solidarity with the Iranian liberation movement - No support and recognition of the Iranian regime!

Location: Brandenburger Tor, Berlin Mitte
Wednesday, August 5, 2009, 6.30 pm

Speakers and documentation: see German site

After 30 years of dictatorship an end of the nightmare called Islamic Republic is possible in Iran. After the electoral putsch on June 12 the regime has lost any last semblance of “republic” and “democracy”. The regime can remain in power only by force against a large-scale movement. Millions of people in Iran have lost fear, not let themselves be intimidated by the threats of Chamenei and the unleashed violence of the militia and can not be silenced.

In Iran “business as usual” is not possible any longer, but a victory of the liberation movement is still not sure yet. After the foreseeable failure of any system-internal compromise the establishment of a military dictatorship is to be feared. At the same time the rulers will speed up the nuclear program with a vengeance to remain in power or even realize their apocalyptical delusion of a nuclear war in the Middle East.

The protestors in Iran have made unmistakably clear that they do not want to die for such a war. To the war slogans “Death America!”, “Death England!” and “Death Israel!” they opposed slogans against Russia and China, two of the most important supporting countries of the Iranian regime. Therewith the protestors have also sent a clear message to Europe and Germany: In face of the clerical fascism in Iran there can be no neutrality. The Iranian opposition is not at enmity, neither with Israel nor with any other country in the Middle East – however, its enemies are all those who still support the Iranian regime and delay liberation from the Islamic dictatorship.

Now Europe and particularly Germany are in responsibility to finally stop any support for the regime and to follow the demands of the Iranian members of the opposition for tough economic sanctions. First of all, targeted economic sanctions hit the revolutionary guards who, in the meantime, control 70% of the economy. While 80% of the Iranian people suffer from poverty, billions are spent on the nuclear as well as on the missile program, the armed forces and militia. Therefore, the engagement of German companies in Iran like Siemens, Linde, Daimler, Steiner SPG, Thyssen Krupp, Wirth, Lurgi etc. does not benefit the Iranian people. Far from it! Every additional credit guarantee supporting trade with Iran and every additional delivery of German high technology strengthens the Iranian regime in its mismanagement, in its threat of war against Israel and in the suppression of the opposition and, therefore, is a direct act of sabotage against the Iranian liberation movement. Besides, the scandal of the delivery of surveillance technology by Nokia Siemens is representative for the German trade with the Iranian regime.

It must be signaled to the people in Iran who fight for freedom, human rights and democracy with their lives as well as to the rulers that this regime has no future.

Therefore we demand:

the political isolation of the Iranian rulers and as a first step the non-recognition of the government of Ahmadinejad/Chamenei by the German government
an immediate entry ban on all members of the Iranian government, the Basij militia and the revolutionary guards
the immediate delegation of a commission of European politicians and lawyers to investigate the fate of the political prisoners and all persons who have been disappeared since June 12
the immediate stop of all credit guarantees for German-Iranian business deals
an immediate legislative initiative for forceful German economic sanctions against the Iranian regime, in particular on the energy sector and against the revolutionary guards

Speakers:

Mirza Agha Asgari (Mani), exile-Iranian author
Javad Asadian, author and political scientist, ex-president exile-Iranian PEN
Dr. Kazem Moussavi, spokesperson for Germany, Green Party of Iran
Fathiyeh Naghibzadeh, filmmaker and activist, Mideast Freedom Forum Berlin
Maya Zehden, Jewish Community of Berlin
Benjamin Krüger, BAK Shalom
Daniel Fallenstein, haKadima , Spokesperson No-Al-Quds-day coalition
Jonathan Weckerle, STOP THE BOMB

STOP THE BOMB Coalition, July 22, 2009