CEREMONY IN TRIBUTE TO THE LATE SIR DAVID AMESS, BRITISH MP, AND A GREAT FRIEND OF THE IRANIAN RESISTANCE. ASHRAF -3
An elaborate and moving ceremony at Ashraf-3, Albania, home to thousands of members of the main Iranian opposition group, PMOI, was held to pay tribute to British MP, Sir David Amess, who was brutally murdered on Friday.
Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, attended the ceremony, laid wreath in homage to Sir David and addressed the following message:
I was so deeply saddened to learn about the criminal murder of Sir David Amess, a great and beloved friend of the Iranian Resistance for after three decades.
All of us in the Iranian Resistance and the people of Iran have lost an exceptional friend.
The British people and the world have lost a great advocate for freedom and human rights.
I would like to express my deepest condolences to Sir David’s family, especially to his wife Julia, to the members of the British Parliamentary Committee for Iran Freedom, to his friends, colleagues and to the people of Britain.
But, we have not gathered here to simply mourn Sir David’s demise. We are also here to celebrate his life and achievements. I firmly believe that he has now joined all those who gave their lives for human rights democracy and justice for which he was a tireless champion.
Indeed, he was the enemy of dictatorships especially mullah’s dictatorship. Therefore, after three decades of support for the Iranian People’s Resistance he is now among martyrs for freedom. Much can be said about Sir David’s character, his kindness, compassion, big heart, moral integrity, principles and values.
What struck me the most, during the many meetings with him, was his constant smile and his commitment for human values.
In victory or defeat, in good times and bad, he would always smile and tell everyone around him to persevere. Our Resistance movement owes a huge debt of gratitude to Sir David. He was active in many fronts:
In 2007, he joined 34 of his parliamentary colleagues in the successful legal challenge to the politically motivated terrorism tag on the PMOI, which had been done at the behest of the Iranian regime;
His relentless efforts to ensure the safety and security of Iran’s combatants of freedom, PMOI members, in camps Ashraf and Liberty in Iraq;
And his campaign to ensure their safe relocation to European countries including Albania, beginning in 2012.
He came to Ashraf 3 as soon as he could to pay a visit to PMOI members; indeed, they love him and miss him a lot.
His legacy and his memory will forever remain in Iran‘s history. And all of us look forward to the day when in a freed and liberated Iran, we can pay him tribute worthy of his efforts in support of freedom.
Sir David’s brutal murder is a wake-up call to the world about the dangers of fundamentalism, extremism and terrorism.
Once again, I express my sincere condolences to his family, all the honorable members of the parliament and the British people.