Hervé Saulignac: Iran’s Revolution Has Deep Historical Roots

Herve Saulignac min
Written by
Shamsi Saadati

“The deep causes are made up of 43 years of repression, destruction, and looting of the country’s wealth, massive arbitrary executions, and arrests culminating in the massacres of 1988. The immediate cause should not hide these root causes,” said Mr. Hervé Saulignac, a member of the French National Assembly, in his remarks addressing a conference on February 7 in the country’s parliament in solidarity with the Iranian people’s revolution and their Resistance. The following is the full text of his remarks.

Thank you, Madam President. Dear Cécile, dear CPID colleagues, ladies, and gentlemen.

First, we are in the fifth month of a nationwide uprising, which is a long time. It is a long time for those who are probably living it from a distance. The passage of time should not trivialize this popular protest. We must not forget that this movement is unprecedented in its scope and duration. More than 280 cities literally rose up. Unfortunately, the movement cost nearly 800 lives, including 63 children. Nevertheless, the bloody repression has not stopped this movement, and it is important to understand the uprising’s immediate and deep causes.

We should keep the immediate causes in mind because we are still deeply marked by the death of Mahsa Amini, who was killed for loosely wearing her veil. Her death reminded us of the abuses of the morality police, a police force that has existed since the beginning of the Iranian revolution to repress women.

The deep causes are made up of 43 years of repression, destruction, and looting of the country’s wealth, massive arbitrary executions, and arrests culminating in the massacres of 1988. The immediate cause should not hide these root causes and the explosive nature of the situation since 2021 and the death of Mahsa Amini, which was the detonator. The forces of repression and plunder in Iran are structured around the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which is the backbone of the religious dictatorship. The IRGC is directly responsible for the bloody crackdowns during previous and recent protests.

I want to remind everyone of the tragic deaths of 1500 Iranians in just a few days in November 2019, as well as those who lost their lives during the uprisings of 2022. We must not forget the IRGC’s involvement in attempted terrorist attacks in Europe, including the one that was foiled in Villepinte on June 30, 2018. According to the Belgian court, “It was a planned carnage,” and the Iranian diplomat-terrorist, Assadollah Assadi, was sentenced to 20 years in prison along with his three accomplices. February 4 marked the first anniversary of this unprecedented verdict.

The Iranian regime has tried to suppress its opponents by any means, including physical violence, due to fear of being overthrown by the Iranian people and their organized resistance. Maryam Rajavi, as well as many other individuals, were targeted during this operation. Although the operation was foiled, it highlighted the regime’s fear of being overthrown.

On January 19, the European Parliament adopted a resolution strongly condemning the human rights violations committed by the Iranian regime during the demonstrations since September 2022, including firing live ammunition at demonstrators, summary arrests, torture, blackmailing of families, and physical and sexual harassment of detainees. The European Union has taken several measures against high-ranking officials within the IRGC, including freezing their assets and issuing travel bans. The EU also highlighted the IRGC’s role in supplying Russia with armed drones in the war in Ukraine. The European Parliament is calling on the Council and the Member States to add the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its subsidiary forces to the list of terrorist organizations and to prohibit any economic or financial activity involving companies and activities business related to this entity or persons affiliated with it.

This solemn request by Parliament cannot be ignored. France cannot continue to turn a blind eye or simply condemn the crimes committed by the regime. It is time to put an end to the endless discussions that the regime is using to legitimize itself. France must implement the resolution adopted by a large majority of the European Parliament and include the Islamic Revolutionary Guards on the list of terrorist entities. I believe that many of us want this to happen, and it is necessary for the sake of justice and human rights.

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