Iran’s Quds Force active in Syria – Iranian opposition
Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat – The Iranian opposition has condemned Tehran’s support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the Iranian government’s backing of the crimes being committed by al-Assad regime forces. In a joint-statement signed by 16 political movements, the Iranian opposition condemned the
Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat – The Iranian opposition has condemned Tehran’s support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the Iranian government’s backing of the crimes being committed by al-Assad regime forces. In a joint-statement signed by 16 political movements, the Iranian opposition condemned the “full partnership” between Tehran and al-Assad and expressed its support of the Syrian revolutionaries and their demands for freedom and the ouster of the al-Assad regime. For his part, Iranian opposition political activist Nour al-Din Hosseini told Asharq Al-Awsat “we, as Iranians, do not want to be partners in the regime’s crimes.”
The joint-statement was signed by 16 Iranian political movements, including the Green Movement, as well as a number of foreign opposition groups like the Students’ Green Movement of Vancouver, Austin for Iran, and 22 Khordad Group Hamburg.
The statement was addressed “to the brave people of Syria” and condemned “the tragedies of Deraa, Homs and Hama” adding “we are horrified by the massacre of more than ten thousand Syrian citizens by al-Assad’s brutal regime, and we salute you and you resistance.”
The Iranian opposition stressed that “what makes the tragedies of Syria even more painful for many Iranian is the full partnership of the Islamic Republic of Iran with the Bashar al-Assad regime. The similarities of the tracing method, the suppression techniques, the identical operational tactics used against the civilian protesters by pro-government Shabiha militia in Syria and by Basij militia in Iran…are but a few of the numerous signs that warn us of the involvement of the Iranian regime with the al-Assad regime.”
The statement added “recently the Iranian security and military officials are publicly bragging about the presence and involvement of the Quds Force (the special branch of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corp) in Syria in support of the Syrian government.”
The Iranian opposition also called on the international community to take action to topple the Bashar al-Assad regime, stressing “it is evident that as long as the al-Assad regime stays in power, the brutalities will intensify and restoring peace will remain uncertain. We invite all Iranians and the international community to not remain silent and to stand against the crimes of the al-Assad regime” adding “our silence in s a license to kill.”
The statement also called on “the people of Syria to prevent the al-Assad regime from spreading ethnic and religious division among them. We hope that after the fall of al-Assad, Syria will become a country in which all citizens are equal without any ethnic or religious discrimination.”
The Iranian opposition groups concluded the statement to the Syrian people by saying “we salute your resistance and we support you and your struggle until the end.”
The opposition media in Iran has been strongly focusing on the situation in Syria since the outbreak of the revolution, stressing its disapproval and condemnation the Iranian backing of the al-Assad regime. The “Green Voice of Freedom” website, which is affiliated to the Iranian reformist opposition movement, published a report recently detailing the abuses and transgressions that have been committed by al-Assad regime forces and the pro-regime Shabiha militia in Syrian cities since the outbreak of the popular revolution.
Iranian opposition activist Nour al-Din Hosseini, who is affiliated to the opposition “Green Voice of Freedom” website, informed Asharq Al-Awsat that “all members of the opposition Green movement strongly oppose the Iranian government’s support of Bashar al-Assad, we believe that al-Assad is trampling over the fate of the Syrian people…carrying out crimes against humanity against his own people” adding “any person that supports Bashar al-Assad is an accomplice to his crimes.”
He also stressed that “the Iranian opposition has clarified its solidarity with the Syrian people and its rejection of Iran’s support for al-Assad” whilst he also asserted that no secret communication is taking place between the Syrian and Iranian opposition.