Calling for an end to the violence, unlawful arrests, torture, and ill treatment perpetrated against Iranian citizens, as well as the unconditional release of all political prisoners in Iran.

Madam Speaker, some things do not need to be elaborated on. Rudy Giuliani, a great American, recently spoke at a rally in New York City where 20,000 people showed up to protest the dictator Ahmadinejad and his corrupt regime. Ahmadinejad was in town to spew more of his hateful deology. This time, he interlaced his anti- Semitic rhetoric with conspiracy theories on 9/11. This man does not speak for the Iranian people, who only want freedom to live their lives without the shackles of a regime bent on preserving its power at all costs. The courageous opposition group MEK, who organized the rally, is fighting for this very freedom. The State Department has got them wrong--they are not a terrorist organization and should not be listed as one. Mayor Giuliani agreed with me and I'd like to submit his comments for the record.

God bless you and thank you very much for being here. I

come here today for a very simple reason, to stand with you

in support of the basic rights guaranteed by the Constitution

of the United States and also the basic rights guaranteed by

the preamble to the United Nations Charter. We need to remind

the United Nations of what it stands for. According to the

preamble of the United Nitions, it exists to reaffirm faith

in fundamental rights in the dignity and worth of the human

person, and in the equal rights of men and women and of

nations large and small.

The people of Iran are as entitled as all of us to make a

claim on the nations of the United Nations to reaffirm these

goals for them; and that is what you are here to do.

For too long the world has acquiesced in a regime in Iran

that through mass murder, violence and intimidation has

denied basic rights of your brothers and sisters and friends

and relatives and has been a consistent supporter of

terrorism and of terrorist organizations beyond its borders.

All of you are here today to cry out for the world to stand

with you and your brothers and sisters who are oppressed by

the brutal regime in Iran.

They desire freedom! I desire freedom! We all desire

freedom! No one can deny you your desire for freedom! I

believe that desire is placed in your heart and soul by the

Creator! It comes from above. Not from here, not from below,

but from above. It is a basic human desire that the people of

Iran are entitled to and it is a basic human desire that all

good people should support.

And if this institution that stands behind us, the United

Nations, wants to reclaim its lofty goal of protecting human

rights; which is a goal that has alluded it for many many

years, then it must stand with you against the regime in

Iran, against the brutalization that goes on in Iran, and

against the supporting of terrorism.

And it is time here in America to right a wrong that has

been done to you and your cause out of a misguided notion

that the violent and tyrannical regime of Iran could be

mollified. It is about time that we change the listing of the

People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran as a terrorist

organization.

I've studied terrorism for much longer that I'd like to

admit. For over 35 years. I have investigated terrorism, and

I've seen firsthand, in my city, the devastation that

terrorism can bring about.

This is not a terrorist organization. This is an

organization dedicated to achieving freedom and dignity for

its people.

It is time for the rest of our Congress to join 823

members--Democrats and Republicans--who have supported House

Resolution 1431 which calls for the lifting of this unjust,

unfair and inaccurate designation. It has been lifted by the

British government; it has been lifted by the European Union;

it should be lifted by the United States Congress and

President Obama should support it as a defender of freedom.

Just as this great country of America is described as the

last best hope for humanity, you and your cause are truly the

best hope for Iran.

Your quest is as legitimate as solidarity was for Poland.

And it took lovers of freedom and leaders of historical

consequence like Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher and Pope

John Paul, to stand with Solidarity no matter the

consequences.

Your goals are our goals, they are the goals of a decent

people; you want to guarantee equal rights for men and women;

you want to see freedom of religion and speech and press;

freedom of assembly in Iran, you want Iran that does not

threaten the existence of other nations; and you want an Iran

that is under no circustances a nuclear power.

It is your members and associates who have consistently

drawn open the secret curtain that Iran tries to draw on its

plans to develop nuclear weapons.

It is your members who have risked their lives and lost

their lives revealing the plans and steps of Ahmadinejad and

the regime to acquire nuclear weapons.

Without your brave investigations and revelations, America

and the world would still be laboring under the inaccurate

information that was contained in the National Intelligence

Estimate of 2007 that said Iran had appeared to abandon its

plans to build nuclear weapons. Your members, your

associates, revealed that to be incorrect, inaccurate, and

dangerously wrong.

If the history of the 20th century has taught us anything,

it is that we must confront tyrants, oppressors, bullies and

terrorists as early as possible.

Acquiescence only leads to increasing loss of human life

and human liberty.

For too long the world has stood still as the people of

Iran, particularly those of you desiring freedom, have been

oppressed, imprisoned and slaughtered by a regime that has no

right to exist.

It's time to make common cause with you in your noble

quest.

It is a risk that is worth taking.

It is a cause that is worth the risk.

If the forebears of this country didn't take the risk for

freedom, then this great nation would not exist.

Your people, the people of Iran, are willing to fight for

freedom; you are willing to speak out against horrible

atrocities to human dignity. And when they do, this country,

America, should strongly stand with them, and speak out for

them.

No more silence! Where is our Ronald Reagan when we need

him? Ronald Reagan

would have stood with the people of Iran, strongly, bravely,

and forthrightly. When they sought to protest the

inaccuracies and illegitimacy of the elections in Iran,

Ronald Reagan would have America standing with them toe to

toe, body to body and person to person, as he did with

Solidarity. Where is our Ronald Reagan when we need him?

One of the most monumental celebrations of freedom was on

Christmas Day, 1989 in Berlin.

It was in the city of Berlin that severs years earlier

Ronald Reagan standing by the wall that then divided the free

from the oppressed and stood in front of that wall and he was

not afraid to stand up and said, ``Mr. Gorbachev, tear down

this wall.''

Now, in our time, we need a Ronald Reagan to cry out to the

oppressors of your people to tear down the wall of tyranny,

tear down the wall of oppression, tear down the wall of

terrorism, and of slaughter.

On that Christmas Day of 1989 in Berlin the wall had been

torn down because brave people like Ronald Reagan and many

others were willing to stand with protesters and the

oppressed in those communist countries. They weren't afraid

to speak out and they weren't afraid to confront. Leonard

Bernstein conducted a performance of Beethoven's ninth

symphony that day and he called it a ``celebration of human

freedom.'' I hope and I pray that you and I will go to Iran

together; I hope we can have a celebration of freedom for the

people of Iran because a celebration of freedom for Iran will

be the celebration of freedom for all of us.

But that day is not going to come about by begging

Ahmadinejad to negotiate. It is not going to come about from

weakness. Bullies thrive from weakness. Tyrants are

encouraged by weakness. They know only one thing: Strength.

They must be confronted with America's strength, not

America's weakness. America, the world, all of us must make

it plain that under no set of circumstances will Ahmadinejad

be allowed to have nuclear weapons. That is not negotiable.

No discussion. No argument. No debate.

No! No! No, to nuclear weapons!

And instead, I say Yes to freedom, Yes to democracy, Yes to

a free press, Yes to freedom for women, Yes to human dignity

for Iran and for all of us.

God bless you in your noble pursuit! I stand with you and

all freedom loving people stand with you. God bless you.

Madam Speaker, on November 16th, 2010 I held a briefing on my bill H. Res. 1431, which urges the Obama administration to remove the main Iranian opposition group, the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) from the list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations. This bill has been co-sponsored by 109 Members of the House of Representatives.

In a letter to the Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on that same day, I was joined by my colleagues and brought the resolution to the attention of the Secretary and urged her to delist the PMOI. Below are the remarks that I made to the Members and Staff gathered at the briefing:

We have introduced Resolution 1431, which calls upon the

U.S. government, the President, the Secretary of State to

remove the Peoples Mojahedin Organization of Iran . . . from

the State Department list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations

. . . Like other parliaments around the world, we in the

United States Congress believe that this organization does

not qualify to be on the FTO list both on legal and political

grounds. Removing the MEK from the FTO list is not only the

right thing to do but sends the right message to Iran.

I would like to thank the President-elect of the National

Council of Resistance of Iran,

Mrs. Rajavi, who has not only led this fight, but has also

offered all kinds of assistance to the residents of Camp

Ashraf.