First ceremony of terror veterans was held to honor terror veterans in Holy Defense Museum attended by a group of terror veterans, according to Association for Defending Victims of Terrorism (ADVT). The memorial of victims of terrorism which was held with the presence of reporters for the first time which was a good opportunity to introduce the public with “terror veterans” and also take a step to hold the International Congress of Victims of Terrorism. Dr. Javad Mansouri, one of the terror victims, made a speech in the ceremony. “We should consider some points about the term terrorism. First, we should know our enemies and how they have acted and what their aims are by committing such terrors”, he said. Pointing out the failed assassination in 1982, he added that MKO assassinated him shooting 13 bullets on April 8th 1982. They claimed that I am dead, but God wanted and now I am alive. “Our enemies lack logic, popularity, and faith in God and it is the reason why God does not allow them to take power” he added. He mentioned that according to homelessness of MKO, I am aware that they live in difficult physical and psychological conditions and 30 of them have died due to cancer. The terror veteran said that “other countries do not allow us to talk about victims of terrorism and academic circles are not aware of that. International bodies pretend to be unaware of it too. But, on the contrary, we can see that they propagate what they want so that all the people in the world become aware of it. Holding such ceremonies is necessary to decry the terrorists, draw attention to victims of terrorism, and raise our awareness in international assemblies.” Dr. Raefi, one of the prominent professors of university, was the next speaker. He said that terrorism is not a new concept and during centuries people know such heinous phenomenon in different forms. He also pointed out the destructive impacts of terrorism on human communities. Chairman of the board of ADVT, Dr. Aliei emphasized that “the main aim of the ceremony is connecting to terror veterans and pursue their rights in international assemblies and prosecuting the terrorists as the violators of human rights”. He also added that holding the ceremony is a new step in international activities.
