Iran Focus
London, 29 Jun – Hundreds of members of the European Parliament have come together to condemn the egregious human rights violations in Iran, call for justice for the victims of the 1988 massacre, and call for the blacklisting of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation.
The statement which outlines these movements, penned by Gérard Deprez MEP, the President of the Friends of a Free Iran group within the European Parliament, has been signed by 265 MEPs from across all EU countries and political parties.
The statement, dated Monday June 26, read: “When the issue of human rights violations, repression of women and minorities and the Iranian regime’s support of terrorism are concerned, we are all united.”
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh, a leading Iranian-American political scientist, president of the International American Council on the Middle East, wrote on the Huffington Post: “This is a robust move to stand up and speak out for universal human rights, women rights, peace and justice.”
Justice for MEK
In 1988, the Iranian Regime began the systematic massacre of 30,000 political prisoners in Iran, who were mainly members of the Iranian Resistance group, the MEK, which constitutes a crime against humanity.
The signatories to this statement, , including 4 vice-presidents and 23 chairs of various EU commissions and delegations, have called on the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Human Rights Council to set up an inquiry into the massacre in order to hold the perpetrators responsible and bring them before the International Court of Justice.
This is especially important for those who still hold significant political power in Iran, like the ‘Justice’ Minster.
The statement read: “[The Iranian] minister of justice is a self-confessed murderer who was a member of the Death Committee, ordering the executions of over 30 thousands political prisoners in 1988, mostly from the main opposition [MEK].”
Blacklist the IRGC
Those signatories are extremely concerned about the destructive role that the IRGC plays in Iran and around the middle east, particularly in Syria and Iraq.
The statement read: “[The] IRGC also runs most of the Iranian economy. So our European companies who want to sign economic deals with Iran, take a high risk of dealing directly and indirectly with IRGC which is really a terrorist organisation.”
The signatories also criticised the recent sham elections in Iran, which saw Hassan Rouhani selected as President again.
The statement read: “This was a fake election because there were no opposition candidates and people just has the choice of choosing between several senior mullahs. Hassan Rouhani who is starting his second term, is no moderate or reformist. During his first 4 years, Iran was the number one in the world for the highest number of executions per capita.”
Prioritise Human Rights
The MEPs called on their respective governments to moderate their relationships with the Iranian Regime until their human rights record has dramatically improved.
The statement read: “We have called on our European governments to condition their relationships with Iran to a halt to executions and a clear progress on human rights and women rights.”
In this, the signatories have allied themselves with the Iranian Resistance and its elected leader Maryam Rajavi, who currently serves as a government-in-exile and have a ten-point plan to create an Iran for the 21st century.
They believe in democracy and champion the separation of religion and state, end to political repression, free and fair elections and human rights for all.
On July 1, the Resistance is holding a Free Iran rally in Paris with over 100,000 dignitaries, politicians and activists in attendance, where Deprez will present this joint declaration.
