Conference at the UK Parliament in Defense of Human Rights in Iran
On Tuesday, September 10, 2024, on the eve of the anniversary of the September 2022 nationwide uprising in Iran, a conference titled “Human Rights in Iran and Securing Accountability: A Call for Justice” was held in the UK Parliament. The event featured members of both Houses of Parliament from various political parties, as well as representatives of the Iranian diaspora in the country. Maryam Rajavi delivered a speech and participated via video conference.
In their speeches, members of the UK Parliament referred to the escalating human rights violations and the wave of executions under the clerical dictatorship. They expressed their support for the call by Professor Javaid Rehman, the former UN Special Rapporteur, in his landmark report for the establishment of a mechanism to hold the regime accountable for four decades of atrocity crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.
The speakers also underscored their support for Mrs. Rajavi’s Ten-Point Plan for Iran’s future and called for the designation of Khamenei’s IRGC as a terrorist organization.
The conference continued with Maryam Rajavi‘s remarks addressing the members of both Houses of the UK Parliament. She stated:
Maryam Rajavi Calls for Practical Measures to Hold the Clerical Regime Leaders Accountable for Crimes Against Humanity and Genocide
Honorable Members of Parliament,
It is a great pleasure to address you at the outset of a new Parliamentary session.
Today, I address you at a critical moment in the history of Iran and the Middle East. Our nation faces extraordinary challenges but is determined more than ever before to pursue its quest for freedom and democracy.
Report on “Atrocity Crimes”
In July, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran delivered a landmark report. In his report about “atrocity crimes,” he called on the international community to establish a mechanism for accountability in Iran, particularly targeting those responsible for atrocity crimes.
The Special Rapporteur described the executions carried out in Iran in 1981 and 1982, and the 1988 massacre of political prisoners as a “crime against humanity” and “genocide.” Ninety percent of those executed were members or supporters of the PMOI.
He highlighted the role of current authorities of the Iranian regime in these crimes—from the Supreme Leader to Sharia judges, prosecutors, members of the Ministry of Intelligence, and the Revolutionary Guards. This network of brutality and repression has deep roots.
The Iranian regime authorities have tried to deny this genocide. They have even destroyed the mass graves or tried to hide the graves of the victims.
The regime is afraid of the political and legal consequences of the “atrocity crimes” report. It is using all its agents, both openly and secretly, to fight against the report and the special rapporteur because the report has broken the silence the regime had imposed on the international community for the past 40 years.
Pezeshkian’s Human Rights Record
The human rights situation in Iran has only become worse. Since Masoud Pezeshkian assumed office, 150 individuals have been executed, underscoring the regime’s reliance on fear and repression.
In one particularly horrific case, a young man named Mohammad Mir-Moussavi was killed under torture within a few hours after being arrested. The regime’s security forces have intensified their crackdown on women and youth, subjecting them to arbitrary arrests and violence under fake charges.
Under the mullahs’ regime, execution is not merely a punishment but a tool to reinforce the authority of a regime that the people seek to overthrow and to prevent further uprisings.
The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) has made its stance clear: In free Iran, the death penalty will be abolished.
I urge the honorable members of this Parliament to support the NO TO EXECUTIONS campaign in Iran. I urge you to call on the UK government to take practical, concrete measures to hold the Iranian regime’s leaders accountable for committing crimes against humanity and genocide.
As the Special Rapporteur has urged, apply universal jurisdiction to hold those responsible for these crimes accountable. This is about justice, moral responsibility, and the right policies needed for global peace.
The Iranian people have made their desires clear. All sectors of Iranian society hold protests every day against their horrible living conditions.
They reject all forms of dictatorship both the shah and the mullahs. This demand was echoed in the widespread boycott of the regime’s sham presidential elections, where the voter turnout hardly reached 12% of eligible voters.
The Clerical Regime’s Strategy
The regime has no legitimacy, and its attempts to maintain power will not be effective. In response to growing popular discontent, the regime has intensified not only its suppression and execution at home but also its use of terrorism abroad, launching a massive disinformation campaign against the Iranian democratic opposition.
The sham trial held over the past 15 months against the PMOI and 104 members of the Iranian Resistance, which is a violation of all international standards, is part of this campaign.
The regime’s strategy is clear: first, it uses demonization and threats to deter young Iranians from joining the resistance; second, it tries to extend its suppression of the opposition even outside Iran; and third, it spreads disinformation to create the false narrative that there is no viable alternative to the current regime. The objective is to cover up the truth and the existence of a democratic alternative, the NCRI.
We seek to establish a truly pluralistic and democratic republic, based on the separation of religion and state, free elections, gender equality, and recognition of autonomy for Iran’s ethnic minorities within a unified nation.
A firm international policy against the Iranian regime is long overdue. Such a policy has been advocated by members of Parliament, and it is essential for peace and stability in the Middle East and beyond.
Designating the IRGC as a terrorist organization, activating the snapback mechanism of UN Security Council resolution 2231, and recognizing the Iranian people’s struggle and the Resistance Units are key parts of a strong policy against the clerical regime.
Thank you for your attention, and your support for the Iranian people’s Resistance for freedom.
