What changed

B100082/2025

B100086/2025

Motion for a European Parliament resolution on the systematic repression of human rights in Iran, notably the cases of Pakhshan Azizi and Wrisha Moradi, and the taking of EU citizens as hostages

having regard to its previous resolutions on Iran,

having regard to Rule 150(5)150 (5) of its Rules of Procedure,

whereas the human rights situation in Iran has significantly worsened, with a sharp rise in executions, including 901 individuals in 2024 alone, many of whom were women, political dissidents, and individuals connected to the protests sparked by Mahsa Amini's death;

Whereas the human rights situation in Iran is worsening as women, children, and ethnic and religious minorities, such as Christians, Kurds, and Baluch, face systemic oppression, including poverty, forced labour, child marriage, and lack of education; whereas the total number of executions in Iran surpassed 900 in 2024;

Whereas the Iranian regime targets female and minority activists, such as Pakhshan Azizi, Wrisha Moradi, with prosecutions based on coerced confessions and inadequate legal representation, often leading to death sentences;

whereas Kurdish woman activist Pakhshan Azizi, was arrested in Tehran on 4 August 2023; whereas on 23 July 2024, the Tehran Revolutionary Court sentenced her to death for “armed rebellion against the state” and “membership of opposition groups”; whereas on 8 January 2025, the Supreme Court upheld her death sentence, as well as the death sentence against Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani; whereas reportedly Azizi had been subjected to severe psychological and physical torture in solitary confinement, while also being denied access to family visits and legal representation of her choice;

Whereas in January 2025 the Supreme Court upheld a death sentence to Pakhshan Azizi, Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani, members of the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign composed of political prisoners calling for the abolition of capital punishment;

whereas in November 2024 Kurdish dissident Verisheh Moradi, was sentenced to death for “armed rebellion against the state”; whereas her allegations of torture and other ill-treatment were never investigated; whereas her appeal before Supreme Court is pending;

Whereas dozens of innocent EU nationals, among whom Cécile Kohler, Jacques Paris and Olivier Grondeau have been arbitrarily detained in Iran, without access to fair trials, as part of Iran’s broader strategy of hostage diplomacy, further highlighting the regime’s disregard for human rights, international law, and diplomatic norms;

whereas dual nationals, including EU citizens, face targeted arrests in Iran on vague charges; whereas many of them are held in degrading conditions with no chance of a fair trial;

Urges the annulment of all death sentences against Iranian human rights defenders and calls for an immediate moratorium on capital punishment, given Iran’s egregious record of due process violations and consistent disregard for international laws governing the use of the death penalty;

whereas following intense diplomatic efforts by the German and Italian governments, German-Iranian activist Nahid Taghavi and Italian journalist Cecilia Sala were released from arbitrary detention in Iran in January 2025.

Demands that Iran immediately and unconditionally releases all human rights defenders and political prisoners who have been unjustly imprisoned, including Pakhshan Azizi, Wrisha Moradi, Behrouz Ehsani, Mehdi Hassani and at least 54 other political prisoners on death row;

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Calls for the EU and its Member States to increase support for Iranian human rights defenders and expresses its full support and solidarity with Iranians united under the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement and the "No to Execution Tuesdays" campaign;

Is deeply concerned by the specific targeting of Kurdish women activists with politically motivated charges; urges the Iranian authorities to immediately revoke the death sentence against Pakhshan Azizi and Verisheh Moradi and all others on death row, to investigate allegations of torture and denial of fair trial rights, and to put an end to the harassment and targeting of women activists in Iran.

Condemns Iran’s hostage diplomacy; urges the EU to launch a strategy to counter it with a dedicated task force to better assist detainees’ families and effectively prevent further hostage-taking; calls for all non-essential travel by EU citizens to Iran to be discouraged; calls on Iran to immediately and unconditionally release all EU nationals as well as all other political prisoners;

Strongly condemns the increasing and systematic repression of ethnic and religious minorities, women and dissidents in Iran through laws and regulations that severely restrict their freedoms and rights; calls for the immediate and unconditional release of individuals detained on account of their religion or belief, or in relation to the defence of human rights;

Condemns the Iranian regime’s systemic suppression of human rights movements and persecution of minorities, including Kurds, Baluchis, Christians, and Baha’is, who face discrimination, arrests, and violations of fundamental rights aimed at silencing dissent;

Reiterates its calls on Iran to halt all executions that are in disregard to international law requirements;

Reiterates its call on the Council to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation and to expand the EU sanctions to all those responsible for human rights violations, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, President Masoud Pezeshkian, Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i, Prosecutor-General Mohammad Movahedi-Azad, and Judge Iman Afshari;

Condemns Iran’s hostage diplomacy; urges the EU to launch an EU strategy to counter hostage diplomacy with a dedicated task force on Iran to better assist detainees’ families and effectively prevent further hostage-taking; calls on Iran to immediately and unconditionally release all detained EU nationals;

Reiterates its call on the Commission and the Member States to increase technical and capacity support to Iranian civil society;

Reiterates its call on the Council to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation, noting that the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court’s ruling on the 2022 Bochum synagogue attack provides the necessary legal grounds;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the VP/HR, the Islamic Consultative Assembly,Parliament and the Supreme Leader of the Islamic RepublicGovernment of Iran.