What changed

B100086/2025

P10_TA(2025)0004

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

(2025/2511(RSP))

PE768.981

European Parliament resolution of 23 January 2025 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 (2025/2511(RSP))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to its previous resolutions on Iran,

– having regard to RuleRules 150150(5) (5)and 136(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

WhereasA. whereas the human rights situation in Iran is worsening ashas women,significantly children,worsened, andwith ethnica andsharp religiousrise minorities,in suchexecutions, asincluding Christians,over Kurds,900 andindividuals Baluch,in face2024 systemicalone, oppression,many includingof poverty,whom forcedwere labour,women, childpolitical marriage,dissidents and lack ofindividuals education;connected whereasto the total numberprotests ofsparked executionsby inthe Iranmurder surpassedof 900Jina inMahsa 2024;Amini;

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;

B. whereas Kurdish activists, social worker Pakhshan Azizi and advocate for women’s rights Verisheh (Wrisha) Moradi, who fought ISIS in Kurdistan, were sentenced to death for ‘armed rebellion against the state’; whereas they were denied a fair trial and subjected to torture and solitary confinement;

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;

C. whereas in January 2025 the Supreme Court of Iran upheld a death sentence against Pakhshan Azizi and others;

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;

D. whereas dozens of innocent EU nationals have been arbitrarily detained in Iran, without access to fair trials, as part of Iran’s broader strategy of hostage diplomacy;

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.

1. Denounces the Iranian regime’s unrestrained repression of human rights, in particular the targeting of women activists; strongly condemns the death sentence against Pakhshan Azizi and Wrisha Moradi; demands that Iran immediately and unconditionally release all unjustly imprisoned human rights defenders and political prisoners, including Pakhshan Azizi, Wrisha Moradi and at least 56 other political prisoners on death row;

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2. Reiterates its strong opposition to the death penalty and calls on the Iranian Government to introduce an immediate moratorium on and abolish it;

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.

3. 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 in the ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ movement;

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;

4. Urges the Iranian authorities to immediately release, safely repatriate and drop all charges against EU nationals, including Olivier Grondeau, Cécile Kohler, Jacques Paris and Ahmadreza Djalali; strongly condemns Iran’s use of hostage diplomacy; calls for the EU and its Member States to undertake joint diplomatic efforts and work collectively towards their release;

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

5. Strongly condemns the murder of Jamshid Sharmahd; urges the Islamic regime in Iran to provide details of the circumstances of his death and for his remains to be immediately returned to his family;

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;

6. Condemns the Iranian regime’s systemic suppression of human rights movements and persecution of minorities, including Kurds, Baluchis, Christians, facing persecution after conversion, and Baha’is, all of them facing ethnic and religious discrimination, arrest and violations of fundamental rights aimed at silencing dissent;

7. Reiterates its call on the Council to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation,organisation notingand thatto theextend DüsseldorfEU Highersanctions Regionalto Court’sall rulingthose onresponsible thefor 2022human Bochumrights synagogueviolations, attackincluding providesSupreme theLeader necessaryAli legalKhamenei, grounds;President Masoud Pezeshkian, Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i, Prosecutor-General Mohammad Movahedi-Azad and Judge Iman Afshari;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Parliament and Government of Iran.

8. Urges the Iranian authorities to provide the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran and the UN fact-finding mission with full, unimpeded access to enact their mandates; calls for the EU and the Member States to fully support the mission and support the renewal of its mandate;

9. Reiterates its call for increased financial support for Iranian civil society;

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