What changed

B100261/2026

B100259/2026

European Parliament resolution on the repressionRepression and execution of protesters, dissidents, political prisoners and religious minorities in Iran

(2026/2733(RSP))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to its previous resolutionsresolution on Iran,

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

whereas the Islamic Republic of Iran continues to commit systematic and grave human rights violations against protesters, women, dissidents, journalists, political prisoners and religious and ethnic minorities;

whereas people in Iran are victims of unlawful US and Israeli attacks and deadly domestic repression;

whereas repression has intensified since the “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests through arbitrary arrests, torture, enforced disappearances and executions following grossly unfair trials;

whereas those foreign air strikes killed at least 2,362 civilians, including 383 children, and injured over 32,314 civilians;

whereas protesters have been executed since the 2022 uprising and whereas opposition groups report a sharp increase in politically motivated executions during the 2025-2026 protests and the recent war;

whereas meanwhile the Iranian authorities have extraordinarily increased the use of the death penalty as a political tool of repression and coercion, in particular against protesters, executing at least 31 individuals since March 2026, following unfair trials involving torture and forced confessions;

whereas the IRGC, the Basij militia and the judiciary play a central role in repression, torture and intimidation;

whereas, in 2025 alone, the Iranian authorities carried out at least 1,639 executions, the highest annual number documented since 1989;

whereas political prisoners are routinely denied due process, legal representation, and medical care, and subjected to forced confessions;

Expresses its full solidarity with the people in Iran, victims of both Iranian authorities’ deadly repression and unlawful US and Israeli attacks;

whereas religious and ethnic minorities face severe persecution and discrimination;

Calls on Iranian authorities to cease repression and release all political detainees, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi, and all those detained for peacefully exercising their rights;

whereas the regime has imposed prolonged internet blackouts and media censorship to conceal state violence and suppress independent reporting;

Stands with the Iranian people in their legitimate struggle for their right to decide their political future free from coercion and foreign interference;

whereas women and girls continue to face systemic discrimination, compulsory veiling and repression under the regime’s interpretation of Sharia law;

Firmly condemns the sharp rise in executions; reiterates its strong opposition to the death penalty ; urges to introduce a moratorium as a first step towards abolition;

whereas the Islamic Republic continues to support terrorist and proxy groups across the Middle East, and has been linked to covert operations and assassination plots on European soil;

Condemns unequivocally the use of arbitrary detention, torture, inhumane prison conditions and disproportionate sentences;

Condemns in the strongest possible terms the systematic repression by the Islamic Republic of Iran against protesters, dissidents, women, journalists, political prisoners and religious and ethnic minorities;

Urges independent international monitoring, including cooperation with the UN Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, to document violations and enable accountability;

Strongly condemns the sharp increase in executions, including executions of protesters and persons convicted on vague national security charges following grossly unfair proceedings;

Calls for international observers and humanitarian organizations to be granted unhindered access to all those detained;

Calls on the Islamic Republic to immediately halt all executions, abolish death sentences imposed against protesters and political prisoners and establish an immediate moratorium on the death penalty;

Calls on the EU and Member States to support secure, independent internet access in Iran, including through Eutelsat/OneWeb connectivity, to protect civil society;

Demands the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners, prisoners of conscience, detained nationals of EU Member States, and individuals detained for exercising their fundamental rights;

Condemns all indiscriminate attacks affecting civilians in Iran, in clear violation of international law; deeply regrets the absence of a clear condemnation by VP/HR Kallas of Israeli and US strikes causing civilian casualties; calls on the EU to apply international law consistently and to support an independent investigation into all attacks against civilians;

Expresses its solidarity with the people of Iran and supports their aspirations for freedom, democracy, national dignity and freedom from religious coercion;

Strongly condemns US and Israeli air strikes on Iranian territory, including the bombing of the school in Minab in which at least 165 children were killed; Recalls attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructures such as schools and hospitals, may constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law and increases shortages of essential services;

Condemns the persecution of religious and ethnic minorities and calls on the Islamic Republic to guarantee freedom of religion or belief and equal rights for all citizens;

Considers more broadly that general economic sanctions against Iran have been counterproductive, as they primarily affect the civilian population, exacerbate shortages, weaken civil society and bolster the people's dependency on the regime; calls for a focus on targeted sanctions against those responsible for repression;

Condemns the repression of women and girls, including compulsory veiling and discriminatory legislation targeting women’s freedoms and participation in public life;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the EU institutions, Member States, and the Irani authorities.

Reiterates its call for targeted sanctions against Iranian officials and entities responsible for repression and executions, including judges, prison directors, IRGC commanders and members of the security apparatus;

Urges Member States to combat the Islamic Republic’s transnational repression and influence operations in Europe;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the VP/HR, the Council, the Commission, the UN Secretary-General, the governments and parliaments of the Member States and the Iranian authorities.