What changed

European Parliament resolution on the execution spree in Iran and confirmation of the death sentences of activists Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani

B100222/2025

Motion for a European Parliament resolution on the execution spree in Iran and the confirmation of the death sentences of activists Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani

(2025/2628(RSP))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to itsRule previous150 resolutionsof onits Iran,Rules of Procedure,

– having regard to Rules 150(5) and 136(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas the human rights situation in Iran is increasingly deteriorating, and experts have expressed alarm at the escalating persecution of religion and belief, as well as the rights to privacy and freedom of expression ; whereas members of ethnic and religious minorities in Iran face arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances; whereas being Muslim is a requirement for most government jobs;

A whereas Iran has the highest death sentence rate per capita in the world; whereas since the Women, Life, Freedom uprising in 2022, the Iranian authorities have embarked on an execution spree, including against dissidents, women, journalists and minorities;

B. whereas on 15 September 2024, Behrouz Ehsani, 69, and Mehdi Hassani, 48, were sentenced to death for alleged ties to the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran and on charges of “armed rebellion against the state”; whereas on 7 January 2025, the Supreme Court upheld their sentences, and contact with their family was denied;

B whereas the human rights situation in Iran is worsening, including the systemic targeting of women, children and ethnic and religious minorities, such as Christians, Baha’is, Kurds and Baluchis;

C. whereas Iranian courts, particularly revolutionary courts, regularly fail to provide fair trials and accept confessions obtained under torture as evidence in court; whereas the authorities also routinely restrict detainees’ access to legal counsel, particularly during the investigation period;

C. whereas according to Iran Human Rights, at least 975 people were executed in Iran in 2024, the highest number in more than two decades; whereas this includes individuals arrested as minors, as well as European citizens;

D. whereas following the death of Jina Mahsa Amini in custody, the Iranian authorities have intensified efforts to suppress the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement and have intensified their use of the death penalty in order to terrify the population; whereas more than 900 people were executed in 2024 alone;

D. whereas political prisoners Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani were arrested in November 2022 and subjected to torture and prolonged solitary confinement, denied their basic rights during their incarceration and sentenced to death on charges of ‘armed rebellion against the state’, ‘enmity against God’ and ‘corruption on earth’;

E. whereas human rights violations in Iran are not limited to the persecution of human rights activists and political opponents, but women's rights in general are also denied, particularly since the imposition of compulsory veiling in 1983, which has led to the harassment, arrest, imprisonment, torture and killing of many women; whereas recent reports highlight an increase in honour killings across Iran; whereas Iran’s legal framework is rooted in Islamic law which offers leniency to men who commit those crimes;

E. whereas several human rights defenders, including Pakhshan Azizi, Wirishe Moradi, Mahvash Sabet and Sharifeh Mohammadi, face severe persecution in Iran, with some sentenced to death and others imprisoned;

F. whereas European-Iranian dual nationals continue to be arbitrarily arrested in Iran and exploited as bargaining chips; whereas Dr. Ahmedreza Djalali, a Swedish citizen, remains imprisoned;

1. Reiterates its strong opposition to the death penalty; urges the Iranian Government to introduce an immediate moratorium leading to its abolition;

1. Expresses deep concern over the continued deterioration of human rights in Iran; urges the Islamic Republic of Iran to ensure that the cases of Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani are reviewed in accordance with international human rights standards, including the right to a fair trial and legal representation;

2. Condemns the decision by Iran’s Supreme Court to uphold the death sentence against Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani, detained under inhumane conditions and subjected to unfair trials;

2. Calls for the unconditional release of EU nationals, and all unlawfully detained human rights activists, political opponents and prisoners of conscience in Iran;

3. Calls for their release, together with all prisoners currently on death row for political activism; recalls, in particular, the urgent cases of Pakhshan Azizi, Wirishe Moradi, Sharifeh Mohammadi and Mahvash Sabet;

3. Stresses that the oppression of Iranian women and the deny of freedom of religion, belief and expression is inherent to Islamic fundamentalism and a direct result of the application of Sharia law;

4. Condemns the unprecedented rise in executions and the systematic targeting of human rights activists and minorities through the death penalty and persecutions, in particular Christians, Baha’is, Kurds and Baluchis; calls for the immediate and unconditional release of individuals detained on account of their religion or belief;

4. Warns, in this context, about the existence and application of Sharia law in predominantly Muslim communities in Europe; condemns its implementation, calls for its prohibition across Europe and calls on the Commission to refrain from promoting any culture that does not recognise the equal dignity of men and women, in particular by ceasing all communication promoting the Islamic veil;

5. Demands the immediate release and repatriation of and dropping of all charges against condemned EU nationals, including Cécile Kohler, Jacques Paris and Ahmadreza Djalali; condemns Iran’s use of hostage diplomacy;

5. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the relevant parties.

6. Calls on the Council and Member States to make the abolition of the death sentence and the release of political prisoners and EU nationals a condition for improving relations with Iran;

7. Reiterates its call on Iran to give the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran and the UN Fact-Finding Mission unimpeded access to the country;

8. Reiterates its call on the Council to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organisation and continue identifying and sanctioning Iranian officials responsible for human rights violations;

9. Encourages the Commission and Member States to expand technical and financial assistance 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.