On the brutal repression against protesters in Iran

B100080/2026

European Parliament resolution on the brutal repression against protesters in Iran

(2026/2565(RSP))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to its previous resolutions on the Islamic Republic of Iran,

– having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948,

– having regard to the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union,

– having regard to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights of 1966,

– having regard to the statements made by the President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, following the violent crackdown in January 2026,

– having regard to the press release issued by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on 10 January 2026, entitled ‘Iran: UN Fact-Finding Mission calls for immediate restoration of internet access and adherence to international human rights law’,

– having regard to Rule 136(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas since 28 December 2025, Iran has witnessed the largest nationwide protests since the establishment of the Islamic Republic, with broad segments of Iranian society demanding fundamental freedoms, dignity and human rights and calling for fundamental socio-political change after decades of oppression;

B. whereas the Iranian security forces, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the police force, have carried out a systematic, violent nationwide crackdown on protesters, using lethal force to suppress peaceful demonstrations, enabled by Chinese equipment and surveillance technology; whereas the Iranian security forces have also used chemical weapons to suppress the protests;

C. whereas Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, and President, Masoud Pezeshkian, bear political and command responsibility for the repression, having repeatedly framed peaceful protesters as foreign-backed agents, terrorists and national security threats, thereby legitimising violence and mass arrests;

D. whereas the Iranian authorities have carried out mass arbitrary arrests, detaining thousands of protesters, activists, journalists and human rights defenders, often without due process and on the basis of vague charges relating to national security;

E. whereas the Iranian judiciary has conducted summary proceedings against detained protesters, including unfair trials, and has imposed and, in some cases, carried out death sentences following grossly flawed judicial procedures;

F. whereas Iran continues to apply the death penalty as a key instrument of repression to intimidate protesters and silence dissent;

G. whereas the IRGC, including the Basij militia, the Quds Force, the Ground Forces, the Aerospace Force and the Navy, plays a central role in the repression of internal dissent and in the regime’s broader security and military apparatus;

H. whereas the Iranian authorities have implemented nationwide and localised internet shutdowns and severe digital restrictions to conceal atrocities, suppress information, disrupt protest coordination, prevent the documentation of human rights violations and stop the dissemination of evidence of such violations;

I. whereas the Iranian authorities’ disproportionate use of violence against peaceful protesters has resulted in several thousand deaths and has sparked protests in several EU Member States;

J. whereas minorities in Iran face systematic discrimination and repression, including arbitrary arrests and excessive use of force;

K. whereas the regime’s actions constitute serious violations of international human rights law, including obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is a state party;

L. whereas the situation in Iran is not merely a domestic matter but an issue of international concern, given the regime’s persistent violations of international law and its destabilising conduct beyond its borders, including hybrid threats and malicious cyber activities; whereas the regime’s cyber and information operations have targeted the EU, in particular its critical infrastructure and public debate; whereas these operations have included coordinated cyber campaigns by the IRGC and the Ministry of Intelligence and Security against maritime and aerospace logistical hubs, defence manufacturing activities and telecommunications infrastructure, as well as influence campaigns targeting European public opinion and institutional trust in a bid to shape political discourse within the EU and amplify divisive narratives; whereas these activities undermine democratic resilience, social cohesion and the security of the EU and its Member States; whereas Iran has contributed to regional and global instability through its support for proxy groups and militias across the Middle East, including the Houthis, Iraqi and Syrian militias and EU-designated terrorist organisations, such as Hamas and Hezbollah, and its provision of military equipment and technology to Russia in its war of aggression against Ukraine;

M. whereas the Iranian authorities are engaged in an extensive campaign of transnational repression targeting dissidents, journalists and members of the Iranian diaspora through intimidation, surveillance, attempted assassination, kidnapping and unlawful deportation;

N. whereas the Iranian diaspora plays a central role in opposing the regime, documenting human rights violations and raising international awareness, and is therefore increasingly targeted by Iranian state and state-linked actors;

O. whereas Iran’s nuclear programme remains a critical global security concern; whereas Iran’s destabilising conduct increases the risk of regional escalation; whereas the US and Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear and missile-related infrastructure in June 2025 exposed significant vulnerabilities in the regime’s military and security apparatus; whereas the US administration has repeatedly stated that it is considering potential military action to address the situation in Iran;

1. Expresses its full solidarity with the people of Iran, who are peacefully demanding liberty, dignity and fundamental rights, and recognises the Iranian people as the sole legitimate source of authority and sovereignty in Iran;

2. Strongly condemns the Iranian security forces’ widespread, brutal, intentional and disproportionate use of force against peaceful protesters, without any regard for human life; calls on the Iranian authorities to immediately end the crackdown and guarantee the right to peaceful assembly;

3. Condemns the use of the death penalty as a tool of repression, including the execution and threatened execution of protesters, which amounts to state-sanctioned killing; calls on Iran to immediately abolish the death penalty;

4. Extends its condolences to the families of all those who have been killed as a result of the violent repression by the Iranian authorities;

5. Calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners, prisoners of conscience, journalists and human rights defenders and all individuals detained for exercising their fundamental rights, and demands that all charges against peaceful protesters be dropped;

6. Notes the prominent role played by women and girls in the protests and condemns the gender-based repression specifically targeting them; calls for full respect for their fundamental rights and freedoms;

7. Condemns the use of deliberate internet shutdowns as a tool of repression; calls for the immediate restoration of full internet connectivity;

8. Calls for the EU and its Member States to significantly scale up technical and financial support to ensure secure digital access and the provision of censorship-circumvention tools and digital protection for Iranian civil society, journalists and human rights defenders;

9. Calls on technology and satellite service providers to explore all lawful and feasible means of facilitating secure access to communication services for Iranian citizens and to prevent the misuse of their platforms for repression;

10. Calls for the EU and its Member States to use all tools at their disposal to prevent, deter and respond to malicious cyber activities and foreign information manipulation and interference, including those conducted by or attributed to the Iranian authorities; encourages the full use of the EU Cyber Diplomacy Toolbox, including restrictive measures against individuals and entities responsible for cyberattacks, and of the EU sanctions regime targeting such attacks; urges the EU to reinforce its capabilities in the areas of strategic communication, resilience-building and attribution, in coordination with international partners;

11. Calls on the Council to list the IRGC and its subsidiary forces, including the Basij militia and the Quds Force, as terrorist organisations under the EU terrorist sanctions framework, and to ban any economic or financial activity involving entities owned, controlled or fronting for the IRGC by freezing all funds of which the origin can be traced back to the IRGC or other high-ranking members of the regime; calls on the Member States to simultaneously take all appropriate national measures to ensure the full implementation and enforcement of this listing;

12. Calls for the expansion and strict enforcement of the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime and other EU restrictive measures, including asset freezes and visa bans, against all Iranian officials responsible for repression and against all entities under the control of, or acting on behalf of, the Office of the Supreme Leader; welcomes the fact that the EU is considering targeted sanctions against individuals and entities responsible for the violent repression of protesters, and urges the swift adoption of such sanctions;

13. Calls for these measures to be coordinated with like-minded partners, accompanied by efforts to counter sanctions circumvention globally; welcomes the United States’ recent adoption of targeted sanctions against senior Iranian officials responsible for repression, and urges the EU to take similar action;

14. Calls for the expulsion of IRGC members’ relatives who are studying or working in the EU;

15. Calls for the strengthening of the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran, including through the provision of adequate funding and a mandate to investigate violations, identify chains of command and preserve evidence to ensure that those responsible, at all levels, can be held to account in the future;

16. Calls for the EU and its Member States to support efforts to document, preserve and share evidence of human rights violations in Iran, and to explore judicial and non-judicial mechanisms that could help ensure that the perpetrators are held accountable in the future;

17. Calls on the Member States to expel Iran’s ambassadors from their territories; urges the closure of Iranian diplomatic missions, which have been associated with transnational repression in the EU;

18. Condemns the sanctions imposed by the Iranian authorities against Members of the European Parliament and calls for them to be lifted immediately;

19. Notes that the initial international response to the escalating repression in Iran was inadequate and welcomes the recent steps taken by the EU towards further restrictive measures;

20. Welcomes its President’s decision to restrict access to Parliament premises by Iranian regime representatives in response to the ongoing repression;

21. Stresses that any normalisation of relations with Iran is conditional upon the unconditional release of all political prisoners, the verifiable end of systematic repression, and genuine progress towards democracy and the rule of law;

22. Invites representatives of the Iranian opposition to Parliament; invites Reza Pahlavi to address Parliament;

23. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, and the Islamic Consultative Assembly, Office of the President and Office of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran.