On Repression and execution of protesters, dissidents, political prisoners and religious minorities in Iran

B100266/2026

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

(2026/2733(RSP))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to its previous resolutions on Iran,

A. whereas mass protests erupted across Iran in December 2025, driven by economic collapse and decades of political repression and in January 2026 security forces launched a brutal crackdown, murdering tens of thousands of civilians and resulting in the mass arbitrary arrest of protesters and dissidents; whereas the Iranian authorities have pursued a systematic campaign of prosecutions and executions against those detained during the uprising, a campaign further intensified under the cover of the regional armed conflict that began in February 2026; whereas the Iranian authorities have been exploiting this conflict to intensify domestic repression, accelerate executions of political prisoners and protesters, and impose prolonged internet blackouts that curtail independent reporting and international scrutiny of human rights violations; whereas the Islamic Republic of Iran has played a deeply destabilising role in the Middle East through its support for terrorist proxy groups, including Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis and Shia militias in Iraq, fuelling conflict and instability across the region;

B. whereas the authorities have refused to return the bodies of executed political prisoners to their families, who face arrest and abduction when attempting to retrieve them, and are confiscating the properties of protesters, while political prisoners across detention facilities mark week of hunger strike in protest of these executions;

C. whereas the UN Independent Fact-Finding Mission on Iran warned that the country's deepening human rights crisis, characterised by institutionalised repression on an unprecedented scale including violations that may amount to crimes against humanity, is likely to worsen;

D. whereas Iranian authorities labelled Christians as "Mossad mercenaries", broadcast forced confessions of those detained, raided house churches and arbitrarily detained Christian converts; whereas nearly 90% of all charges against Christians were brought under Article 500 of the penal code, which criminalises propaganda contrary to Islam;

1. Condemns the Iranian authorities' deliberate exploitation of the regional armed conflict to accelerate executions of political prisoners and protesters depriving victims and their families of any meaningful recourse or international protection;

2. Demands that the Iranian authorities immediately halt all executions of political prisoners and protesters, release all individuals detained in connection with the uprisings, and quash all convictions based on confessions extracted under torture;

3. Expresses solidarity those in Iran persecuted for their beliefs or identity, including Kurds, Baluchis, Baha'is and Christians, who face decades of systematic discrimination and repression; calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all persons detained solely for exercising their freedom of religion or belief;

4. Calls on the Council to continue listing, under the EU human rights sanctions regime, Iranian judiciary officials responsible for ordering politically motivated executions, and to ensure existing listings are actively enforced across all Member States;

5. Calls to invite Reza Pahlavi to address the European Parliament;

6. 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.