Marco Zanni MEP addressed a webinar by European lawmakers on October 7, 2020, on the human rights situation in Iran.

Online Conference held under title, “Iran’s Ongoing Crimes Against Humanity, EU’s political and moral obligations”. The online event was on October 7, 2020. Dozens of members of the European Parliament attended and spoke at the conference.

MEPs made their remarks in order to condemn the horrific human rights violations witnessed on a daily basis across Iran. In addition, MEPs called on the European Union to fulfill its moral and political obligations in the face of human rights violations in Iran. They called for a firm policy by the European Union against the mullah regime in Iran. Also, they pointed out, It is high time to stand alongside the Iranian people and support their justified aspirations for a free, democratic, and non-nuclear Iran.

Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran(NCRI), was the keynote speaker at this conference. Her message welcomed as a democratic solution to Iran’s future. Mrs. Rajavi’s ten-point plan has widespread support from the majority of MEPs for a long time.

Marco Zanni, MEP from Italy and Chair of the ID Group

Thank you very much for the opportunity to address this conference supporting Iranian people.

My colleagues pointed out what is the main point, what we can do to support Iranian people. We all know that in the last decades, the Iranian regime has been the protagonist of violations of human rights of its citizens and this is really horrible.

In recent months, we have observed that new demonstrations against the regime in the name of democracy, demonstration are actually repressed by the Iranian authorities with many protesters imprisoned and sentenced to death.

There is a particular case that I’d like to point out, the recent execution of Navid Afkari, a champion wrestler who confessed their alleged crimes under torture. This is just the latest example of the cruelty of the Iranian regime. This is a deplorable and violent episode by the hands of the Iranian regime.

In Europe, an international protest for a fair trial, showing the total disregard for the most fundamental human rights standards, especially this case involved with sport. Sport has traditionally been an instrument of unity, of friendship, of brotherhood, and the regime claimed that the secret execution of Navid Afkari in order to use it as a warning to the population in a climate of increasing social unrest, but in reality, it was a clear admission of weakness.

That was pretty clear. The regime prefers to be defeated by the will of the people and knows it was completely unprepared for the COVID-19 pandemic and the following economic crisis. That’s something that we have to keep in mind, supporting Iranian people in their asking for freedom will show up again. They’re witnesses of the Iranian regime, and we’ll have a democratic transition that Iranian people are asking since many years ago.

Thank you very much again for your lendable initiative and I hope to celebrate with you and all the Iranian people very soon, the freedom of the country for a regime that is destroying the people and also destroying one of the most beautiful country in the world. Thank you very much again.