January 16, 2023: Members of the European Parliament in the Friends of a Free Iran (FoFI), by issuing a statement while condemning the execution of protesters in Iran, demanded to designate of the IRGC as a terrorist organization.
The text of this statement is as follows:
European Parliament
Friends of a Free Iran (FoFI)
January 16, 2023
The Friends of a Free Iran at the European Parliament once again expresses its outrage to the death sentences carried out and issued against imprisoned protesters in Iran and calls on the European Union and its member states to take immediate and practical measures, to stop executions and calls for an end to repression in Iran.
The nationwide uprising in Iran, which is entering its fifth month, is rooted in more than 4 decades of organized resistance of the Iranian people for freedom.
Today, Iranian people from all generations and all social strata have taken to the streets, demanding an end to the dictatorship.
Handing down death sentences and the brutal crackdown by the regime which has resulted in the killing of at least 750 protesters, including at least 70 children, and more than 60 women, have failed to quell the protests.
Over 30,000 people who have been arrested, have been subjected to torture, as well as sexual violence, to force them to confess to crimes they did not commit. Some 100 protestors have so far been sentenced to death on the fabricated charges of “Corruption on Earth” or “Moharebeh” (Waging war on God). Two imprisoned protestors were executed on December 8 and 12, 2022 and two others on January 7, 2023. Dozens of people, especially young girls, have been killed under torture.
Thousands of people have been injured and blinded using pellet guns, targeting their eyes and other vital organs.
We express our deep concern regarding the various statements of the Ministry of Intelligence on the arrest of regime’s opponents. Mir Yousef Younesi who was in prison for 9 years under this regime and another 3 years during the Shah’s dictatorship is an example of one of these opponents. His son, Ali Younesi, is the gold medalist of the International Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad, who was sentenced to 16 years in prison three years ago, on the charge of working with the PMOI/MEK.
The Iranian regime and its leaders have perpetuated these crimes with impunity for the past four decades, becoming more brutal without accountability. The regime has openly declared that they would not cooperate with the independent international fact-finding mission as adopted by the UN Human Rights Council in a special session on November 24, 2022.
The similarity of slogans and tactics of the protestors, including the chants of “Death to the dictator” and “Death to the oppressor, be it the Shah or the leader (Khamenei)”, indicate to what extent the uprising is organized. It is with these slogans that Iranians have made it clear that they reject all forms of dictatorships, whether religious or monarchy, and want a democratic republic based on the separation of religion from the state. The European Union and European Parliament should stand by their principals and recognize the Iranian people’s right to defend themselves against such a cruel and inhumane regime.
The ten-point plan of Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the Iranian Resistance, which includes respect for international conventions, individual and social rights, full equality between men and women, separation of religion and the state, and a non-nuclear Iran, deserves the support of those who advocate for freedom in Iran.
We believe that in this situation, cooperation, and negotiation with the Iranian regime cannot be justified under any pretext. The European Union and its member states should blacklist the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist entity for its role in suppressing the people of Iran and its terrorist activities, recall their ambassadors from Iran, and close the regime’s embassies in EU countries, expelling Tehran’s diplomats and agents.
We declare our readiness to participate in the trials of the arrested protesters together with the lawyers of the Iranian Resistance to ensure that their trials are conducted according to international standards.
Milan ZVER – MEP from Slovenia
Ryszard CZARNECKI – MEP from Poland
Marco CAMPOMENOSI – MEP from Italy
Petri SARVAMAA – MEP from Finland
Ivan STEFANEC – MEP from Slovakia
Stanislav POLCAK – MEP from Czech Republic
Gianna GANCIA – MEP from Italy
Anna FOTYGA – MEP from Poland
Anna BONFRISCO – MEP from Italy
