Iceland’s parliament, known as the Alþingi, has recently joined a global campaign aimed at putting a stop to the escalating number of executions occurring in Iran.
A significant majority of Iceland’s representatives have expressed their condemnation of Iran’s ruling dictatorship for the alarming rise in mass and extrajudicial executions, which are being employed as a means to suppress dissent and instill fear. The statement highlights the shocking fact that in just the first 19 days of May, over 100 prisoners were executed.
The statement has been signed by a range of notable individuals, including three party leaders, six parliamentary committee chairpersons, a former minister, a current minister, and four members of the parliamentary leadership committee. It is worth noting that almost half of the signatories are female representatives, making Iceland’s parliament the leading European nation in terms of female participation.
The Icelandic representatives have emphasized their solidarity with the Iranian people, who are calling for a democratic republic founded on the principle of separating religion and government. They advocate for a system where no individual receives preferential treatment based on religion or family connections. The representatives also express their support for Mrs. Maryam Rajavi‘s 10-point plan and acknowledge the enduring struggle of Iranian women for democracy.
Furthermore, Iceland’s parliament affirms that the Iranian people have made it unequivocally clear through their slogans that they reject all forms of dictatorship, whether it be the previously deposed monarchy or the current religious dictatorship. They urge the international community to back the Iranian people’s pursuit of change by advocating for the proscription of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization and the indictment of regime leaders for their crimes against humanity.
Here is the complete statement signed by the majority of Iceland’s parliament:
Support the Iranian People in Their Struggle
For a Secular and Democratic Republic
February 2023
For the past six months, the world has witnessed a sweeping popular uprising in Iran, demanding freedom and democracy. Some 750 protesters have been killed and 30,000 arrested. While any change should come from the Iranian people and their own resistance, the international community has its own responsibility.
We stand in solidarity with the people of Iran in their desire for a secular and democratic republic where no individual, regardless of religion or birthright, has any privilege over others. Through their slogans, the Iranian people have made it clear that they reject all forms of dictatorship, be it the deposed Shah or the current theocratic regime, and thus reject any association with either.
We believe it is for the Iranian people to decide their future. However, we recognize the fact that over the past four decades, the democratic coalition of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) has constantly and tirelessly pursued democratic change. In this respect, we believe the Ten-point Plan articulated by the NCRI President, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, deserves our support. It stands for free elections, freedom of assembly and expression, abolition of the death penalty, gender equality, the separation of religion and state, autonomy for Iran’s ethnicities, and a non-nuclear Iran.
The Iranian people’s courageous uprising can be attributed, on the one hand, to the explosive state of Iranian society, a product of suppression, poverty, discrimination, and government corruption, and, on the other hand, four decades of nationwide organized resistance. Tragically, in the summer of 1988 alone, over 30,000 political prisoners – the vast majority of whom were members of the MEK – were brutally massacred.
We condemn the Iranian regime’s meddling in the Middle East region and Europe, including its terrorist attempts and cyber-attacks in Albania.
We urge the international community to stand with the Iranian people in their quest for change and to take decisive steps against the current regime. This includes blacklisting the IRGC and holding regime officials accountable for their crimes against humanity.
