Brussels – European Parliament, January 23, 2025
The European Parliament,
– having regard to its previous resolutions on Iran,
–having regard to Rules 150(5) and 136(4) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas the human rights situation in Iran has significantly worsened, with a sharp rise
in executions, including over 900 individuals in 2024 alone, many of whom were women, political dissidents and individuals connected to the protests sparked by the murder of Jina Mahsa Amini;
B. whereas Kurdish activists, social worker Pakhshan Azizi and advocate for women’s rights Verisheh (Wrisha) Moradi, who fought ISIS in Kurdistan, were sentenced to death for ‘armed rebellion against the state’; whereas they were denied a fair trial and subjected to torture and solitary confinement;
C. whereas in January 2025 the Supreme Court of Iran upheld a death sentence against Pakhshan Azizi and others;
D. whereas dozens of innocent EU nationals have been arbitrarily detained in Iran, without access to fair trials, as part of Iran’s broader strategy of hostage diplomacy;
1- Denounces the Iranian regime’s unrestrained repression of human rights, in particular
the targeting of women activists; strongly condemns the death sentence against Pakhshan Azizi and Wrisha Moradi; demands that Iran immediately and unconditionally release all unjustly imprisoned human rights defenders and political prisoners, including Pakhshan Azizi, Wrisha Moradi and at least 56 other political prisoners on death row;
2- Reiterates its strong opposition to the death penalty and calls on the Iranian Government
to introduce an immediate moratorium on and abolish it;
3- Calls for the EU and its Member States to increase support for Iranian human rights defenders and expresses its full support and solidarity with Iranians united in the ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ movement;
4- Urges the Iranian authorities to immediately release, safely repatriate and drop all charges against EU nationals, including Olivier Grondeau, Cécile Kohler, Jacques Paris and Ahmadreza Djalali; strongly condemns Iran’s use of hostage diplomacy; calls for the EU and its Member States to undertake joint diplomatic efforts and work collectively towards their release;
5- Strongly condemns the murder of Jamshid Sharmahd; urges the Islamic regime in Iran to provide details of the circumstances of his death and for his remains to be immediately returned to his family.
