Political crisis in the broader Middle East: the need to protect human rights and the rights of all minority groups
- Author(s):
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Origin
- Assembly
debate on 29 January 2026 (7th sitting) (see Doc. 16336, report of the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy,
rapporteur: Mr Piero Fassino). Text adopted
by the Assembly on 29 January 2026 (7th sitting).
1. The rapid escalation of internal
political crises in the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Syrian
Arab Republic has raised urgent questions concerning the protection
of human rights that require sustained international attention.
These crises represent critical junctures for the future trajectories
of both countries and carry far-reaching implications for the stability
and direction of the broader Middle East.
2. The developments in the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Syrian
Arab Republic are unfolding in a regional environment marked by
heightened instability, recurring tensions and a growing risk of
escalation.
3. Multiple battlefronts have been active since the terrorist
attacks carried out by Hamas against Israel in October 2023, which
the Parliamentary Assembly has unequivocally condemned, and the
subsequent military response by Israel, which has resulted in a
catastrophic humanitarian situation of exceptional severity in Gaza. These
multifaceted conflicts have involved armed non-State and proxy actors,
including Iran-backed groups of Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis,
and have caused immense suffering to civilian populations across
the region.
4. As regards the war in Gaza, the Assembly points to its previous
resolutions and positions concerning the conflict, in particular
Resolution 2582 (2025) “The
absolute and urgent need to end the humanitarian crisis for women,
children and the hostages in Gaza”. It welcomes the return of the
remains of the final hostage and the transition to phase two of
the Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict and underlines that
durable peace requires the disarmament of Hamas, alongside the mobilisation
of substantial resources for the reconstruction of Gaza.
5. The eruption of open military hostilities between Israel and
Iran in June 2025, followed by the direct military intervention
of the United States of America targeting Iranian nuclear facilities,
has further heightened the risk of a wider regional conflagration,
with profound implications for human suffering and for the maintenance
of international peace and security, at a time when power politics
has increasingly undermined adherence to international law and multilateral
governance frameworks.
6. Within this tense regional context, the Assembly condemns
in the strongest terms the deteriorating human rights situation
in Iran. Nationwide protests that started on 28 December 2025 have
been met with a brutal and extensive State response, with State
violence particularly severe in regions home to ethnic minorities.
Reports indicate the widespread, large-scale use of lethal force
against protesters, killing thousands, alongside other forms of
arbitrary deprivation of life, enforced disappearance, arbitrary
arrest and detention, incommunicado detention and torture and inhuman
treatment or punishment.
7. Sustained restrictions on access to information, including
prolonged internet and telecommunications shutdowns, have compounded
the crisis by impeding the verification of events and limiting the
ability of individuals to exercise their rights to freedom of expression,
access to information and peaceful assembly.
8. The Assembly equally abhors the intensification of repressive
measures by the Iranian authorities in the period preceding the
protests and notes with profound concern the significant rise in
the use of the death penalty in 2025, contributing to a climate
of fear and repression incompatible with respect for human dignity and
fundamental rights.
9. The Assembly expresses its profound solidarity with the people
of Iran who have voiced their legitimate aspirations for a better
life, freedom and dignity. It acknowledges the significant risks
faced by individuals who peacefully express dissent, in particular
women and persons belonging to religious and ethnic minorities,
who continue to experience heightened levels of repression and discrimination.
10. At the same time, the situation in the Syrian Arab Republic
continues to be characterised by a prolonged fragmentation of authority,
unresolved political arrangements and recurring violence, which
have perpetuated serious human rights concerns and left civilian
populations, including persons belonging to ethnic and religious minority
groups, particularly exposed to insecurity, displacement and abuse.
11. Since the fall of the al-Assad regime, patterns of violence
in parts of Syria have underscored the continuing vulnerability
of minority communities in areas affected by shifting control, weak
institutional safeguards and limited accountability. The Assembly
is appalled by reports of unlawful and extrajudicial killings targeting
civilians belonging to religious and ethnic minorities such as Christians,
Alawites and Druze communities, as well as forced displacement,
intimidation and the destruction of cultural and religious heritage. The
Assembly stresses the urgent need to ensure that all parts of Syrian
society are effectively protected and fully included in the country’s
political transition.
12. Recent developments across north-east Syria have further illustrated
the fragility of existing security and governance arrangements,
particularly in areas with significant Kurdish populations. The
escalation of violence between the Syrian Government and the Syrian
Democratic Forces has had severe humanitarian and protection consequences
for Kurdish communities and has increased risks for other ethnic
and religious minorities throughout the region.
13. The Assembly stresses its concern at reports from Kurdish
authorities that more than 150 000 people have been displaced by
the recent military escalation. Intensified fears of renewed extremism,
persecution and large-scale displacement have been heightened by
reports of the release of Daesh detainees who have carried out indiscriminate
attacks against Kurdish communities.
14. The Assembly expresses deep concern that Kobani, where the
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (also known as ISIS) was first
defeated in 2015, is once again under siege after eleven years,
this time by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham/ISIS elements; condemns the long-range
artillery shelling of civilian areas and the imposition of embargoes
on water and electricity for heating, which may amount to war crimes;
and calls for the immediate opening of the Mürşitpınar border crossing
under the control of Türkiye to facilitate urgent humanitarian aid
and prevent a catastrophe.
15. Against this background, the Assembly states the need for
urgent action to respond to the humanitarian needs in the country,
intensify diplomatic efforts to prevent further military escalations,
protect civilian populations and avoid normalising violence against
minorities.
16. The persistence of impunity for serious human rights violations
in both the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Syrian Arab Republic
continues to undermine prospects for justice, reconciliation and
long-term stability, reinforcing cycles of violence and repression
that disproportionately affect minority communities and other vulnerable
groups.
17. As regards instability in the broader Middle East, the Assembly:
17.1 stresses that lasting peace
and stability in the region can only be achieved through full respect for
international law, including human rights law and international
humanitarian law, and through political solutions that prioritise
the protection of civilians;
17.2 calls for all actors involved in regional hostilities
to refrain from actions that risk further military escalation, to
respect existing ceasefire arrangements and to take immediate steps
to reduce tensions across all active fronts;
17.3 underlines that the protection of civil populations, including
persons belonging to ethnic and religious minority groups, must
remain a central consideration in all political, security and military decisions,
and that violations against civilians must not be normalised;
17.4 stresses its commitment to a peaceful, just and sustainable
future for Israelis and Palestinians based on the two-State solution
and in full respect for international law.
18. As regards the situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran,
the Assembly:
18.1 is appalled by
the violent suppression of peaceful protest and condemns in the
strongest terms the horrendous and brutal killing of Iranian protesters;
18.2 demands the immediate and unconditional cessation of the
use of violence against peaceful protesters and an end to the killing,
persecution and repression of civilians exercising their fundamental rights;
18.3 demands that the Iranian authorities be held fully accountable
under international law for the widespread and systematic violence
inflicted on their own population;
18.4 calls for the review of all death sentences imposed in
Iran and the immediate suspension of all executions;
18.5 calls for the release of all protesters and political
prisoners arbitrarily deprived of their liberty;
18.6 calls on the Iranian authorities to respect at all times
the fundamental rights and freedoms of their citizens, including
the rights to life, freedom, peaceful assembly, freedom of expression
and access to information;
18.7 condemns the use of enforced internet and telecommunications
shutdowns and other forms of digital repression, and calls for the
full and unconditional restoration of access to information and communication
services;
18.8 underlines its
Resolution 2570 (2024) “The
situation in Iran and the protection of Iranian human rights defenders
in Council of Europe member States” and calls for member States
of the Council of Europe to consider the option of designating the
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation;
18.9 calls on Council of Europe member States and international
partners to continue to counter disinformation and misinformation
disseminated by the Iranian authorities, to speak out consistently against
human rights violations and repression, and to pursue diplomatic
efforts aimed at reducing regional tensions and supporting peace
and security in the broader Middle East.
19. As regards the situation in the Syrian Arab Republic, the
Assembly:
19.1 stresses its grave
concern for the safety of Kurdish communities and Christian, Alawite
and Druze minorities in the country;
19.2 calls for urgent international accountability, including
the consideration by member States of the Council of Europe of targeted
sanctions against individuals and entities responsible for abuses;
19.3 calls for adherence to the ceasefire agreement, continued
dialogue and an end to violence;
19.4 stresses the need for enhanced diplomatic efforts with
allies to prevent further military escalation and to protect civilian
populations;
19.5 calls for unimpeded humanitarian access to be safeguarded
and adequately resourced both within Syria and across borders;
19.6 supports efforts towards an inclusive political transition
that guarantees rights and protection for all communities and delivers
for all Syrians and welcomes the commitments of the Syrian Government towards
inclusive, representative governance in the pursuit of a safe and
secure future for Syria.
