10/09/2024 Political Affairs and Democracy
The Political Affairs Committee, meeting on 9 September in Paris, expressed its concern about the persecution of human rights defenders in Iran and abroad by the Iranian regime.
The report by Max Lucks (Germany, SOC), adopted by the committee, underlines that many Iranians in exile in Europe, and European citizens of Iranian origin, who are opposed to the Iranian regime, are often faced with threats, intimidation, violence and abductions by the Iranian State structures of repression operating abroad, and are even murdered.
Diplomatic engagement vis-à-vis Iran should not be limited to the nuclear deal and address all issues in a comprehensive manner, the parliamentarians said, adding that “the human rights situation should be made a central topic of discussion”.
Believing that Iran's domestic and foreign policy posed a serious threat to regional, European and global security, the committee called on member states to put in place “a coherent and co-ordinated policy to ensure the protection [...] of Iranian nationals under the jurisdiction of Council of Europe member states”, in particular the key opposition figures.
The adopted draft resolution also calls on member states to strengthen solidarity with Iranian civil society, to enforce targeted sanctions against the Iranian power elite, to introduce international legal prosecution of Iranian human rights violators, and to provide protection to all Iranians who manage to escape and cannot return because of fear of persecution.
Finally, according to the committee, the Council of Europe “should play a significant role in guiding and supporting its member states to build up co-ordinated human rights-based relations with Iran”.