The situation in Iran

Motion for a resolution | Doc. 15688 | 24 January 2023

Signatories:

Mr Max LUCKS, Germany, SOC ; Mr Knut ABRAHAM, Germany, EPP/CD ; Ms Thórhildur Sunna ÆVARSDÓTTIR, Iceland, SOC ; Mr Gergely ARATÓ, Hungary, SOC ; Ms Sibel ARSLAN, Switzerland, SOC ; Ms Margreet De BOER, Netherlands, SOC ; Mr Ahmet Ünal ÇEVİKÖZ, Türkiye, SOC ; Ms Lise CHRISTOFFERSEN, Norway, SOC ; Ms Heike ENGELHARDT, Germany, SOC ; Mr Even ERIKSEN, Norway, SOC ; Ms Aurora FLORIDIA, Italy, SOC ; Mr Fabian FUNKE, Germany, SOC ; Ms Cressida GALEA, Malta, SOC ; Mr Gerardo GIOVAGNOLI, San Marino, SOC ; Mr Björn Leví GUNNARSSON, Iceland, SOC ; Mr Andrej HUNKO, Germany, UEL ; Mr Michael Georg LINK, Germany, ALDE ; Mr Arminas LYDEKA, Lithuania, ALDE ; Ms Marica MONTEMAGGI, San Marino, SOC ; Mr Simon MOUTQUIN, Belgium, SOC ; Mr Julian PAHLKE, Germany, SOC ; Mr Christian PETRY, Germany, SOC ; Mr Indrek SAAR, Estonia, SOC ; Mr Axel SCHÄFER, Germany, SOC ; Mr Frank SCHWABE, Germany, SOC ; Ms Lise SELNES, Norway, SOC ; Ms Derya TÜRK-NACHBAUR, Germany, SOC ; Ms Feleknas UCA, Türkiye, UEL ; Mr Francesco VERDUCCI, Italy, SOC ; Ms Yelyzaveta YASKO, Ukraine, EPP/CD ; Ms Romilda ZARB, Malta, SOC ; Mr Emanuelis ZINGERIS, Lithuania, EPP/CD

This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only those who have signed it.

Iran is a direct neighbour of three Council of Europe member States, and many people-to-people contacts exist between the citizens of Council of Europe member States and Iran. Following the "Islamic Revolution" in 1979 and the war between Iran and Iraq, Council of Europe member States granted asylum and citizenship to many persons fleeing Iran.

Since the late ‘70s, the Parliamentary Assembly has adopted several resolutions on Iran, addressing issues such as human rights, refugees and displacement, Iran’s nuclear programme and its support of terrorism.

The Assembly should not remain silent in the face of the anti-government protests which have been spreading since the death of Mahsa Amini, a young woman who died in the custody of Iran's morality police on 16 September 2022. These protests reveal the existence of a mature civil society, willing to manifest dissent against political oppression and human rights violations, with women taking a leading role. The response of the Iranian regime, on the other hand, has been of one of utter brutality, with violence, abductions, torture and capital punishment being used to silence the protesters’ legitimate requests.

The Assembly should express political support for Iranian civil society groups and individuals who mobilise to promote democracy, human rights and the rule of law in Iran, in line with Council of Europe values, and help them raise awareness of the situation in Iran in national parliaments.

The Assembly should condemn the authorities’ response and look at Iran’s destabilising role in the region, including its support for the Russian Federation in relation to the latter’s aggression against Ukraine.