A bipartisan coalition of senior lawmakers at the New South Wales Parliament held a major conference on August 16, 2025, to mark the 37th anniversary of Iran’s 1988 massacre, condemning the regime’s ongoing human rights abuses and publicly endorsing the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) as a democratic alternative.
The conference was hosted in Sydney’s historic Jubilee Room. The event was initiated by the Deputy Speaker of the NSW Legislative Assembly, Sonia Hornery of the Labor Party, and Jackie Munro, the Liberal Party’s Shadow Assistant Minister for Innovation and Digital Government. The united front from across the political aisle sends a powerful message of international solidarity with the Iranian people’s quest for freedom.
The Unhealed Wound of the 1988 Massacre
The conference centered on the commemoration of one of the darkest chapters in modern Iranian history. In the summer of 1988, the regime’s founder, Ruhollah Khomeini, issued a fatwa that led to the systematic execution of over 30,000 political prisoners. So-called “Death Commissions” were formed across the country, conducting minutes-long “trials” that sent thousands to the gallows for their political affiliations, primarily their support for the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK).
#Iranian Regime State Media Justifies #1988Massacre, Signaling Ongoing Threat of Political Executionshttps://t.co/cw6HRHow4O
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) August 13, 2025
Speakers at the Sydney event drew a direct line from those atrocities to the regime’s current brutality. Niloufar Shakiba, representing the Iranian-Australian Women’s Association, noted that because the perpetrators of the 1988 massacre were never held accountable, they remain in senior positions of power today, fostering a culture of impunity that fuels the ongoing wave of executions. Peter Murphy, who moderated the conference, added that the regime is openly threatening a repeat of the 1988 massacre because, just as it did at the end of the Iran-Iraq war, it is once again facing a legitimate threat of being overthrown by the people.
A Bipartisan Chorus for Change
The Australian lawmakers present were unequivocal in their condemnation of the regime. Deputy Speaker Sonia Hornery spoke of her steadfast solidarity with the Iranian people, recounting her past meetings with NCRI President-elect Maryam Rajavi and impressive gatherings in Paris. She emphasized that it is the duty of parliamentarians to expose the regime’s brutal oppression of women and dissidents to the Australian public.
Dr. Hugh McDermott, Parliamentary Secretary to the Attorney General, condemned the policy of Western governments geared toward appeasing the mullahs’ regime. He recounted with pride being officially denounced by the Iranian parliament for his advocacy on human rights, stating that those who know the truth about Iran, support the Iranian Resistance. He affirmed that a democratic and secular Iran is an inevitable reality. Cameron Murphy, the Deputy Government Whip in the Legislative Council, echoed this sentiment, calling the struggle for a free Iran a fight for justice and humanity that he and his colleagues would champion at every opportunity.
Dr. @JavaidRehman: “The #Iranian regime has weaponized the death penalty to exterminate dissent. The international community failed to act in 1988. It must not fail again.” pic.twitter.com/KYKjxTGaL8
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) August 8, 2025
Endorsing the Democratic Alternative
Beyond condemnation, the parliamentarians offered concrete support for a clear alternative. Jackie Munro reminded the audience of a unanimous resolution passed by the Legislative Council two years ago. That historic motion formally recognized the NCRI’s Ten-Point Plan for a future Iran, affirming that its principles—including gender equality, the separation of religion and state, and a non-nuclear Iran—reflect the universal values of human rights.
This legislative endorsement underscores a growing international consensus around the “Third Option” advocated by the NCRI: a path that rejects both appeasement of the mullahs and foreign military intervention, instead supporting the Iranian people and their organized Resistance to bring about democratic change.
A Global Call for Accountability
The conference in Sydney is a clear signal that democratic nations are increasingly looking past the illegitimate clerical regime and toward a free and democratic future for Iran. The event concluded with an urgent appeal for international action to halt the regime’s rampant use of the death penalty. As Ms. Shakiba powerfully stated, global silence in the face of these atrocities is a form of complicity that only endangers more lives. The demand from Sydney was clear: the world must hold the leaders of the Iranian regime accountable for their crimes against humanity.