A cross-party initiative by the Parliamentary Committee for a Democratic Iran has resulted in a landmark statement backed by 159 members of France’s National Assembly. The declaration expresses grave concern over the deteriorating human rights situation in Iran and calls for international recognition of the Iranian people’s right to overthrow the clerical dictatorship.
The statement denounces the regime’s sweeping repression and the wave of executions, particularly targeting women and political dissidents. It warns that the regime has completely blocked all avenues for peaceful political activity and emphasizes the legitimacy of the Iranian people’s right to resist dictatorship.
The signatories affirm their support for the organized Resistance led by the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) and its network of Resistance Units inside Iran. They emphasize that these Resistance Units — which have played a crucial role in sustaining anti-regime protests — must be recognized as part of a legitimate struggle for freedom. The declaration underlines that backing the Iranian people’s right to self-defense and the right to dismantle repressive state institutions like the IRGC is not only just, but necessary.
Jan 30- During a meeting at the #French Parliament, MP @Cecile_Rilhac said we recognize resistance against oppression as a natural and inalienable right for every #Iranian citizen, in accordance with Article 2 of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, of 1789. pic.twitter.com/euqyaHAkIO
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) February 19, 2024
The statement advocates for the international designation of the IRGC as a terrorist organization and urges governments to reject appeasement and instead support the democratic alternative proposed by the Iranian Resistance. It reaffirms the Ten-Point Plan of Mrs. Maryam Rajavi for a secular, democratic republic in Iran — a vision grounded in gender equality, freedom of expression, and the abolition of the death penalty.
The announcement was made in front of the French National Assembly, where an exhibition of hundreds of portraits of executed Iranian citizens was on display. Organized by the Committee to Support Human Rights in Iran, the initiative is part of a national campaign to raise awareness of the regime’s use of executions to maintain control.
Christine Arrighi, a Green Party MP, stated: “We cannot stand idly by and watch the bloody actions of this regime continue. We support, with full confidence, the viable alternative for Iran.”
Firm Policy Against Iran Regime's Terrorism, at French Parliamenthttps://t.co/E6r2jexBgM#FreeIran #BlacklistIRGC #Iran pic.twitter.com/RQPTPAqsvP
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) February 22, 2019
Other supporters include Philippe Gosselin of The Republicans and Hervé Saulignac of the Socialist Party. Former MP Jean-Pierre Brard, a member of the committee, emphasized the declaration’s broad-based political support and said it represents a call for “a democratic Iran without Shah or mullahs.”
A former political prisoner now living in France spoke at the gathering: “We must not close our eyes. I am not afraid of this regime. Together, hand in hand, we will stand until it is overthrown — for a democratic republic, with separation of religion and state, and without executions.”