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On May 27, in a courtroom session that underscored both institutional paranoia and state-led repression, the Iranian regime held the 34th session of its in-absentia trial targeting 104 members of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) and the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK). The proceedings, filled with political rhetoric, historical grievances, and threats to foreign governments, revealed a regime more concerned with silencing dissent than delivering justice.
The trial, held in Tehran, marks the continuation of a campaign that dates back nearly four decades to the 1988 mass executions of political prisoners. “Today this organization and the central figures of its leadership are being tried as terrorists,” declared the so-called presiding judge. Calling for the eradication of the PMOI, the judge added: “Until the legal personality of this organization is dissolved, these crimes will continue.”
A Courtroom as Propaganda Platform
Rather than establishing facts, the session appeared aimed at issuing ultimatums to European governments. “The governments of Germany, France, and the United Kingdom cannot host the accused named in this indictment,” the judge proclaimed. “Doing so would constitute a violation of international conventions and create criminal liability for those countries.”
Desperately attempting to spin new narratives about the @Mojahedineng during its staged trial, the clerical regime is essentially undermining its own decades-long #propaganda against the movement. This not only weakens Khomeini's defamation tactics but also inadvertently… pic.twitter.com/WkAzHs3ZGC
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) May 12, 2024
He claimed that by offering protection or asylum to PMOI members, European states were violating obligations under international law. “Hosting individuals accused of terrorism when a competent court is reviewing their cases constitutes a crime under international law,” the judge warned, offering no specific legal citation.
In a particularly pointed threat, the regime’s legal representative warned: “To the Iranian citizens residing in these countries — and even to the nationals of France, Germany, and England — know that hosting these individuals, under applicable conventions, creates criminal responsibility for your own officials and invites prosecution.” This startling escalation came in response to the broad-based global support the NCRI has continued to receive through high-profile conferences, parliamentary hearings, and rallies.
In recent years, lawmakers, human rights advocates, and ordinary citizens from across the world have regularly stood beside Iranian dissidents, demanding accountability for the regime’s crimes.
Deeply troubled by the @UN Special Rapporteur's report exposing its atrocity crimes and #genocide in the 1980s, the world's leading executioner per capita is using a sham trial in #Tehran to attack the UN. pic.twitter.com/TLSxwMB8an
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) September 19, 2024
Revisiting 1980s Resistance as “Terrorism”
Much of the prosecution fixated on historical events that continue to haunt the regime — particularly the defection of military personnel to the PMOI. Another regime-affiliated legal representative bitterly said: “In February 1983, Major Mohammad Hassan Mansouri defected with an F-4 Phantom jet to Canada. He later gave military intelligence to the organization. These acts are evidence of the systematic penetration of the military by this group.”
The prosecution did not treat these as isolated betrayals, but rather as a continuing security threat. “These hijackings and defections are nothing short of moharebeh [waging war against God] and efsad fel-arz [corruption on Earth],” one state lawyer warned, demanding capital punishment. The regime’s fury made clear that its fear isn’t only of the Resistance’s past — but of its continued influence within the ranks of those who once swore to defend it.
The regime’s desperation amid economic collapse was evident in its demand for financial compensation from the accused for alleged defections and sabotage. “We request that the financial damages caused by the organization’s actions be calculated at current value and included in the sentencing,” said the regime’s aviation representative, citing aircraft losses. The move underscored not just political panic but a bankrupt regime now trying to put a price tag on dissent.
A So-called Court That Judges the Wrong Side of History
The so-called court has become a symbol of the regime’s fear — fear of dissent, fear of defection, fear of organized opposition.
As a PMOI spokesperson announced on Simaye Azadi: “This is not a court of law. This is a stage for a collapsing regime trying to convince itself that it is still in control. But the real verdict is already in — and it will be carried out by the Iranian people.”