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Leaders and Lawmakers Unite at Westminster to Condemn Iran’s Execution Surge and Support Resistance Movement

Written by Shamsi Saadati
International conference held by the NCRI in London to honor World Day Against the Death Penalty— October 11, 2025
International conference held by the NCRI in London to honor World Day Against the Death Penalty— October 11, 2025

LONDON, October 11, 2025 — Lawmakers, human rights advocates, and international dignitaries from across Europe and beyond gathered at Church House Westminster on Saturday for a major conference, marking the World Day Against the Death Penalty. The event united voices calling for an immediate halt to Iran’s record number of executions, accountability for past atrocities, and recognition of the NCRI and its President-elect Maryam Rajavi as the viable democratic alternative to the ruling theocracy.

Speakers from the United Kingdom, Europe, and Latin America described Iran’s clerical regime as a “monster of death” and “capital punishment capital of the world,” denouncing its campaign of political killings and repression of PMOI (People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran) members. A recurring call — “No to the Shah, no to the mullahs” — echoed through the hall, as participants emphasized the NCRI’s Ten-Point Plan for a free, democratic, and secular republic.

In her keynote address, Maryam Rajavi, the NCRI’s President-elect, described Iran’s clerical regime as “a monster of death” whose rule “rests upon the pillars of executions and repression.” Mrs. Rajavi warned that more than 1,200 people have been executed in the first nine months of 2025 — “the highest number in 36 years” — and that this surge reflects the regime’s desperation in the face of growing dissent. “Every drop of blood shed by the regime,” she said, “is a testament to its fear of a nation that has decided to rise.”

She denounced the executions of PMOI supporters, including Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani, and the deliberate medical neglect that killed political prisoner Somayeh Rashidi, calling these acts “murders committed under the guise of law.” Mrs. Rajavi warned that the same mindset that led to the 1988 massacre of 30,000 political prisoners now governs the state’s policies. “The same criminals who ordered that genocide,” she said, “are today in charge of the judiciary, the intelligence apparatus, and the presidency.”

She rejected both theocracy and monarchy alike, declaring, “No to the Shah, no to the mullahs — no to all forms of dictatorship.” The only solution, she stressed, is “the democratic alternative embodied in the organized resistance movement.” Presenting her Ten-Point Plan as a roadmap for Iran’s future, she called for the establishment of a secular republic founded on the separation of religion and state, gender equality, an independent judiciary, and the abolition of the death penalty.

“Freedom and democracy will not be granted by tyrants,” the NCRI President-elect concluded. “They will be earned by the courage of our people, the Resistance Units inside Iran, and the unity of the international community that stands with them. Together, we can build an Iran without executions, without torture, and without tyranny.”

Baroness O’Loan, member of the UK House of Lords, announced a declaration signed by over 500 global dignitaries and human rights advocates, demanding an end to executions and impunity. “Every three and a half hours, a person is executed in Iran,” she said, condemning the regime’s state media for glorifying the 1988 massacre as a “successful historical experience.”

She urged the United Kingdom and United Nations to refer the regime’s atrocities to the International Criminal Court and impose sanctions on Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and senior judiciary officials. Praising the NCRI’s democratic vision, she said, “You are not alone — your courage lights the path to an Iran without executions, without tyranny, without fear.”

Ingrid Betancourt, the former Colombian senator and long-time supporter of the Iranian Resistance, delivered one of the most impassioned speeches of the day, describing the conference as “a hall of conscience” where the world must decide whether to remain silent or act. Addressing Maryam Rajavi as “my sister,” she said she was “enraged and infuriated” that Mrs. Rajavi was not yet leading Iran, but declared that “the day will come.”

Betancourt described the executions in Iran as “an instrument of barbarism” and “a weapon to instill fear,” contrasting the regime’s cruelty with the moral power of those it seeks to destroy. “Their crime,” she said of the 17 prisoners on death row, “is to think, to claim justice, dignity, and freedom. Their only crime is to support the MEK — the movement that has carried the torch of liberty through six decades of oppression.”

She told the story of Maryam Akbari Monfared, who has spent 16 years in prison for demanding justice for her siblings executed in 1988. Quoting Akbari Monfared’s letters from prison — “Justice stands stronger than love” — Betancourt called her “the conscience of Iran.” She praised prisoners who join the “No to Execution Tuesdays” hunger strikes, turning their hunger into “a weapon to accuse their executioners.”

Condemning the regime’s use of the death penalty as “a political weapon, not a judicial act,” Betancourt urged the international community to abandon appeasement and stand with the NCRI and the PMOI. “The MEK is not just a political movement,” she said. “It is a moral force, and the democratic coalition under Maryam Rajavi’s leadership is the only way out.”

John Bercow, the former Speaker of the UK Parliament, denounced Iran’s government as a “fascist state,” responsible for nearly two-thirds of all executions worldwide. He detailed the killings of PMOI supporters Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani, and the death of political prisoner Somayeh Rashidi after being denied medical care.

“That is culpable homicide,” he said. Calling the regime’s celebration of the 1988 massacre “bigotry on an industrial scale,” Bercow rejected both monarchy and theocracy: “No to the Shah, no to the mullahs — yes to democracy, rule of law, and gender equality.” He urged the UK government to make Iran’s human rights abuses a daily foreign policy priority, asserting, “You can dim the flame of freedom, but you cannot extinguish it.”

Italian Senator Giulio Terzi, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, reminded attendees that two-thirds of the world’s nations support a moratorium on executions, while Iran “remains the heinous champion in hanging its people.” He condemned Tehran’s impunity for the 1988 massacre and the ongoing execution of PMOI members, including boxer Mohammad Javad Vafaei-Sani.

“The regime’s cruelty increases as it weakens,” he said, denouncing its IRGC as “the head of the snake.” Terzi called for the IRGC’s immediate designation as a terrorist organization and rebuked former crown prince Reza Pahlavi for suggesting cooperation with it. “Neither with the mullahs nor with the Shah,” he concluded. “There is a third option — the NCRI and its Ten-Point Plan.”

At the conference, former UN Special Rapporteur Javaid Rehman warned that executions in Iran have reached “shocking and unprecedented proportions,” exceeding 1,000 already this year. He called the death penalty “a weapon of repression and fear” aimed at eliminating PMOI supporters and political prisoners.

Prof. Rehman urged the establishment of an international accountability mechanism and the use of universal jurisdiction to prosecute perpetrators of the 1988 massacre and ongoing crimes. “Unless the world acts,” he said, “the regime’s intention is to repeat those atrocity crimes. The international community failed to act in 1988. It must not fail again.”

Dame Theresa Villiers, former British MP and Cabinet minister, said “every right-thinking person should be repulsed” by Tehran’s use of executions and assassinations as tools of state power. Citing findings from the UK Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee, she noted that at least 15 assassination attempts had been made against dissidents in Britain since 2022.

She called for Iran’s human rights record to be referred to the UN Security Council, sanctions to be reimposed, and the IRGC proscribed as a terrorist organization. “The NCRI’s Ten-Point Plan offers the blueprint for a democratic, secular republic,” she said. “Someday this cruel tyranny will finally lose its grip on power.”

Irish Senator Gerard Craughwell declared that “executions in Iran are not justice — they are murders.” He cited 1,850 deaths over the past 14 months and 61 women executed, describing the victims as “poets, dreamers, brothers, sisters.” Drawing parallels with Ireland’s own struggle for independence, he said, “Just as Ireland became a Republic, so will Iran.” He endorsed Rajavi’s platform and urged global action: “Flood embassies and parliaments with messages to stop the executions. No to the mullahs, no to the Shah. The people of Iran must rise to reclaim their country.”

Dowlat Nowrouzi, NCRI Representative in the UK, condemned the regime’s “brutal judiciary” and its campaign of arbitrary arrests and torture. She revealed that PMOI Resistance Units carried out 39,000 anti-regime activities in 135 cities last year, including more than 3,000 operations targeting the IRGC’s repressive centers. “The world must recognize the Iranian people’s right to overthrow this regime,” she said, calling for justice for Khamenei and judiciary chief Mohseni-Eje’i. “Our option is the third option — Madam Rajavi’s plan for democratic change led by the Resistance Units.”

Massoud Zabeti, representing the Iranian community, said the time for appeasement had ended. Quoting a statement signed by 35 transatlantic dignitaries, including former U.S. officials Tom Ridge and Michael Mukasey, he said, “They know what the regime fears most — the PMOI’s strength and the support it commands inside Iran.” Zabeti warned that Tehran exports the same “death and terror” to Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and even Europe. “Your time is up,” he said, addressing the regime. “Iran will face a new dawn, and those responsible for these crimes will face justice.”

Rosa Zarei, a young Iranian-British academic, opened the session by honoring her father, a former political prisoner, and her aunt, executed in 1988. “We are here to keep their voices alive,” she said, reminding attendees that “Iran has the highest rate of executions per capita in the world.”

Azadeh Hosseini, a teacher from London, recalled how her uncles and aunt were executed under both the Shah’s and the current regime. “They were imprisoned and tortured first by the Shah, then executed by the mullahs,” she said. “No to Shah, no to Mullahs — yes to freedom.” Praising Mrs. Rajavi’s Ten-Point Plan, she said it envisions “an Iran without executions, torture, or discrimination.”

Law student Neda Zabeti, 20, recounted that five of her relatives were executed. “Having five family members murdered should shock you,” she said, “but for Iranians, this has become normal — and it should never be.” She condemned Iran’s politicized trials and called on Western governments to “end their silence.” “Let us say no to dictatorship — no Shah, no Mullahs,” she concluded.

Omid Ebrahimi, a young doctor whose family members were killed in the 1988 massacre, praised Iran’s Resistance Units as “the rebellious youth who dare to say no to dictatorship and yes to freedom.” He warned that both the regime and “its fake alternative — the so-called return of monarchy” — are panicking at the Resistance’s growth. “Supporting the youth and their right to resist,” he said, “is not only a moral duty; it is key to peace and democracy.”

Rana Rahmanfard, a linguistics graduate, remembered her uncle Nader, executed for supporting the PMOI, and called for concrete international action. “Almost 2,000 executions have taken place this year alone,” she said. “Words and sanctions against individuals are not enough. Stand with the people of Iran, not their oppressors. Stand with the PMOI and the NCRI.”

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