On August 26, 2025, the municipality of the 17th arrondissement of Paris hosted a major conference titled “Iran Rises Up Against the Regime of Executions.” The event brought together Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), alongside a distinguished group of French politicians, international jurists, former ministers, and human rights advocates.
The conference served as a powerful platform to condemn the Iranian regime’s escalating human rights abuses, particularly its alarming surge in executions, and to explore a viable path forward for a democratic Iran. Speakers from across the political and legal spectrum voiced their support for the Iranian people’s uprising and their organized Resistance, endorsing a “Third Option” that rejects both foreign military intervention and appeasement of the clerical regime, advocating instead for democratic change led by the Iranian people themselves.
Maryam Rajavi: Time for the West to Change Its Policy
In her keynote address, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi delivered a stark condemnation of the Iranian regime’s four-decade-long campaign of repression, which she argued stands in direct violation of every principle enshrined in the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. She highlighted the regime’s frenzied use of executions—with at least 1,630 during the first year of Masoud Pezeshkian’s tenure as the regime’s president—as a desperate measure to control a populace suffering from unbearable hardship.
Mrs. Rajavi explained that this brutality is driven by the regime’s existential fear, stating, “For this religious dictatorship, executions and repression are the only means to stave off a popular uprising.”
During the single year of Masoud Pezeshkian’s presidency—a man the regime paraded as a “moderate”—no fewer than 1630 executions were carried out.
Those who commit these crimes today are the very same individuals who carried out the mass killings of the 1980s, above all the… pic.twitter.com/RZRvqzWsEp— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) August 26, 2025
She underscored that the regime’s brutality is enabled by a long-standing “impunity” for past atrocities, most notably the 1988 massacre of 30,000 political prisoners, a crime recently characterized as genocide. She detailed the regime’s systematic efforts to erase this crime, including bulldozing martyrs’ graves to build a parking lot. Presenting a clear path forward, Mrs. Rajavi rejected both appeasement and foreign intervention, calling on the West to fundamentally change its failed policy. “We have always insisted that the solution lies neither in foreign war nor in appeasement, but in the overthrow of the regime by the Iranian people and their resistance,” she declared.
Outlining the NCRI’s vision for a liberated nation, she offered a powerful and concise charter for freedom: “No to compulsory hijab—no to compulsory religion—and no to compulsory governance.”
French Mayors Reaffirm Solidarity with the Iranian Resistance
Geoffroy Boulard, Mayor of the 17th arrondissement of Paris, welcomed the attendees and expressed his deep and long-standing conviction in supporting the Iranian people’s struggle. He condemned the “appalling and unimaginable” human rights situation in Iran and the use of capital punishment as “absolutely unacceptable.”
Mayor Boulard announced his unreserved support for Mrs. Rajavi’s Ten-Point Plan, which he described as “a clear and democratic vision for the future in Iran.” He also highlighted the broad support for the Iranian Resistance among French elected officials, noting that “a declaration has already been signed by more than 1000 mayors in France, denouncing the oppressive role of the regime” and demanding the designation of the IRGC as a terrorist organization. Affirming his solidarity, he concluded by adapting the famous slogan of the 2022 uprising, stating, “Today, it resonates even more and even louder, dear Maryam, and in a new form: ‘Woman, Resistance, Freedom.'”
Avec @Maryam_Rajavi_F, @JF_Legaret et le Comité des maires de 🇫🇷 pour un Iran démocratique, nous avons affirmé à @Mairie17 notre solidarité avec le peuple iranien, dans la lignée de l’appel soutenu par 1060 maires.
❌ Non aux exécutions
🇮🇷 Oui à la liberté et à la dignité pic.twitter.com/Jrpia5TmsX— Geoffroy Boulard (@geoffroyboulard) August 27, 2025
Jean-François Legaret, former Mayor of the 1st arrondissement of Paris, opened the panel by linking the day’s event to the spirit of the liberation of Paris. He stressed the importance of remembrance, particularly of the “tragic reminder of the massacre at the end of August 1988, when, on a fatwa from Ayatollah Khomeini, more than 30,000 victims were assassinated.”
Having initiated this annual commemoration, he thanked Mayor Boulard for continuing the tradition. Mr. Legaret praised the “heroic, tireless action of the Iranian Resistance members” over nearly 60 years, asserting that their efforts have produced tangible results. “Today, the mullahs’ regime is weaker than ever,” he declared, pointing to international press reports of dismay and growing insurrectional scenes within Iran. He concluded by framing the conference not only as an act of remembrance but as a platform to “share messages of hope” for a free Iran.
Jacques Boutault, Mayor of the 2nd arrondissement of Paris (2001–2020), speaking on behalf of the Committee of French Mayors for a Democratic Iran, emphasized that “resistance is the only legitimate response to dictatorship.” He firmly rejected both the past monarchy and the current theocracy with the slogan, “neither Shah, nor mullahs.” After nearly two decades of supporting the movement, he stated his conviction that the NCRI, with the PMOI as its core component, “has established itself as the only legitimate alternative organization to the mullahs’ regime currently.”
He called upon the international community to affirm this reality and proactively support the Resistance led by Mrs. Rajavi. Mr. Boutault lauded the Ten-Point Plan for its alignment with French values of liberty, equality, fraternity, and secularism, and proudly announced that 1,067 French mayors have signed a declaration affirming their solidarity with this vision for a free Iran.
International Dignitaries Denounce Regime’s Impunity and Failed Western Policies
Gilbert Mitterrand, President of the France Libertés – Fondation Danielle Mitterrand, criticized the West’s “diplomacy of fearful dialogue and complacency with the regime,” declaring it a failed policy that has emboldened Tehran. He highlighted the regime’s grim record of over 100,000 executions since 1979 and the recent call by the Fars News agency to repeat the 1988 massacre, which he called “a serious threat of mass massacre.”
Mr. Mitterrand urged the international community to act on the 2024 report by Javaid Rehman, which characterized the 1988 killings as a potential genocide. “This international community failed in 1988 by its silence. It cannot repeat its mistake today,” he warned. Reaffirming the commitment of the foundation established by his mother, a long-time supporter of the Iranian Resistance, he stood “alongside the victims and their families, for the right to truth, for the right to justice, for peace in a free and democratic Iran, the one you propose and represent, dear Maryam.”
#Breaking Iran News — Aug 26
Mrs. @Maryam_Rajavi addressed a major conference at Paris’s 17th District City Hall on Iran’s crisis.
Speakers included @geoffroyboulard, Gilbert Mitterrand, Jean-François Legaret, @MarkEllisIBA, Alain Vivien, @AttiasDominique, Wolfgang Schomburg,… pic.twitter.com/yttnp2Z7WS
— SIMAY AZADI TV (@en_simayazadi) August 26, 2025
Alain Vivien, former French Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, drew a parallel between the French Resistance during World War II and the ongoing struggle of the Iranian people. He expressed great anguish at the testimonies presented and praised the “beautiful battle for freedom and peace.”
Mr. Vivien shifted focus to the grave threat of the regime’s nuclear ambitions, asking rhetorically, “I wonder what would have happened in our Europe if dictators in 1945 had possessed this terrifying weapon.” He urged a mobilization of pressure on political leaders to ensure the regime, which he described as “capable of all crimes,” cannot acquire a nuclear weapon. Expressing his profound hope for change, he concluded, “I, too, would wish to no longer have to participate in meetings like this one, or rather, that they take place in Tehran as soon as possible.”
Herta Däubler-Gmelin, former Federal Minister of Justice of Germany, expressed her horror at the regime’s “murderous machine of execution and the death penalty.” Comparing the situation to apartheid South Africa and Pinochet’s Chile, she affirmed that “there is hope for transition.” She condemned the regime’s recent desecration of martyrs’ graves as a “heinous crime” and the “typical attitude of criminals” seeking to hide evidence.
Mrs. Däubler-Gmelin criticized European governments for negotiating with Tehran without demanding an end to executions. She praised Mrs. Rajavi for making clear the goals of the Resistance: “a democratic society founded on equality, with a separation of religion and state, a society founded on human rights.” She concluded by acknowledging the central role of women in the struggle, stating, “Iranian women are most brave in this fight against the fascists.”
Ambassador Joachim Rücker, former President of the United Nations Human Rights Council, provided a strategic analysis of the regime’s current state. He observed that a “significant weakening of the regime’s possibilities abroad,” including the fall of the Assad regime and the weakening of its proxies, is mirrored by “increased repression and terror inside Iran.”
He pointed to the nearly 1,000 executions last year and over 600 so far this year as evidence of the regime’s vulnerability. Ambassador Rücker highlighted the recent report by Javaid Rehman on the 1988 massacre and endorsed its recommendations, calling for a “follow-up mechanism” for truth and accountability and the application of universal jurisdiction.
He urged UN member states to include a specific reference to the 1988 massacre in the annual General Assembly resolution on Iran and insisted that demands for the abolition of the death penalty and the release of political prisoners “should be not under the table, but on the table” in all negotiations with the regime.
Jurists and Legal Experts Call for International Accountability
Mark Ellis, Executive Director of the International Bar Association, characterized the regime’s surge in executions and demolition of mass graves as “two sides of the same legal coin,” both aimed at “entrenching impunity.” He stated that these actions constitute atrocity crimes, including crimes against humanity and genocide, committed in “flagrant violation of international law.”
Dr. Ellis championed the principle of universal jurisdiction as a key tool to bridge the accountability gap, urging the international community to press for its unconditional use. “The principle should be: no safe haven anywhere for perpetrators of atrocity crimes,” he asserted. He announced that the International Bar Association will launch a program to highlight the regime’s atrocities and concluded with a firm warning to its leaders: “The architects of Iran’s atrocities should harbor no illusions that time is on their side. It is not… Evidence must be preserved, and the perpetrators of these crimes will be held accountable. Justice demands it.”
Dominique Attias, former President of the European Bars Federation, delivered a passionate speech denouncing the “human barbarity” of the regime’s leaders, past and present, from Ebrahim Raisi to Ali Khamenei. She paid tribute to the victims of the 1988 massacre by telling the story of Ashraf Sadat Ahmadi, a PMOI member hanged at age 47.
Ms. Attias condemned the regime’s ongoing destruction of 9,500 graves as a continuation of its “crime against humanity” and lambasted the “guilty indifference, not to say cowardice, of the international community.” She sounded an alarm over the Fars News editorial calling for a renewal of the 1988 massacre, describing it as “cynicism, horror in its purest form.” Rejecting the notion of “reformers” within the regime by pointing to the 1,600 executions under President Pezeshkian, she affirmed that the duty of the international community is to “always stand by the side” of the Iranian Resistance.
Dans une interview avec @Ehsaneghbale de Simay Azadi, @geoffroyboulard , maire du 17e à #Paris, a déclaré :
« Nous poursuivons ce travail de soutien pour un Iran libre avec plus de 1000 maires en France. L’Iran doit être sanctionné, le régime des mollahs puni. »#Iran pic.twitter.com/nZwDArxxaE— SIMAY AZADI TV (@en_simayazadi) August 27, 2025
Wolfgang Schomburg, a former judge at the UN International Criminal Tribunals for Yugoslavia and Rwanda, focused on the “future of justice in Iran.” He dismissed the son of the former Shah and praised Mrs. Rajavi for “paving the way to a better future for Iran” through her Ten-Point Plan. He emphasized that the death penalty “must be abolished under all circumstances,” arguing that a judge who imposes it under government orders “commits the crime of killing.”
Judge Schomburg declared the current Iranian regime a “failed state” whose judiciary in no way functions. He called for a “third way to the future,” defined as “resistance inside and outside Iran,” and urged all opposition groups to unite. He concluded with the hope that “we, one day during our lifetime, can still speak about fair trials in Iran.”
Sonja Biserko, a former member of the UN Commission of Inquiry on North Korea, drew parallels between the state terror in Iran and her experiences investigating other repressive regimes. She warned that the Fars News editorial praising the 1988 massacre was “not just revisionism. It was an open call for atrocity crimes.” She argued that the world’s failure to hold the perpetrators of the 1988 massacre accountable has created a culture of impunity that emboldens the regime today. “When the world looks away, it tells perpetrators their crimes are allowed,” she stated.
Ms. Biserko issued an urgent call for the UN fact-finding mission on Iran to expand its mandate to investigate both the regime’s direct incitement to commit crimes against humanity and its current wave of executions. “In 1988, the world stayed silent. Thousands were murdered… Today, the regime itself is broadcasting the warning signs. Silence now would mean complicity.”
Javaid Rehman, the former UN Special Rapporteur on Iran (2018–2024), addressed the conference via video message, condemning the recent executions of political prisoners Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani. He offered a grave assessment of the Fars News editorial calling for a repeat of the 1988 massacre, stating that it “constitute[s] direct incitement to commit atrocity crimes and present[s] a dangerous prognosis of the regime’s intentions.” Professor Rehman reiterated the findings of his final report, in which he concluded that the mass executions of the 1980s amounted to “crimes against humanity of murder and extermination, as well as genocide.”
He presented clear policy recommendations for the international community: establish an international accountability mechanism, use universal jurisdiction to prosecute perpetrators, and include specific references to the 1988 massacre in the UN General Assembly’s annual resolution on Iran. “The international community failed to act in 1988. It must not fail again,” he concluded.
Une très grande fierté pour @Mairie17 de vous accueillir pour cette conférence avec @geoffroyboulard et tant de personnalités de haut niveau engagées pour la démocratie en Iran 🇮🇷 !
Aucune dictature ne peut résister au courge et à la détermination d’un peuple https://t.co/rwOKmfQo5n
— JeanDidier Berthault🇫🇷🇪🇺🌎 (@JDBerthault) August 27, 2025
Voices of the Resistance: Testimonies of a Generation
Azaedh Alemi, an Iranian activist, shared her harrowing childhood memories of being imprisoned with her mother in Evin prison. “I would stay alone in the darkness, huddled under a worn blanket, eyes closed, praying for her to return, hurt but standing. It was in that cell that I learned what it means to resist,” she recalled.
Ms. Alemi spoke as part of a generation born into the Resistance, whose parents fought against both the Shah’s and the mullahs’ dictatorships. She affirmed that this generation remains more determined than ever, carrying the legacy of their parents’ fight for freedom. She paid tribute to those who “chose to die rather than live on their knees,” including her two young uncles. She concluded with a strong call “for support for the courageous fight led by the Resistance Units on the ground” and for the “third way proposed by the remarkable leadership of Maryam Rajavi.”
Niloufar Azimi, a member of the PMOI, spoke of her family’s multi-generational history of resistance. Her father was imprisoned under both the Shah and the mullahs, her uncle was killed by the Shah’s regime, and her cousin was killed in an attack by the regime’s mercenaries on Ashraf City in Iraq.
She detailed the persecution of her mother, Fatemeh Ziaei Azad, who has been arrested seven times and suffers from multiple sclerosis due to torture. Ms. Azimi explained that from the Shah to the current dictatorship, “the People’s Mojahedin and their supporters have always been repressed because dictators know that this organization is against all forms of dictatorship.” She ended with a direct appeal to the world: “Ask all governments, especially the French government, to stop these crimes… The People’s Mojahedin are the hope of Iranians for freedom and democracy in Iran, and they deserve everyone’s support.”