Cross-party MPs and Peers celebrated the Persian New Year, Nowruz, at an evening reception in Parliament on Thursday, 3 April.
Speakers extended their wishes for a happy Nowruz and success in the coming year to the people of Iran. They also paid tribute to the brave Iranian people, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) and its resistance units for continuing the struggle for a free and democratic republic. Many expressed hope that the new Persian year would be the year Iran is free.
In their remarks, speakers expressed concern over the record number of executions in Iran and the authorities’ retaliatory measures against women - who remain at the forefront of the protests - through increasingly repressive laws. They also highlighted the regime’s state and transnational repression, nuclear extortion, and hostage diplomacy.
It was clear from the remarks of cross-party MPs and Peers that a decisive struggle is underway between the Iranian people, along with their organised resistance movement, and the regime for Iran’s future.
Speakers stressed that the UK should send a clear message that it stands with the Iranian people and not the religious theocracy. They called on the UK Government to proscribe the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation, recognise and engage diplomatically with the NCRI, and endorse its ten-point democratic platform, represented by NCRI President-elect Maryam Rajavi, as the viable democratic alternative to the regime.
President of the International Committee of Parliamentarians for a Democratic Iran (ICPDI), Bob Blackman CBE MP, who has been leading the debate to proscribe the IRGC in the House of Commons, said:
“The UK must counter Tehran’s nuclear extortion by activating the snapback mechanism and impose maximum pressure on the regime to dismantle its entire nuclear programme.
“Today, Iran is at the turning point. A free and democratic republic in Iran is within reach and the Iranian people’s spring is on the horizon. Let us stand with them and their organised resistance movement, the NCRI, until Iran is free.”
Mr Toby Perkins MP said:
“Throughout the Parliament on all sides of the political divide, there is 100% support for a free and democratic Iran. I endorse entirely the contribution that Bob Blackman made previously.
“It is very much the wish of people right across Parliament that we should next year celebrate this happy occasion in the knowledge that the people of Iran once again have their country back.”
Rt Hon. Sir Roger Gale MP said:
“We believe in what you and Madam Rajavi are fighting for. The regime’s internal conflicts reflect its desperation.
“Corruption, economic collapse, and the prioritisation of funding the IRGC and nuclear ambitions over the well-being of its people have weakened its grip. We must amplify [the Iranian people’s] voices, support their cause, and reaffirm our commitment to their freedom.”
Rt Hon. Sir Desmond Swayne MP reiterated that we are united in the great endeavour to ensure the freedom of Iran and said:
“I serve on the Joint Human Rights Committee and we are currently doing an inquiry which is called Transnational Repression and part of the evidence we are taking is the way that the regime in Iran is reaching out beyond its own borders, perpetrating murder, oppression and harassment [against Iranians in exile].
“I hope that there will be a reckoning. And, I share entirely the view just expressed that the next Nowruz will be in a free Iran.”
Rt Hon. Lord Dholakia OBE said:
“The regime uses executions as a weapon to suppress dissent and terrorise the public. Iran’s people are demanding freedom. Their courage, resilience, and calls for justice must be matched by international resolve.
“Let us not wait until more lives are lost or we see another massacre in Iranian prisons. The time for decisive action is now.”
Lord Clarke of Hampstead CBE said:
“I wanted to be with you today for the Nowruz celebration. All of you know the problem, the suppression in Iran, families who live under the shadow of the tyrannical mullahs. Do not give up, carry on the fight and do all that you can to bring about democracy and freedom to Iran.”
Lord Singh of Wimbledon CBE said:
“Last Iranian year, the regime set a shameful record with over 1,150 executions. Those arrested are not criminals but dissidents, former political prisoners, protesters, women, minorities, and even children - imprisoned, tortured, and abused for demanding freedom, dignity, and justice. Their courage embodies a truth that cannot be silenced.”
Baroness Altmann CBE said:
“I have long supported the struggle of the Iranian people against the repressive regime that has done so much damage to the wonderful country of Iran. We do hope that the NCRI will be successful in its endeavours and for the banning of IRGC.”
In his remarks which were delivered by Dr Ewelina Ochab, lawyer and co-author, Prof. Lord Alton of Liverpool said:
“End impunity. Refer the regime’s human rights violations to the UN Security Council and pursue accountability under Universal Jurisdiction, when possible. Ask the Human Rights Council to appoint a new, independent body to follow up on the Fact-Finding Mission’s work, as the mission recommends in its latest report.”
Deputy Director of the NCRI Representative Office in the UK, Hossein Abedini, thanked MPs and Peers for joining the Nowruz celebration and for their long-standing support of the resistance and the Iranian people. He also highlighted the crucial role of the resistance units inside Iran and their success in advancing the uprising toward democratic change.
He stressed that “the Iranian people reject both the dictatorships of the Shah and the mullahs, and will continue their fight to overthrow the regime and establish a democratic republic despite the violent state crackdown, poverty, and skyrocketing inflation.”
Other speakers included: Rachael Maskell MP; Professor Sara Chandler KC (Hon), Secretary of the Human Rights Commission of the Federation of European Bar Associations; Lady Val Corbett; Margaret Owen OBE, renowned international women’s rights activist and UK barrister; Neda and Azadeh Zabeti, from the Committee of Anglo-Iranian Lawyers.
Other members of Parliament who also attended the Nowruz reception in Parliament were: Jim Shannon MP; Rt Hon. Baroness Blackstone; and Rt Rev. Lord Harries of Pentregarth DD.
British Committee for Iran Freedom
3 April 2025