Members of Parliament met today to mark the third anniversary of Iran’s 2022 nationwide uprising. Lawyers, politicians, members of the Anglo-Iranian community, and representatives of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) also took part in the meeting held in the Parliament.
Speakers highlighted several defining trends since 2022. Daily protests and strikes have continued across Iran, despite the regime’s brutal crackdown and record executions.
The regime dismisses the protests as “unrest” and blames the West to justify its crackdown, which now focuses on supporters and family members of the organised resistance, the NCRI, and its key member organisation, the PMOI.
A battle for the country’s future is unfolding in Iran, speakers agreed. They attributed the progress and resilience of the protest movement to the existence of the NCRI and the Iranian people’s determination to change their country for the better.
Speakers welcomed the UK Government’s recognition of Iran as a core security priority and its actions to counter the regime’s malign activities, including targeted sanctions against individuals and entities linked to Iran’s atrocities, and placing the entire Iranian state under the enhanced tier of the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS).
They reiterated previous recommendations for a firm policy on Iran, urging the UK Government to adopt a long-term strategy that aligns the UK with the democratic aspirations of the Iranian people and their organised resistance, to secure justice for victims and lasting peace in the region.
President of the International Committee of Parliamentarians for a Democratic Iran (ICPDI), Bob Blackman CBE MP reiterated the need to proscribe the IRGC and outlined the recommendations echoed by the other speakers, stating:
“The Government should join the growing cross-party MPs and Peers supporting and acknowledging the Iranian people’s right to resist the IRGC and to realise their democratic aspirations and to recognise and endorse Madam Rajavi’s Ten-Point Plan.
“The Government should also engage with the NCRI as the democratic alternative to the current regime.”
Baroness O’Loan DBE expressed deep concerns that the regime is preparing another mass killing, like in the 1980s and the 1988 massacre. She mentioned a recent letter from the FCDO, which confirmed the UK Government’s commitment to hold the regime accountable for its human rights abuses and said:
“International intervention is both urgent and necessary. The UK has the standing to lead such action, and our Government should do so at the UN General Assembly in New York next week, building a coalition to hold the regime accountable and to prevent further atrocities.”
Jim Shannon MP said:
“The regime in Iran has never sought peace or cooperation, it has violated every international law and convention. It has not even compromised with the Iranian people for the last four decades by giving up torture and executions. So, the regime cannot be trusted.”
Baroness Redfern said:
“Mrs Rajavi is a remarkable figure, a Muslim woman who leads a secular, pro-democracy movement. She defies not only the regime’s misogyny, but also the narrative that religious belief and democratic values are incompatible.
“Her leadership has brought international focus to the NCRI’s Ten-Point Plan, a practical framework for a free Iran.”
Deputy Director of the NCRI UK Office, Hossein Abedini thanked participants and Members of Parliament for supporting the cause of human rights and democracy in Iran and for standing with the Iranian people and the Resistance in this difficult fight for Iran’s future. He said:
“The courageous Resistance Units are breaking the wall of repression from within. They organise, they mobilise, they sustain the protests, and they keep alive the practical structures of change across cities and towns.
“This truly terrifies the Iranian regime … it openly gloats over past massacres and signals the intention to repeat them. That is why the international community must act.”
Secretary of the Human Rights Commission of the Federation of European Bar Associations, Professor Sara Chandler KC (Hon) said:
“The UK must adopt a much firmer policy and support accountability for the regime’s atrocities by referring its human rights record to the UN Security Council for prosecution of those responsible in an international tribunal, as well as pursuing prosecutions of the perpetrators under universal jurisdiction.”
Other speakers included: Rt Hon. Theresa Villiers, former MP for Chipping Barnet and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland; Anthea McIntyre, former MEP; Dr Jocelynne Scutt, former judge, barrister and human rights lawyer; Professor Chris O Imafidon, chair of the Excellence in Education Programme; Narges Rahmanfard, Neda Zabeti and Rosa Zarei from the Anglo-Iranian community and Associations.
British Committee for Iran Freedom
16 September 2025