The British Committee for Iran Freedom strongly condemns the forcible displacement of Iranian Kurdish parties in Iraq’s Kurdistan region and extradition of an Iranian asylum seeker, Behzad Khosravi, from Iraq to Iran following the recent visit of Iran’s new president Masoud Pezeshkian to Iraq.

Cross-party MPs and Peers, along with legal experts and members of the Anglo-Iranian community, convened in Parliament to discuss the appalling human rights situation in Iran and address the regime’s crackdown on protests and potential UK measures for securing accountability, on 10 September, just before the anniversary of the 2022 national protests in Iran.

The meeting highlighted recent findings by the UN Special Rapporteur on Iran, Mr Javaid Rehman, published on 17 July shortly before the end of his tenure. These findings represent the first investigative report on the mass executions following the 1979 revolution and the massacre of 30,000 political prisoners in 1988, primarily targeting members and sympathisers of the PMOI, Iran’s democratic opposition.

The Special Rapporteur noted that high-ranking state officials were directly involved in planning, ordering, and committing crimes against humanity and genocide against nationals of their own state. These findings, along with a March report from the UN Fact-Finding Mission on the regime’s crackdown on protests, provide substantial evidence of ongoing crimes committed by the regime to suppress dissent.

Both reports recommend establishing an international accountability mechanism to ensure criminal indictments and hold perpetrators accountable.

Speakers urged the UK government to work with allies to implement these recommendations, thereby upholding the UK’s support for these UN mandates.

Cross-party Members of Parliament, Iran experts and representatives of the democratic opposition coalition, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), met in Parliament today to address the Iranian regime’s domestic threat to the UK and Europe and growing terrorism targeting the Iranian dissidents, activists, and their supporters around the world.

The meeting raised alarm over Iran’s use of criminal gangs and professional criminals for terrorism, signalling a new phase in their tactics.

Dr Alejo Vidal-Quadras, a Spanish politician and former Vice President of the European Parliament, who recently survived an assassination attempt, was the guest speaker at the meeting. Known for his public call for a firm policy against the Iranian regime, advocacy for democracy in Iran and support for the Iranian people, the NCRI and its president-elect, Mrs Maryam Rajavi, Dr Vidal-Quadras was shot in the face outside his home by criminals in November last year.

He shared his personal experience and explained why he believes the hit was ordered by Tehran.

Cross-party MPs and peers celebrated the Persian New Year, Nowruz, with members of the Anglo-Iranian community in a reception held in the UK Parliament.

Speakers extended warm wishes to those around the world celebrating the Nowruz Festival, especially to the people of Iran and members of the Iranian opposition, the PMOI/MEK, in Ashraf 3.

They reiterated that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) poses a serious threat to the UK and urged the Government to proscribe it as called for by the both Houses of Parliament.