An event held at the European Parliament on Wednesday saw elected representatives of European

states express their solidarity with the Iranian Resistance. The President-elect of the Iranian

Resistance, Maryam Rajavi, was in attendance at the meeting focusing on formulating a cohesive EU

policy on Iran relations in the wake of the July 2015 nuclear accord. Chairman of the Friends of a

Free Iran inter-parliamentary group, MEP Gerard Deprez, led the meeting entitled: “Post-JCPOA

Policy on Iran.”

The parliamentary gathering occurred just 5 days after legislative elections were held in Iran. Ms.

Rajavi branded these elections a “sham,” held without the participation of any opposition groups

and among only former and incumbent officials pre-approved by the mullah leadership.

Significantly, Ms. Rajavi focused on the meddling of Iran in regional conflicts in Syria, Iraq, Yemen

and Lebanon as fuelling instability in the region, and providing further evidence discrediting closer

European- Iranian ties since the signing of the nuclear accord last summer. “All [the regime’s]

factions share common interests in domestic suppression and plunder of the public’s wealth, as well

as in exportation of terrorism,” she stated.

In her most defiant moments, Ms. Rajavi criticised the European Union’s turning a blind eye to the

continued human rights violations in Iran. “The failure to adopt a decisive policy on human rights

policy on human rights abuses in Iran will embolden the mullahs to resume their bomb-making

project and step up their warmongering in foreign lands, particularly the genocide of the people of

Syria.”

Ms. Rajavi recommended that correcting the human rights agenda become a necessary condition for

any future EU-Iran relations, not only for its moral imperative, but to ensure wider regional and

global stability.

Mr. Deprez invited speakers from the floor to share their thoughts on EU relations with Iran post-

nuclear deal. A number of MEPs expressed outrage at the favourable treatment of Rouhani during

his European tour last November.

Particularly, MEPs drew attention to the infringement of women’s rights inside the mullah regime;

Daniela Aiuto, MEP from Italy, stated that she was heartened to see the leading role played by

women inside the Iranian Resistance movement – a stark contrast to the absence of women from

positions of political leadership in Iran. With less than one week until International Women’s Day,

Ms. Aiuto expressed support for Iranian women resistors struggling against government oppression.

Similarly, Julie Ward, MEP for the British Labour Party, and member of the EU Committee on

Women’s Rights and Gender Equality, said that Iranian women were at the forefront of social

movements advocating for democracy and equality in their country. Ms. Ward spoke specifically on

the plight of Iranian bloggers and cartoonists, mentioning Narges Mohammadi, a veteran human

rights activist and defender of freedom of expression, who was arrested in May 2015 on as yet

unknown charges.