UK government to address human rights abuses in Iran

British MPs call for firm actions by the UK government to address human rights abuses in Iran

At a conference on Thursday, December 11, in Boothroyd Room in the House of Commons, a cross party panel of over a dozen MPs from both Houses of Parliament censured the increasing state-sponsored violence targeting women in Iran under the pretext of improper veiling and condemned the recent surge in number of executions and public hangings, including 11 juveniles and over 30 women, during the first year of Hassan Rouhani's tenure.

Speakers at this conference organised on the occasion of Human Rights Day were Lord Carlile of Berriew CBE QC, Rt Hon. the Lord Dholakia OBE DL, Lord Clarke of Hampstead CBE, Prof. Lord Alton of Liverpool, Lord Maginnis of Drumglass, Lord Cotter,Rt Hon. David Jones MP, David Amess MP, Dr Matthew Offord MP, Jim Shannon MP, Mr Struan Stevenson, the President of European Iraqi Freedom Association and former Chairman of the European Parliament Delegation for relations with Iraq, Dr. Tahar Boumedra, former UN Human Rights Chief in Iraq, Senator De Lange, member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Dutch Senate, Prof. Sara Chandler, from Law Society Council and President of the Human Rights Commission of the Federation of European Bar Associations, and Dowlat Nowrouzi, the UK Representative of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI).

The panellists emphasised that Iran under the current regime is one of the worst human rights violators in the world, and that those responsible for heinous atrocities against the people enjoy impunity, and are systematically promoted to higher offices instead of facing justice.

In an initiative to pre-empt further executions, the MPs from both Houses called on Prime Minister David Cameron to publicly demand accountability for senior Iranian officials who brutalise the people and urged the UK government to spearhead a global campaign in support of the democratic aspirations of millions of Iranians as well as their demand for justice.

Lord Carlile of Berriew, co-chair of the British Parliamentary Committee for Iran Freedom (BPCIF), said, “I join the initiative by my colleagues calling on the government and the FCO to take concrete actions to refer Iran's abysmal human rights record to the UN Security Council for punitive measures and prosecutions of regime's rulers including the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in an international tribunal, for decades of systematic human rights violations.”

In his speech, he also highlighted the Iranian regime's animosity towards the defenceless refugees in Camp Liberty, Iraq, who are members of Iran's main opposition movement, the People's Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI). On behalf of the BPCIF, he invited Iraq's new Prime Minister to engage constructively with the residents of Camp Liberty to secure a peaceful solution to this humanitarian crisis caused by the ongoing repressive measures imposed by Iran's proxies in Iraq.

The Rt. Hon. David Jones MP announced the cross party support of over 110 MPs from House of Commons, including 12 former Ministers and chairpersons of several Parliamentary Committees, for a parliamentary motion, EDM343, Iraq and Camp Liberty, which states, “This House urges the government of Iraq to lift the current inhumane siege on the camp, recognising this camp as a UN refugee camp and guarantee the safety, security and the rights of its residents”.

Addressing the appalling human rights situation in Iran, he said, “Our inaction will only embolden one of the worst regimes in the world to flex its muscles beyond its border, which we see in the Middle East today … for actions our government should listen to the Iranian Resistance, its president-elect Mrs Maryam Rajavi and the millions of oppressed Iranians, who demand justice and accountability for those responsible for ongoing heinous crimes in Iran.”

Senator De Lange, member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Dutch Senate, applauded the initiative by the British MPs on Iran and Camp Liberty and said, “on the occasion of the International Day of Human Rights, I fully agree with Mrs Rajavi's proposal for referring Iran's despicable human rights dossier to the UN Security Council. I shall raise this issue in my country with my colleagues and will do everything in my power to help promote this idea ... I wholeheartedly subscribe to the valuable initiative taken by more than 100 British MPs in supporting the Early Day Motion 343 on Iraq and Camp Liberty in the House of Commons. I will do my best to attract the support of my colleagues in the Netherlands for this important parliamentary resolution." He concluded, "the message [of this conference] is crystal clear, this regime in Iran must be stopped."

Mr Struan Stevenson, the President of European Iraqi Freedom Association, elaborated on Iran's destructive role in Iraq as the root cause of extremist groups like the Islamic State (IS) emerging in that country and said: “To overcome Islamic State, it needs a cultural and religious alternative that can defy the violent, fanatic and extremist view of Islam, be it of the Sunni type like ISIS or the Shi'ite type like the Iranian regime and its affiliated groups. The PMOI and Maryam Rajavi's democratic and tolerant version of Islam, can play a vital role in isolating the Iranian regime and its twisted Islamic Ideology inside Iran.”

Speaking from own personal experience as the former UN Human Rights Chief in Iraq, Dr. Tahar Boumedra, warned that allowing the Iranian regime to meddle in the Camp Liberty dossier would only set the stage for a massacre of 2800 defenceless refugees living at the camp.

Lord Dholakia emphasised in his speech that "Those responsible for [six deadly] attacks on Camp Liberty and Ashraf must face justice in International Criminal Court."

Sara Chandler announcing the support of Law Society for this important conference, said: "Iranian refugees in Camp Liberty are entitled to basic protection, the right to free movement and free access to medical services under international law and convention". She welcomed the EDM343 on Camp Liberty as an important step towards securing these rights.

Dowlat Nowrouzi, the UK Representative of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), stated in her speech: “the overwhelming support of over 110 British MPs Mrs Maryam Rajavi's view indicates the prompt need for UN and world leaders to evict mullahs' theocratic regime from Iraq, support an inclusive, democratic and secular government in Iraq and compel the new Iraqi Government to comply with its international obligations to recognise and ensure safety, security and the rights of Camp Ashraf-Liberty residents. The UNHCR must declare Camp Liberty as a refugee camp to stop harassments against the residents.”

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