The European Parliament voted on Thursday in favor of a resolution calling on the Iranian regime to end executions and release detainees, and called for the European Council to immediately designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The resolution was adopted by 562 votes in favor, 9 against, and 57 abstentions.
The resolution came following a heated debate on Tuesday, where the motion’s proponents decried the recent human rights violations against protesters in Iran.
Standing in solidarity with the protesters, the parliament called for an immediate end to the violence, a halt to the executions, and cessation of the murder and repression of civilians.
Parliament demands EU expand restrictive measures against Iran
The parliament also demanded that the EU expand restrictive measures against Tehran, including visa bans and asset freezes, as well as stricter enforcement of those measures.
The European Parliament also stressed that normalized relations with Tehran could only come following the unconditional release of political prisoners and “genuine progress toward democracy and the rule of law.”
While there was a large consensus on the motion, MEP Sebastian Tynkkynen claimed on Wednesday that while he had pushed for parliament to hear from Iran’s exiled crown prince, Reza Pahlavi, “most of the negotiators from the other parties did not accept including this in the text.”
Roberta Metsola, president of the European Parliament, wrote, “From the streets of Tehran to the heart of the European Parliament, the message is clear: Iran must be free. Iran will be free.”
The resolution adopted follows a heated debate on Tuesday and a ban on Iranian officials entering the parliament placed last week.
Those who opposed the motion during the debate on Tuesday complained that the parliament was hypocritical for planning to adopt such measures, diverting attention to the actions of Israel and the United States.
Belgian MEP Marc Botenga argued that Western sanctions crushed the middle class and forced millions into poverty, and ultimately benefited the IRGC. He further claimed that EU sanctions had been used to illustrate double standards in the parliament’s response to global affairs, citing civilians killed in Israeli-US strikes on Iran and Jerusalem’s claims of covert operations in Iran.
Slovak MEP Lubos Blaha had also condemned the parliament for speaking out against human rights violations in Iran while failing to condemn the “genocide” Israel committed in Gaza or the US’s operation in Venezuela.