Over 100 European parliamentarians have signed a letter calling on the European Union to enact tougher measures against Iran for its human rights abuses and role in aiding Russia in the Ukraine war.
“The Iranian people want to exercise their basic human rights, and they deserve solidarity and action from the European Parliament,” MEP Barry Andrews, who represents Dublin, said on Twitter.
He called for the EU to “take a firmer stance on Iran.”
The letter, addressed to EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell, noted that it has been over four months since the killing of Mahsa Amini at the hands of Iran’s morality police, with her death sparking massive ongoing protests in Iran supported by all levels of society which the regime has violently repressed. The letter stated that Iran’s response has been “barbaric” and “clearly a show of determination by the regime.”
“The Iranian people are facing a relentless regime, while merely wanting to exercise their universal basic human rights. This violent repression of millions requires a firm and strong European response. The current European (restrictive) measures taken are by far not enough to deter the Iranian regime.”
The letter called on Borrell to undertake multiple actions. These include:
Designating the IRGC in its entirety as a terrorist organization; expanding the EU sanctions list to add Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, President Ebrahim Raisi, Prosecutor General Mohammad Afar Montazeri and other “individuals responsible for violations of human rights”; expanding the EU embargo list of dual-use products; and ensuring the correct application and enforcement of the sanctions regime.
The letter also called for the EU to “clearly communicate that further executions of innocent Iranian protesters would lead to additional restrictive measures, including economic sanctions.”
The undersigned stressed they wanted to “emphasize Iran’s despicable role in the war in Ukraine by supplying arms and other means of support to Russia.”
“This fact has to be taken into account, as Iran is thus aiding a criminal Russian state, which keeps on terrorizing the people of Ukraine through relentless bombing of civilians and critical infrastructure,” they added.
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)