The European Parliament stands with the people of Iran

Today, MEPs voted on the resolution on ending the brutal repression against protesters in Iran. The Greens/EFA Group expresses its full solidarity with the brave people of Iran and calls on the Iranian authorities to immediately stop the repression and demands decisive action of the European Union in support of protesters.

Greens/EFA MEP Hannah Neumann, Chair of the delegation for relations with Iran and shadow on the resolution, comments:

"People in Iran are back on the streets because of poverty, because of repression, because they cannot survive like this. The regime responds with brutality. Thousands have been killed. Many families don't know whether their loved ones returned home, vanished into prisons, or lie unnamed among the dead. The internet has been shut down to keep everything in the dark.

“The regime’s violent crackdown of the protests and deliberate killing of protestors needs to stop immediately. Anyone imprisoned for peacefully exercising their right to freedom of expression should be unconditionally released. We stand in solidarity with the protestors and opposition inside and outside of Iran.”

“What more do we need to use the full tool box at our disposal? We call on the Council and the Commission to strictly enforce the sanctions that already exist. We welcome the commitment of the HR/VP to impose additional sanctions on the Iranian regime in response to its brutal repression.The IRGC finally needs to be listed as a terrorist organisation. Iranian diplomats who abuse their diplomatic privileges to spread disinformation and intimidate Iranians in Europe should be expelled. Why should we tolerate their repression on our soil any longer?

“The Iranian authorities should immediately restore full internet access. Meanwhile, autocrats are already learning from Iran, Russia, and China how to enforce such brutal internet blackouts. We have to react faster and invest in technologies that allow to bypass internet shutdowns. "