On December 10, 2025, a major conference marking Human Rights Day was held in Brussels at the European Parliament. Lawmakers from across Europe, former prime ministers, senior parliamentary leaders, and human rights advocates convened to declare that the European Union must adopt a serious, principled policy toward Iran. This policy should recognize the Iranian people’s right to resist and to overthrow the religious dictatorship.
Throughout the conference, speakers condemned the soaring executions, the targeting of women and youth, and the regime’s attacks on political prisoners, including 18 Resistance supporters currently on death row. Many speakers underscored the collapse of appeasement and the significant role played by the Resistance Units. They situated Iran’s struggle within a broader global contest between democracy and autocracy.
MEP Milan Zver stated that Iran represents one of the world’s most severe human rights and security crises, emphasizing that Tehran’s repression and regional militancy demand a serious European response. Zver added that despite being blacklisted by the regime, many MEPs continue to support the Iranian democratic opposition, stressing that the conference must “shape a more serious and principled European policy” toward Iran.
MEP Francisco Assis warned that the recent executions of PMOI supporters are a clear warning that “a potential new massacre” is unfolding. He argued that the EU must avoid repeating its failure during the 1988 massacre, which has now been officially recognized by the UN. Assis called for halting diplomatic relations with Tehran until executions cease and UN experts gain access to prisons.
MEP Andrey Kovatchev viewed the recognition of the 1988 massacre in the UN’s Third Committee resolution as a critical step toward accountability and marking “a crucial first step” in confronting the regime’s impunity.
Italian Senator and former PM Matteo Renzi observed that the regime’s brutality—such as 46 prisoners killed in five days—reveals extreme weakness. Renzi concluded, after a decade of failed diplomacy, that “We have to admit that it is impossible” to moderate the regime.
Former MEP and former Belgian PM Guy Verhofstadt condemned the killing of more than 2,600 people in sixteen months and asserted that appeasement “achieved nothing at all”. Verhofstadt also highlighted the political resilience of the Resistance, noting that 18 political prisoners on death row have reaffirmed support for a democratic republic “even under the threat of execution”.
MEP Pekka Toveri stressed that the unrest is “a structural struggle for democratic change,” not spontaneous. Toveri insisted that Iran must not “return to another autocracy in the form of a monarchy,” stating that neither a crown nor a clerical turban has legitimacy in Iran’s future.