During the European Parliament plenary on 19 January, the Members have overwhelmingly voted in favor of putting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran on the terrorist list.

Our four members of Parliament have also supported the resolution tabled on Thursday in Strasbourg condemning in the strongest possible terms the disproportionate use of violence by the Iranian regime against the peaceful protesters. Iran has been gripped by continuous protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, a woman who died in custody after the morality police arrested and punished her for not wearing her veil correctly. The protesters are asking for their human rights to be respected and for an end of discriminatory, violent policies aimed at women primarily. The regime acted with senseless, brute violence, arresting over 20,000 people (including children) and, in many cases, handing out and carrying out death sentences.

Among those imprisoned or on death row are also European citizens. The resolution decries the execution of an Iranian-British national, as well as extra-judicial killings of other activists and journalists. It asks for the immediate and unconditional release of all EU citizens (Article 18) and for the regime to immediately stop using arrests and torture as a weapon and intimidation tactic (Article 17) and to cease executions (Article 1).

Among its most significant provisions, the document calls for the Supreme Leader, the president and their family members to be included on the sanctions list (Article 10) and for the IRGC (and its subsidiary forces) to be put on the EU terrorist list (Article 11). All EU Member States are urged to help and protect people persecuted by the Iranian regime while enforcing the sanctions and banning any financial activity which might support the IRGC.

The EU Member States’ foreign ministers in a Council meeting after the plenary have adopted a new round of sanctions targeting people and companies in Iran proven to be linked to these atrocious violations of human rights, but, regrettably, have stopped short of adding the IRGC to the terror group blacklist.