Iran's human rights abuses, repression continue, experts say

European lawmakers have adopted a resolution demanding an end to Iran's human rights abuses and repression, including the immediate abolition of the death penalty. The resolution, stemming from a report by German parliamentarian Max Lucks and adopted by the Council of Europe, criticizes recent diplomatic negotiations between Washington and Tehran for failing to address the Islamic Republic's repressive policies.

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The Islamic revolutionary courts deliver justice without requiring evidence and without the right to an independent defense; it is a system of arbitrary detention and the harshest sentences, very often the death penalty.

The resolution asserts that "lasting peace and stability in Iran could not be achieved in the absence of respect for human rights, democracy and the rule of law." It urges European countries to increase support for human rights defenders within Iran and to enhance dialogue with the country's civil society and opposition movements. Parliamentarians also expressed grave concern over "the pattern of transnational repression attributed to Iranian authorities" targeting individuals in Council of Europe member states, calling on these states to protect such individuals.

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Cécile (Kohler) and I were victims of a system whose sole purpose is to ensure the regime’s survival through terror. Fundamental freedoms - of conscience, opinion, expression, and association - are constantly being flouted.

Specifically, the resolution calls for the "immediate establishment of a moratorium on the use of the death penalty in Iran, with a view to its full abolition." It also demands the immediate release of all individuals detained for exercising their fundamental rights to freedom of expression, assembly, and peaceful protest. Human rights groups report that tens of thousands have been killed or arbitrarily detained by security forces since protests began in January, with many now facing the death penalty. According to the Center for Human Rights in Iran, at least 45 political prisoners and individuals on security-related charges have been executed in 2026 alone.

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lasting peace and stability in Iran could not be achieved in the absence of respect for human rights, democracy and the rule of law

Jacques Paris, a former French hostage released in April, described the Iranian revolutionary courts as delivering justice "without requiring evidence and without the right to an independent defense." He characterized the system as one of "arbitrary detention and the harshest sentences, very often the death penalty." Paris stated that he and Cécile Kohler were victims of a system designed to ensure the regime's survival through terror, where fundamental freedoms are constantly violated. He added that the situation for the Iranian people is even more difficult than at the beginning of the year.

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immediate establishment of a moratorium on the use of the death penalty in Iran, with a view to its full abolition