The Group of Socialists, Democrats and Greens in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe stands in unwavering solidarity with the people in Iran in their struggle for freedom, dignity, and democracy. The Iranian regime has responded to peaceful protests with extreme and systematic violence. Tens of thousands of people, as reported by the media, have been killed. This is not repression, nor a crackdown—it is a massacre.
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These killings are not spontaneous or isolated acts. They form part of a deliberate strategy to silence dissent through fear, brutality, and collective punishment. Such actions constitute grave violations of human rights and may amount to crimes against humanity.
Accountability has been further obstructed by the regime’s deliberate shutdown of the internet. By cutting off access to information and communication, the authorities have sought to hide evidence, silence witnesses, and shield themselves from international scrutiny. Internet shutdowns are a political weapon, used to conceal crimes and evade responsibility.
In this context, the role of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps cannot be ignored. The IRGC has been central to the violent repression, the use of lethal force, and the systematic violation of human rights. We therefore underline the urgent need to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organisation, as a necessary step toward accountability and justice.
We demand an end to all violent repression, a common and concrete international action to ensure accountability and immediate unrestricted access to the internet for the people of Iran. The international community must take immediately the necessary measures to condemn this unprecedented repression against Iranian people.
Justice for the victims, accountability of the Iranian authorities for the crimes against humanity committed against the Iranian people and freedom for the Iranian people are not negotiable. The Iranian authorities must be held fully accountable under international law for this massacre of their own population.
Strasbourg, 28 January 2026
