On April 19, while Belgium holds the presidency of the Council of the EU for the 13th time, the Belgian Senate, unanimously passed a resolution listing several measures aimed at addressing human rights violations by the Iranian regime.
Resolution:
The resolution, proposed by some senators in March 2024, spans over 4,000 words and extensively covers human rights abuses in Iran, including the massacre of 750 protesters during the 2022 uprising.
The resolution refers to a statement by members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, which, in solidarity with the Ten-Point Plan proposed by Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, calls for accountability of regime leaders for their crimes, recognition of the rights of the Iranian people to resist and fight for their freedom, and the designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization.
The objectives of the resolution, formulated within the framework of Belgium’s presidency of the European Union, are outlined in four articles:
Urgent measures to save the lives of thousands of prisoners, especially political prisoners at risk of execution.
Holding Iranian regime leaders accountable for four decades of crimes against humanity and genocide.
Supporting the right of the Iranian people to resist the oppressive regime of the mullahs and to establish a democratic republic separate from religion.
Designating the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, enabling financial support for it to be punishable.
Demands:
Furthermore, the resolution calls on the European Union to demand the Iranian regime to abolish the death penalty, ban all forms of torture including sexual violence, and prohibit the execution of individuals under 18 years of age under any circumstances.
The Belgian Senate, with unanimous agreement, urges European governments to expand the current list of individuals and organizations banned from traveling to the European Union and whose assets are frozen, to anyone responsible for human rights violations and freedom of expression.
It implores European governments to unequivocally condemn the sentences issued against Dr. Ahmadreza Jalali and demand immediate and unconditional release for him and all EU citizens unjustly imprisoned as a result of Iran’s diplomatic hostage-taking.
The Belgian Senate urges European governments to take action against Tehran’s illegal activities targeting the Iranian opposition abroad and to ensure the rights of Iranian opposition members are guaranteed under the 1951 Geneva Convention and European conventions on human rights and international law.
The comprehensive statement, endorsed by the entire Belgian Senate, is available in both Dutch (Flemish) and French (Walloon) languages:
I commend the members of the Belgian Senate @SenaatSenat for their resolution on April 19, condemning the severe violations of #HumanRights and brutal executions in #Iran. They called for the recognition of the right of the Iranian people and the Iranian Resistance to struggle… pic.twitter.com/mJEu45g9C7
— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) April 20, 2024