French Parliament: IRGC Should Be Designated as a Terrorist Organization

Members of the French National Assembly unanimously passed a resolution calling on France and the European Union to list the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its affiliated forces, including the Basij and Quds Force, as terrorist organizations. They referenced the 'serious human rights violations' by officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran, particularly by the IRGC and Basij, during protests following the death of Mahsa Amini in custody of the morality police in September 2022. The resolution highlights violations of the 'right to life, protection from torture and ill-treatment, personal freedom and security, fair trial rights, freedom of religion, expression, peaceful assembly and association, privacy, health, education, livelihood, and work.' It strongly condemns 'human rights violations in Iran, the widespread use of the death penalty as a tool of fear, and the extreme violence and brutality of the regime against women and girls.' French representatives noted that the regime's extreme violence has become so normalized that discriminatory laws are enforced through murder, enforced disappearances, imprisonment, torture, rape, and other forms of sexual violence. The resolution, approved by 105 members of the National Assembly, condemns 'the systematic discrimination of the Iranian regime against women through a series of laws and regulations that severely restrict their freedoms, lives, and livelihoods.' The National Assembly reiterated its 'unconditional support for the Women, Life, Freedom movement' in Iran, emphasizing 'the unconditional right of women worldwide to control their bodies and thus not be forced to wear specific clothing.' Previously, members of the European Parliament condemned the 'arbitrary detention of women' in Iran and called on Iranian officials to repeal 'discriminatory laws' against Iranian women and girls. In a resolution passed with 562 votes in favor, two against, and 30 abstentions, the European Parliament demanded that Iranian officials dissolve the morality police and other 'repressive institutions.' The United States has also criticized the human rights violations by the Islamic Republic of Iran in recent years and imposed sanctions against human rights violators. The French National Assembly's resolution also called on Iranian officials to 'halt all executions and immediately and unconditionally release all those arbitrarily detained for participating in protests, failing to comply with mandatory hijab laws, or opposing them.' The resolution further called on the Islamic Republic of Iran to 'repeal discriminatory laws against women and girls and eliminate the repressive system enforcing these laws based on recommendations from the UN fact-finding committee.' The National Assembly requested that the 'Iranian regime establish justice and compensate the victims of the suppression of protests since September 2022 and their families.' The resolution, passed on Wednesday, also urged the Iranian government to 'fully cooperate with the UN Special Rapporteur and the UN fact-finding committee regarding the Islamic Republic of Iran and provide the necessary information for their missions.' The resolution called on the French government to continue its efforts in Europe to expand sanctions against Iranian leaders who 'issue, plan, and implement orders for widespread and systematic violations of the rights of women and girls in Iran.' It asked the French government to maintain its policy, including the possibility of publishing the names of family members of high-ranking officials targeted by European sanctions. The resolution encouraged the French government to continue exploring ways to refer cases to national and international courts to establish accountability for individuals abroad and provide compensation to victims. The resolution referenced several times the report from the UN fact-finding committee, which emphasized that the Islamic Republic of Iran committed 'crimes against humanity' during the suppression of the 2022 protests with 'serious human rights violations.' In this context, a week before the National Assembly resolution was passed, Narges Mohammadi, a human rights and women's rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who was recently released from Evin Prison, spoke at a conference with several members of the Senate and National Assembly. She urged the French government to act in support of the Iranian people in their struggle against religious tyranny. Ms. Mohammadi stated, 'I ask the French government through the National Assembly and Senate to make human rights a prerequisite and the main focus of any negotiations with the Islamic Republic regime.' She emphasized, 'Any negotiation with the Islamic Republic that ignores the fundamental rights of the Iranian people, human rights, women's rights, and civil society will strengthen religious tyranny and weaken the struggle of the Iranian people for democracy, freedom, and equality.'