German Lawmaker to VOA: The Islamic Republic Has Planned 'Assassinations' in Europe

In response to efforts by state politicians in Germany to list the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, Armita Kazemi, a member of the executive committee of the Hamburg state parliament, told VOA that the Islamic Republic has previously made 'plans for assassination in Europe,' including in this state. In an interview with Sara Damavandian, a VOA reporter in Germany, she discussed the listing of the IRGC as a terrorist group, stating: 'This decision must be made by the German parliament, and the state parliaments and the Hamburg parliament cannot make the decision, but because many Iranians live in Germany and in the state of Hamburg, they can influence various parties, and state politicians can transfer demands and evidence to the federal level.' She added: 'The [Islamic Republic] government of Iran has planned assassinations in Europe and also in Hamburg, such that they bribe individuals to carry out killings of their opponents. They not only suppress protesters in Iran but also threaten their opponents and their families in Europe.' The member of the Hamburg state parliament emphasized: 'Therefore, it is very important to make this issue clear among politicians and tell the Islamic Republic that you cannot commit violence inside Iran and also restrict freedom of expression in Europe and engage in assassination.' The demand to list the IRGC as a terrorist organization has been a long-standing request from opponents of the Islamic Republic, reiterated multiple times following widespread protests in recent years. However, placing the IRGC on the European Union's list of terrorist organizations has its own complexities. Now, politicians in some countries are trying to reduce the complexities of this process by sending legal documents to lawmakers. The European Union has recently managed to find a legal pathway to recognize the IRGC as the repressive arm of the Islamic Republic and a terrorist entity. Previously, Josep Borrell, the EU's foreign policy chief, claimed that the IRGC could not be listed as a terrorist group without a court ruling. However, speculation now suggests that a court ruling from Düsseldorf regarding an Iranian affiliated with the IRGC, who was convicted of conspiracy to set fire to a school near a Jewish place of worship, could ease this arduous path. In this context, the Prime Minister of Sweden stated on Sunday, October 14, that his country is asking the European Union to officially recognize the IRGC as a terrorist organization following several attacks on Israeli targets in Sweden.