UK Committee for the Freedom of Iran: Hundreds of Legislators Call for Designation of IRGC as a Terrorist Organization

On Thursday, June 10, the UK Committee for the Freedom of Iran reported that "more than 550 members of the two Houses of Parliament in this country" expressed their deep concern in a joint statement regarding the "ruthless repression of the people of Iran, including ethnic and religious minorities by the Iranian regime" and called for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to be recognized as a terrorist organization. They condemned the reports of deliberate shootings by the Iranian government forces against protesters during the 2022 demonstrations, denouncing the "clear violation of human rights, especially the repression of women," and demanded accountability for those responsible for the execution of thousands of political prisoners in 1988 for committing crimes against humanity. The signatories emphasized the "destructive role of the Iranian regime in the Middle East and its warmongering policies," calling for the designation of the IRGC as a terrorist organization and the establishment of oil sanctions against the Islamic Republic. The statement noted that the IRGC "spreads terrorism through proxy groups" and obstructs peace and security in the region and the world. These representatives asserted that "the Iranian regime is the driving force of war in the Middle East and attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea," adding, "the head of the snake is in Iran." The statement also criticized the judiciary of the Islamic Republic for holding trials against the leaders and officials of the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran, stating that "this trial is clearly a pretext for laying the groundwork for terrorist actions" against members of this organization, especially in Europe, and for pressuring European officials to restrict opponents, particularly those living in the "Ashraf 3" camp in Albania. The signatories wrote that the judiciary of the Islamic Republic acts as a tool of repression for Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, for slaughter and terrorism, and pointed out that Europe has become a "breeding ground for Iran's state terrorism." The statement referred to the attempt by an Iranian diplomat to bomb a meeting of the National Council of Resistance of Iran in the suburbs of Paris three years ago. The signatories also expressed support for the "10-point plan" of Maryam Rajavi, the president of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, for establishing a "democratic republic based on the separation of religion and state." The request of eight American senators for the protection of "Ashraf-3 residents" in Albania was strongly condemned by the UK Committee for the Freedom of Iran, which also supported sanctions against Iranian officials.