Brussels – 20 October 2025 – On 20 October 2025, on behalf of thousands of lawmakers across Europe and North America, united in demanding decisive EU action to halt humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Iran, the International Committee in Search of Justice (ISJ) wrote to H.E. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission; H.E. António Costa, President of the European Council; H.E. Kaja Kallas, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and H.E. Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, to raise the alarm over the escalating wave of executions and political repression in Iran.
The letter drew attention to the seven-day hunger strike by 1,500 death row prisoners at Gezel Hesar Prison, west of Tehran, which had ended after authorities were forced to return six inmates from solitary confinement intended for execution. This act of resistance had underscored the desperation and courage of those facing imminent death under the regime’s brutal policies, the ISJ wrote.
Since President Masoud Pezeshkian had taken office in August, the number of executions had surged to 2,008, including 38 hangings on October 15 and 16 alone. In addition, 17 political prisoners, aged 22 to 66, had been sentenced to death solely for their affiliation with the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), a democratic opposition movement, the letter added.
ISJ had also reminded EU leaders of its previous letter dated 18 July 2025, which had warned of the imminent execution of Behrouz Ehsani (69) and Mehdi Hassani (68), along with other PMOI activists. As stated in the 20 October appeal: “Despite these warnings, no concrete action was taken by the European Union, and the regime, emboldened by this silence, proceeded with their executions.”
In light of these developments, ISJ had called on the European Union to:
1. Suspend all diplomatic and economic ties with the Iranian regime.
2. Recall EU ambassadors from Tehran until the regime agreed to:
- A moratorium on all executions.
- Unrestricted access for representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to visit Iran’s prisons.
ISJ had further urged the EU to support the referral of Iran’s human rights dossier to the United Nations Security Council, and to pursue international tribunal proceedings against regime leaders for four decades of crimes against humanity and genocide.
“Justice must no longer be delayed. This is a litmus test for the European Union to affirm its commitment to the very values, above all, the right to life, for which millions of Europeans paid with their lives. In the face of such atrocities, silence is complicity,” wrote Alejo Vidal-Quadras, President of ISJ and former Vice-President of the European Parliament.
The letter was also signed by Struan Stevenson, former Member of the European Parliament and Chair of the ISJ Committee on the Protection of Political Freedoms in Iran, and Paulo Casaca, former Member of the European Parliament and member of the ISJ Board of Directors.
The ISJ reaffirmed its commitment to justice and accountability, speaking on behalf of a broad coalition of elected representatives determined to end impunity and uphold human rights in Iran.
