On November 29, 2024, a conference organized by the Global Committee for the Rule of Law – Marco Pannella (GCRL) took place at the Italian Senate in Rome. This conference scrutinized the current EU policies toward the Iranian regime, highlighting escalating human rights abuses in Iran, regional warmongering, and terrorism that has reached Europe.
Distinguished speakers at the event included:
- Senator Giulio Terzi di Sant’Agata, President of the 4th Commission on EU Policies
- Alejo Vidal-Quadras, President of In Search of Justice (ISJ), former Vice President of the European Parliament (1999 – 2014)
- Cinzia Bonfrisco, Member of the European Parliament
- Roberto Rampi, former Senator
- Farzin Hashemi, Deputy Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI)
- Matteo Angioli, Moderator and Secretary of GCRL
Professor Alejo Vidal-Quadras delivered the keynote address, discussing his survival of an assassination attempt by Iranian regime agents in Madrid on November 9, 2023. He was the first European politician targeted on the continent by Iranian state-sponsored terrorism. His speech centered on the white paper “Europe’s Failed Policy Towards Iran,” advocating for a significant shift in EU strategy due to the Iranian regime’s increasing aggressiveness.
“The international community is increasingly alarmed by the Iranian regime’s human rights violations and its aggressive actions, highlighted by the execution of at least 540 individuals, including 17 women and juveniles, under the new presidency of Masoud Pezeshkian since August. This underscores the urgency of adopting a firm policy toward Iran, beginning with blacklisting the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) as a terrorist organization by the European Union,” Prof. Vidal-Quadras said.
The ISJ President pointed to the incorrect EU strategy, stating, “Negotiation with this regime is counterproductive. The EU’s labeling of the Iranian democratic opposition as terrorists, while financially supporting the regime, has only emboldened it. The distinction between moderates and hardliners within the regime is illusory.”
Senator Terzi criticized the EU’s appeasement of the Iranian regime, stating, “The regime in Tehran uses terrorism as an instrument of foreign policy. Despite its domestic and regional weaknesses and military setbacks, the European notion that engagement will induce reform is futile.”
Farzin Hashemi argued against the binary choice of appeasement or war, presenting an Iranian solution outlined by Mrs. Maryam Rajavi at the European Parliament: the overthrow of the regime by the Iranian people and organized resistance, leading to a provisional government and democratic elections.
The conference concluded with a strong call for international unity in supporting the Iranian people’s fight for freedom and democracy, led by the NCRI under Mrs. Rajavi, who advocates for a future Iran based on democratic principles and separation of religion and state.
Other speakers highlighted the drawbacks of the current EU strategy of appeasement, which has enabled the regime’s malign activities, including its nuclear ambitions, and called for the activation of the snapback mechanism under UN Security Council resolutions. They urged the EU and its member states to take decisive action against the ongoing violations by the Iranian regime.
To watch the conference please see here: https://twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1lDGLlMQLnbGm
