A conference held at Church House in Westminster on Saturday issued a forceful appeal for an end to the execution of 17 political prisoners in Iran, a group identified as being at “grave risk” amid intensifying repression.
The event marked the recent World Day Against the Death Penalty and was organised by the (NCRI).
According to the press release, the 17 individuals are accused of affiliation with the MEK and are facing execution as the regime amplifies its campaign of suppression. Over 500 global figures including members of the US and UK parliaments had signed a statement condemning executions and human-rights abuses in Iran and calling for democracies to hold Iran’s leadership accountable — including referring Iran’s human-rights record to the United Nations Security Council.
In a broader context, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights reported that at least 841 people had been executed in Iran since the beginning of the year. Meanwhile, Amnesty International condemned the “arbitrary executions of [the] tortured political dissidents” including two men, charged with “armed rebellion against the state”, “enmity against God”, and “corruption on earth” — all accusations levelled at alleged MEK members.
Speakers at the conference emphasised that the death penalty is being used as a political instrument in Iran: trials often lack transparency, defendants are denied legal representation and face coerced confessions extracted under torture or solitary confinement, then swiftly executed in secrecy.
Maryam Rajavi, head of the NCRI, told the conference that executions and death sentences are being carried out “in blatant violation of every standard of fair justice.” She challenged the regime to open publicly-broadcast trials, allow international monitors to visit the condemned prisoners, and prove their guilt — stating that otherwise, the world must recognise that they have committed no crime other than fighting for freedom.
Among the British speakers was Dame Theresa Villiers, a former MP, who cited the UK Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee findings that the Iranian government uses assassination as a tool of state policy. She pointed out at least 15 attempts to murder or kidnap UK-based individuals since the beginning of 2022.
Faith-leaders supportive of the NCRI also voiced concern, including Lord Rowan Williams, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, who earlier urged the UK Foreign Secretary to intervene to stop executions.
The conference concluded with a renewed call for urgent global action: halt the impending executions of the 17 prisoners; demand access for independent observers; refer Iran’s human-rights abuses to international bodies; and apply targeted sanctions on regime leaders. The message was clear — the world must not remain silent while executions continue.