A debate is scheduled to take place in the House of Commons Chamber on Thursday, February 1, 2024, focusing on a motion addressing freedom and democracy in Iran. The motion strongly condemns the actions of the Iranian government and the violent behavior of its police in suppressing protests. It expresses deep concern about Tehran’s increasing use of tactics such as terrorism, espionage, cyber attacks, and hostage-taking diplomacy to curb and eliminate the Iranian democratic opposition, particularly targeting members of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) and the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) in Ashraf 3, Albania, and NCRI gatherings since 2018.
The motion acknowledges the resistance’s struggle for the establishment of a secular democratic republic and calls on European governments, with a special mention of the government of Albania, to counter Iran’s illegal activities. It urges them to uphold the rights of Iranian opposition members at Ashraf-3 in accordance with international conventions and laws, including the 1951 Geneva Refugee Convention and the European Convention of Human Rights. The motion further expresses concern about threats made to Iranian dissidents in the UK, urging the government to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a proscribed terrorist organization. It also calls upon the government to collaborate with international counterparts in imposing swift sanctions on Iran and holding the country accountable for its illicit activities both domestically and internationally.
The debate will be led by Bob Blackman MP, and the topic was selected by the Backbench Business Committee. This briefing provides background information on Iran’s 2024 elections, Iran’s actions in Albania, and the ongoing debate in the UK regarding the designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist group.