On 11 October, the World Day Against the Death Penalty, Church House in Westminster became the focal point for an urgent international campaign to save the lives of 17 political prisoners in Iran. These individuals, accused of affiliation with the principal Iranian opposition movement, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), face imminent execution as the regime intensifies its crackdown on dissent.
The conference brought together a coalition of lawmakers, human rights defenders, and former political prisoners from across Europe and beyond. Among the speakers were John Bercow, former speaker of the UK House of Commons; Theresa Villiers, former UK cabinet minister; Baroness Nuala O’Loan; and Ingrid Betancourt, former Colombian presidential candidate and hostage survivor. Their collective message was clear: the world must act now to save these lives and confront the Iranian regime’s systematic use of the death penalty as a tool of repression.
Baroness O’Loan opened the event by announcing that more than 500 international dignitaries, politicians, NGOs, and activists had signed a statement condemning executions and human rights abuses in Iran. She highlighted the alarming rate of executions – one every 3.5 hours – and the regime’s ongoing efforts to erase evidence of past atrocities, including the destruction of mass graves from the 1988 massacre of 30,000 political prisoners.
She called for the UK government to refer Iran’s human rights record to the UN Security Council, impose targeted sanctions on Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and senior officials, and recognize the NCRI’s democratic platform for a free Iran without the death penalty.
Maryam Rajavi’s defiant stand
The keynote address was delivered by Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI). Rajavi’s remarks captured the spirit of resistance and the urgency of the moment:
“On this day, the world’s outrage and revulsion are directed at the religious tyranny ruling Iran, a regime of executions and massacres, a monster of death, and a symbol of destruction. Yet, the Iranian people and Resistance continue to stand firm against this regime through acts of heroic sacrifice. The mullahs sought to shape our destiny with the gallows, but we rose in defiance and forged a new path, one that guarantees freedom. Our Resistance carries the radiant promise that the inevitable overthrow of this regime will not only be a victory for the people of Iran, but also a great triumph for human rights across the world.”
She went on to highlight the regime’s systematic violations of justice:
“These executions and death sentences are carried out in blatant violation of every standard of fair justice. The prisoners are subjected to torture; they have no legal counsel, or their lawyers lack the opportunity and the courage to defend them, or else the lawyers are merely for show. The trials are summary, the judicial procedures contrived, and the final verdicts have already been issued in advance by Khamenei himself.
“To the mullahs we say, if you are sincere, open the trial sessions of political prisoners and PMOI members facing execution to the public, just once. If you are sincere, allow an international delegation to travel to Tehran to examine the case of Somayeh’s death under deliberate denial of medical care. If you are sincere, let a delegation from the International Committee of the Red Cross, the United Nations, or other international organizations interview the 17 individuals condemned to death on charges of PMOI membership. Then the world will recognize that they have committed no crime other than fighting for the freedom of an enslaved nation.”
Her message to the international community was unequivocal:
“Our message to the international community is simple: Stop auctioning off the human rights of our oppressed compatriots. End the practice of sacrificing those rights for a nuclear deal and stop bartering away justice in return for the regime’s warmongering and terrorism … The Iranian people’s message to them is clear: Make your relations with this regime conditional on the immediate halt of executions.”
Voices of solidarity
Ingrid Betancourt described the courage of prisoners who have launched the No to Execution Tuesdays campaign, refusing food every Tuesday – the regime’s chosen day for executions – to protest the death penalty. She emphasised that the death penalty in Iran is not a judicial procedure, but a barbaric political weapon used to instill fear and suppress dissent.
John Bercow condemned the regime’s actions as “sick, performative, egregious”, designed to break the spirit of those who fight for freedom. He called on the UK foreign secretary to prioritise the campaign for tougher international measures to hasten the demise of the regime.
Theresa Villiers highlighted the Iranian government’s use of assassination as state policy, including threats to UK-based dissidents. She urged the UK to proscribe the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the regime’s principal instrument of repression and terror.
A global consensus
The urgency of the initiative was echoed in joint statements endorsed by more than 500 international dignitaries, including parliamentarians, former ministers, human rights advocates, and senior military and judicial figures. The statement warned:
“The regime in Tehran employs the death penalty for a wide range of alleged ‘offences’ – not to dispense justice, but to terrorize and intimidate society. This is why so many executions are carried out in public. Decades of entrenched impunity have enabled such crimes … We cannot allow history to repeat itself … Democratic governments worldwide must hold the Iranian regime’s leaders and perpetrators accountable for these atrocities and refer Tehran’s appalling human rights dossier to the UN Security Council for the adoption of concrete and punitive punishments. This is not only about justice for the victims – it is about the credibility of the international community in upholding its values and preventing mass atrocities. The world must act now, before it is too late.”
Among the signatories were prominent figures such as Bob Blackman MP, Peter Altmaier, Newt Gingrich, General James L Jones, Michael B Mukasey, Tom Ridge, Louis J Freeh, Senator Robert Torricelli, Rabbi Abraham Cooper, and Linda Chavez.
Families speak out
Families of political prisoners and those executed by the Iranian regime also addressed the event, stressing that the conference represents a strategic campaign to confront a regime that has weaponised the death penalty against its own people.
The world must act
The London conference was more than a gathering of concerned voices – it was a call to action. The fate of 17 political prisoners hangs in the balance, and the international community faces a moral imperative to intervene. As Rajavi and other speakers made clear, saving these lives is not only a matter of justice for Iran but a test of the world’s commitment to human rights and dignity.
