20
May
2026
Watch
Repression and execution of protesters, dissidents, political prisoners and religious minorities in Iran
The Iranian regime continues to suppress its own citizens through arbitrary arrests, torture, enforced disappearances and executions. Women seeking dignity, students seeking freedom, journalists telling the truth, and religious minorities such as the Baha'i community and Christians are persecuted simply because they try to exercise their fundamental rights. The United Nations has warned of executions, thousands of arrests, torture, and persecution of minorities since the beginning of the last wave of conflict. Human rights organizations continue to warn that Iran is the country with the highest number of executions in the world per capita. Yet this tragedy is unfolding in a country whose civilization more than 2,500 years ago gave the world one of the earliest expressions of government based on justice and human dignity. I think of Kir's cylinder, it has become a symbol of respect for dignity, diversity and tolerance, and therefore I say that the Iranian people really deserve a future worthy of this heritage. Today, when we talk about Iran, we also talk a lot about respect for international law, but then we must remember that we must proceed with respect for the UN Declaration of Human Rights. Unfortunately, the United Nations system with a complete blockade in the Security Council did not do what had to be done to save lives in Iran, because upholding international law means not only respecting the sovereignty of every state, but also making every state respect human rights, because it is more important to respect the sovereign rights of a regime than the human dignity of Iranians? And that is precisely why it is necessary to show it with actions, and we show it with this resolution that I call on you to support it.