Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1390367
15 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 7 JULY 2021 EUROPE This article is part of a content series called Ewropej. This is a multi-newsroom initiative part-funded by the European Parliament to bring the work of the EP closer to the citizens of Malta and keep them informed about matters that affect their daily lives. These articles reflect only the authors' view. The European Parliament is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains. MEPs decry Iran human rights abuses DOZENS of members of the Eu- ropean Parliament (MEPs) have released a statement condemn- ing human rights abuses in Iran, calling for further sanctions and urging the EU to "address the yearning of the Iranian people for freedom and democracy." The 63 MEPs said they "have deep concerns about the ongo- ing human rights violations in Iran," adding: "The failure of the UN and the internation- al community to address the alarming human rights situ- ation, including the massacre of 30,000 political prisoners in 1988, has emboldened the mul- lahs and led to further deterio- ration." They praised the EU's deci- sion to sanction members of Iran's ruling elite following a deadly crackdown on protests in November 2019 as a "step in the right direction," but said it should be followed by "other necessary measures." The MEPs specifically high- lighted the plight of women in Iran. "Under President (Hassan) Rouhani's tenure, 118 women have been executed, making Iran the No. 1 one execution- er of women in the world," the statement said. "Iranian women have spear- headed all protests and coura- geously countered all suppres- sive measures against them, and we stand by them." The MEPs said the EU should focus on supporting the de- mands of the Iranian people. "During nationwide protests over the past few years, the Ira- nian people have clearly reject- ed (the) current dictatorship and expressed their desire for genuine change, an outcome that remains in the hands of the Iranian people and their resistance movement," they added. The MEPs said they espouse a nuclear-free, democratic Iran that refrains from endorsing and planning terrorism abroad — ideals endorsed by the Na- tional Council of Resistance of Iran, led by President-elect Maryam Rajavi. "The 10-point plan outlined by the Iranian opposition Pres- ident Maryam Rajavi, first pre- sented by her in the Council of Europe and the European Parliament, calling for a dem- ocratic republic based on free and fair elections … and a non-nuclear Iran, deserves our support," the MEPs added. "We call on the EU to adopt a firm policy on Iran, to give pri- ority to human rights, and to hold to account those respon- sible for human rights viola- tions and terrorism." They urged the EU to use its new European Magnitsky Act, which allows the bloc to "freeze assets and impose trav- el bans on individuals involved in serious human rights abus- es," to sanction the Iranian leadership. The statement did not name Iran's new President Ebrahim Raisi. But if the EU chooses to employ the Magnitsky Act to impose sanctions, given his well-publicized role in the 1988 massacres of political prison- ers, Raisi could well be in the bloc's economic firing line. Maryam Rajavi Ebrahim Raisi