Message to the Conference at UK Parliament: Human Rights and Democratic Change in Iran

On Wednesday, September 9, 2026, a conference entitled “Towards a Free Iran: Human Rights, Accountability, and Democratic Change” was held at the UK Parliament.
The event brought together members of the House of Commons and House of Lords, legal experts, and representatives of the Iranian community. Discussions focused on the human rights situation in Iran, including executions and political repression, prospects for democratic change, and the role of organized resistance.
Among the speakers were Baroness O’Loan, Jim Shannon MP, Bob Blackman MP, Lord McCabe, Sammy Wilson MP, Robert Ward, Matthew Goodwin-Freeman, Dr. Jocelynne Scutt, and Professor Sara Chandler. Dowlat Nowrouzi, the UK Representative of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), also took part in the conference.
The event opened with a video message from Maryam Rajavi, who emphasized that human rights and their vital connection to democratic change represent one of the most pressing issues facing Iran today. She stated that the Iranian people, particularly the younger generation, are seeking to end religious dictatorship and establish a free and democratic republic based on popular sovereignty and the rule of law.
In her speech, Maryam Rajavi emphasized three important aspects of the situation in Iran:

• The resilience of Iran’s youth in the face of the regime’s repression and executions;
• The reasons behind the regime’s failure to contain popular protests and the ongoing youth-led uprising;
• The responsibility of the international community, including the UK Parliament, to support the Iranian people and their organized resistance.

The text of Maryam Rajavi’s message to the conference follows below.

Maryam Rajavi: Ignoring Executions Lies in the Heart of a Policy that Helps the Clerical Regime

Members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords,
The topic of this conference is human rights and its vital link with democratic change, which is the main issue in Iran today.
Today, the people of Iran, especially the young people, are standing up to end religious dictatorship, and establish a free and democratic republic.
One of these young people was Mehdi Khanaki. He was 26 years old and a graduate of law. He was a member of the PMOI. His crime was fighting to overthrow the regime. He was arrested on February 10, 2026 and executed on July 22, 2026.
His words show the goals and beliefs of Iran’s young generation who has turned to the PMOI. In a letter, he wrote:
“My only hope is to destroy the Qezel Hesar prison walls. I want to destroy all prisons built by the Shah and inherited by the clerical regime. So that no one will be held captive again. Every day of delay is a shame and makes me sad.”

Recently, political prisoners sent messages honoring the sixty-first anniversary of the founding of the PMOI. Two young women, Arghavan Fallahi and Forough Taghipour, wrote from Evin Prison:
“We are Generation Z. We are anti-dictatorship and anti-dependency. We are against Shah and the mullahs. The day is not far when this shaky regime of executions will be crushed.”

Defeated by the Will of Iran’s Youth

These brave words show one fact: the wave of executions of political prisoners, the widespread arrests, and other repressive measures have failed to stop the Iranian youth.
The ruling regime faces many problems. It faces foreign conflict, a broken economy, and intense fights among the regime’s factions, but its biggest challenge is the young generation that is ready to make any sacrifice to overthrow the regime. Young protesters continue courageously their anti-repression acts despite maximum repression.
Since the uprising in January 2026, tens of political prisoners have been hanged. Many protesters have been sentenced to death, including a considerable number of members and supporters of the PMOI. The fate of many PMOI supporters who had participated in the uprising is still unknown.
I must point out that these death sentences come from unfair trials that ignore international legal standards. They systematically take away the right to a defense.

Failed to Prevent People’s Protests

Conditions in the prisons where detained protesters are held are very bad. They are overcrowded. Prisoners do not have enough food or medicine or access to medical treatment.
Even so, the regime cannot stop the protests of angry people. Street protests have been growing in recent weeks. Nurses, young job seekers, and retired workers are all protesting.
Inside the prisons, prisoners have participated in the “No to Executions” campaign for 137 weeks in 62 prisons.
To stop the uprising, the regime relies on war. Despite the concessions made to the regime in the Memorandum of Understanding, it attacked ships in the Strait of Hormuz and discredited the agreement.
One of the fundamental reasons of the country’s economic collapse is that the regime spends most of the nation’s revenues on war and oppression.
The people of Iran do not want war. The slogan of the National Council of Resistance of Iran is peace and freedom.

In Iran, only the regime and the remnants of the old dictatorship want war. They see war as their only chance. They want to bring back the old dictatorship and its brutal secret police, the SAVAK.
The Shah took power through a military coup and ruled by torture. Today, his son says on TV that he is proud of everything his family did.

The Responsibility of International Community

Long years of experience prove that ignoring executions and ignoring the Iranian people’s Resistance lie in the heart of a policy that has helped the regime over several decades.
Now, it is time for the world to stand with the people of Iran. A new government has recently started its work in the UK. We expect that it adopt a new policy. A policy that stops appeasement and rejects war. A policy that sees the Iranian people as the only force for change.
We need a policy that supports the Iranian people’s demand for a democratic republic. A republic with no torture, no executions, separation of religion and state, and full equality for women and men.
The British Parliament can take the first step by recognizing the Iranian Resistance and the provisional government proposed by the NCRI. Over 600 members of the Parliament already support the NCRI’s democratic plan.
Another step is to take real action against the regime, including:
First – Make all diplomatic and trade relations depend on an end to executions.
Second -Use international jurisdiction to prosecute those responsible for the 1988 massacre and recent killings. And
Third- Ensure any international agreement includes a real, verified stop to executions.
Honorable dignitaries,
Your efforts, led by Mr. Blackman, succeeded in blacklisting the IRGC. I hope your efforts will now help stop executions and facilitate a principled policy in support of the Iranian people’s resistance.