Maryam Rajavi at the Italian Senate’s Human Rights Committee Hearing

Khamenei Must Be Held Accountable for Crimes Against Humanity

At the invitation of the Italian Senate’s Human Rights Committee, Maryam Rajavi was heard by the Committee on Thursday, July 31, where she testified on the crimes committed by the Iranian regime.
The hearing was opened by Senator Pucharelli, Chair of the Committee, who welcomed Maryam Rajavi and expressed her appreciation for her presence. Referring to the committee’s long-standing commitment to humanitarian initiatives—particularly its pursuit of cases involving executions and the martyrdom of dissidents—Senator Pucharelli stated:
“In these difficult times, as we witness the grave human rights violations committed by the ruling regime in Iran, we stand in solidarity with the people of Iran and their resistance.”
She added that the hearing was being broadcast live and officially through the Senate’s website.

Record of Executions and Repression by the Clerical Regime

At the beginning of her testimony, Maryam Rajavi recalled that just a few days earlier, Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani, members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI), were executed after enduring three years of torture and imprisonment. She emphasized that they stood firm until the very end and refused to surrender to the regime.
She noted that 14 other political prisoners face execution under similar charges.
Rajavi warned that as the regime draws closer to its downfall, it is intensifying its repression through a surge in executions, mass arbitrary arrests, the deployment of armed agents onto the streets, increased internet censorship, and the adoption of a new law expanding the use of the death penalty.
In the year since Masoud Pezeshkian took office, approximately 1,500 executions have been carried out in Iran.
On July 6, Fars News Agency, affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), published an editorial describing the 1988 massacre as a “successful historical experience” in ensuring the regime’s survival—and emphasized the need for its repetition.
Repression remains the regime’s primary tool for survival.
Executions, torture, the oppression of women and minorities, and the denial of freedoms of expression and assembly are all integral components of the regime’s policies.
The other side of the coin of human rights violations in Iran is the export of terrorism, warmongering, and pursuit of nuclear weapons. This is a regime that maintains one of the most hostile relationships with its own people and relies on war and nuclear armament to ensure its survival.
Silence and inaction in the face of executions and killings in Iran not only encourage the regime to continue its crimes but also serve as a green light for its violations of international law. European governments must make their relations with this regime conditional on a halt to executions.
Those responsible for crimes against humanity, genocide, executions, and the mass killing of political prisoners in the 1980s, as well as the massacres of protesters during the uprisings of 2017-2018, 2019, and 2022, must be held accountable by the international community and European governments and face justice.
The first person who must be held to account is Ali Khamenei, the regime’s Supreme Leader. He must face justice.
Italy, as one of the leading nations in the abolition of the death penalty, can play a decisive role in this regard.
Terrorism is another tool the regime uses against its opponents abroad. Mohammad Hossein Naghdi, representative of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), was assassinated right here in Rome.
Three weeks ago, a Spanish investigative judge issued an indictment stating that the assassination attempt on Dr. Alejo Vidal-Quadras, former Vice President of the European Parliament, was carried out because of his support for the Iranian Resistance— by a criminal network led by an individual who is currently in Iran.
At the conclusion of her remarks, Maryam Rajavi emphasized: “We are fighting for an Iran where there is no place for executions, torture, or discrimination. The Ten-Point Plan clearly bans torture and calls for the abolition of the death penalty. It emphasizes the need for an independent judiciary based on international standards—grounded in the presumption of innocence, the right to defense, the right to seek justice, the right to a public trial, full judicial independence, and the abolition of the regime’s clerical laws and the so-called revolutionary courts.”
Human rights are a matter of life and death for our people and the Iranian Resistance—and a poisoned chalice for the regime.
In stark contrast to the regime’s misogyny, which considers women as second-class citizens, the Iranian Resistance places women at the heart of its leadership and activities, with thousands of women serving in the central council of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI) and playing leading roles.

Italian Senators’ Support for the Iranian People and Resistance

Following Maryam Rajavi’s testimony, Senator Pucharelli, Chair of the Committee, expressed gratitude for her testimony and renewed solidarity with the Iranian people and resistance.
She emphasized the condemnation of the regime’s role in the brutal repression and discrimination against women and called on the international community to pay close attention to this situation.
She stated: “What is being violated in Iran is the very essence of human life. Italy stands alongside the Iranian people, and this Committee is serious about defending human rights.”
Senator Naturale said, “Our work in Europe is very straightforward. But you are waging a difficult struggle in Iran. You are striving for noble values, and we want to be fully united with you and assist you in this hard work.
“Because I believe it is important to amplify the voice of your commitment and activity inside Iran—a struggle that is undoubtedly essential within Iran itself, but as you have emphasized, must become an international initiative against all forms of dictatorship.
“As the Human Rights Committee, and as a representative of the Five Star Movement, I assure you that we will always stand by you and continue our support.
“We sincerely thank you for coming here and informing us about the situation.”
Senator Terzi, expressing appreciation for Maryam Rajavi’s report on the human rights situation in Iran, said, “The Iranian Resistance is a broad-based and grassroot movement; a resistance whose goal is not to restore a repressive monarchy, but to build a new and democratic Iran. This resistance is expanding and experiencing a growing wave of support and success.”
Senator Terzi added, “As you mentioned, the mass killing of political prisoners in the 1980s, especially the 1988 massacre, is a pattern the regime seeks to repeat. This regime assassinated the former ambassador, Dr. Kazem Rajavi, in Geneva because he pursued accountability for the 1988 massacre in international forums.”
He added, “The Iranian regime, like other dictatorships, resorts to these criminal actions out of extreme weakness. But if the regime thinks that repression will yield the same results as in 1988, it is mistaken.
“The circumstances are now completely different. The regime is weakened, its proxies are weakened, and a large part of the world understands the significance of the work you are doing.
“You are fighting for peace and freedom, and much of the free world over the past twenty years has realized that, because of the disclosures, reports, and evidence the Iranian Resistance has revealed since 2003 about the regime’s illegal and dangerous nuclear weapons program, it owes you a debt of gratitude.
“I know your path is difficult, and we must resolutely support your struggle and ideals.”