MPs Urge the New British Government to Make Human Rights and Accountability a Priority in Its Iran Policy
Exclusive Report from the UK Parliament
MPs Urge the New British Government to Make Human Rights and Accountability a Priority in Its Iran Policy
At a meeting held at the UK Parliament on 9 September, Members of Parliament and Peers from different political parties, legal experts, representatives of the Iranian community in the UK, and representatives of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) discussed the human rights situation in Iran.
Participants stressed that political executions and the repression of dissidents are carried out with the aim of spreading fear and preventing popular protests. They called on the international community to take action to protect prisoners facing execution and to hold those responsible for human rights violations accountable.
In a video message, Maryam Rajavi called for diplomatic and economic relations with Iran to be made conditional on ending executions, prosecuting those responsible for political massacres, and including human-rights guarantees in any international agreement.
Dowlat Nowrouzi also referred to Iran’s economic and social crises, highlighting growing public discontent and international support for the National Council of Resistance of Iran.
Several British parliamentarians, including Baroness O’Loan, Jim Shannon, Sammy Wilson, and Lord McCabe, stressed the importance of supporting the rights of the Iranian people, holding human-rights violators accountable, and placing human rights at the centre of British policy toward Iran.
At the conclusion of the meeting, participants stated that neither war nor a policy of appeasement offers a solution to the crisis in Iran. They called instead for a policy based on human rights, accountability, and support for the Iranian people’s right to determine their own future.
UK Government urged to prioritise human rights and accountability as Iranians Demand Democratic Change
At a meeting in Parliament today, cross-party MPs and Peers, legal experts, and members of the Anglo-Iranian Community, and representatives of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), discussed the human rights crisis in Iran amid the ongoing conflict and warned that the systemic impunity is deteriorating an already alarming situation.
Speakers condemned the increasing executions and use of death penalty, in particular those politically motivated, targeting members of the People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI/MEK) and protesters, a worrying trend documented by the UN Fact-Finding Mission.
The cross-party Members of Parliament and legal experts argued that these political executions primarily aim to instil fear into a society on the brink, suppress dissent and to prevent future uprising. Speakers stressed the need for urgent international intervention to save the lives of those on death row, including protesters, PMOI members and supporters, and to prevent mass executions such as those carried out during the 1988 massacre from happening again.
The meeting concluded that neither war nor appeasement through diplomacy, trade, and dialogue has delivered a lasting solution. It therefore called for the urgent adoption of a new UK policy centred on human rights, accountability and the Iranian people’s right to determine their own future and pursue democratic change, as set out in the NCRI’s Third Option.
NCRI President-elect for the transitional period Mrs Maryam Rajavi addressed the meeting in a video message and said:
“The ruling regime faces many problems … but its biggest challenge is the young generation that is ready to make any sacrifice to overthrow the regime.
“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.
“Inside the prisons, prisoners have participated in the “No to Executions” campaign for 136 weeks in 62 prisons.
“To stop the uprising, the regime relies on war … 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.
“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.”
Calling on the UK and the world to stand with the people of Iran, she added:
“We need a policy that supports the Iranian people’s demand for a democratic republic … and 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.”
Ms Dowlat Nowrouzi, NCRI representative in the UK and Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), explained the many crises facing the regime and the growing recognition of the NCRI’s democratic alternative and solution to help Iranian people succeed. She added:
“Today, millions of Iranians face poverty, inflation, and unemployment. The value of the national currency has fallen dramatically far worse than January 2026 that led to uprisings.
“Workers and ordinary families struggle to survive. Protests continue across the country because people want change. The overthrow of this inhumane and corrupt regime is inevitable and a task for the Iranian people.”
“In June 2026, more than 3,000 legislators and former world leaders expressed support for the Iranian Resistance, NCRI’s Provisional Government based on Mrs Maryam Rajavi’s Ten-Point Plan, to transfer the sovereignty to the people of Iran.”
In his message to the meeting, Co-chair of the British Committee for Iran Freedom (BCFIF), Bob Blackman CBE MP said:
“We [should not] mistake a restorationist project for a democratic alternative. Reza Pahlavi's support for foreign military strikes, the conduct of some of his supporters towards other opposition groups, and his failure to offer a clear reckoning with the abuses of the former monarchy have all raised serious questions about his democratic credentials, not least among Iranians.
“The future of Iran must be based on what majority of the Iranian people demand, a popular sovereignty, pluralism, and democratic accountability, not a dynastic restoration.
“The Iranian people have shown extraordinary courage in pursuing that future. The NCRI and the PMOI have been at the forefront of that struggle. The United Kingdom should stand with them as the surest path towards a peaceful, democratic Iran.”
Baroness O’Loan DBE, along with other cross-party colleagues backed Mrs Rajavi’s call for accountability, and said:
“The United Kingdom should stand with the Iranian people and support their right to democratic change, advance accountability through international mechanisms, close the regime’s embassy in London, and condition future relations on ending executions, torture, and releasing all political prisoners.”
Jim Shannon MP added:
“Our message to the Government is simple and clear: stand with the Iranian people and their popular resistance, reject the murderous regime, recognise the NCRI’s Provisional Government as the democratic alternative, and work with Madam Rajavi to secure accountability.”
Rt Hon. Sammy Wilson MP said:
“The regime does not represent the Iranian people; it is their oppressor. The Iranian people’s interests and democratic aspirations are best represented by the NCRI and Mrs Rajavi, who offer a democratic vision and peaceful transition framework.
Lord McCabe said:
“The international community should place human rights at the centre of policy toward Iran, support accountability mechanisms through international legal institutions, and uphold the right of the Iranian people and their organised resistance to determine Iran’s democratic future.”
Other attendees and speakers included: Rt Hon. Lord Spellar; Dr Leyla Hannbeck; Professor Sara Chandler KC (Hon.), Secretary of the Human Rights Commission of the Federation of European Bar Associations, representing lawyers of Europe; Dr Jocelynne Scott, former Judge, councillor, writer and filmmaker; Councillor Robert Ward; Dr Caroline Bennett, Assistant Professor in Social Anthropology and International Development School of Global Studies University of Sussex Brighton; Rosa Zareii, Master’s Degree and PhD Candidate in International Politics; Elahe Zabihi, Lecturer from University of London; and Amir Hossein Oliaee, Master's Student in Biomedical Engineering.
