European Union calls on Iran to end persecution of Baha'i faith members

It's a question David Lammy will face from the start as the UK's new Foreign Secretary, a post he shadowed in opposition from 2021.

Talking to London-based foreign journalists a few days before the election (a foregone conclusion at that stage though he was careful not to say so), Lammy said that he would be engaged with the Middle East “from Day One”.

Up to then, questions to the Foreign Secretary-to-be were focused on Europe, Asia, the US. Lammy even worked in a nod to a possible future Trump presidency by talking of his good working relations with senior Republican figures.

He turned to the Middle East last - it’s always a tricky subject for British foreign secretaries but Lammy sounded confident and even enthusiastic when he spoke of his many trips there and the “very close working relations” he maintained across the region.

Talking about the Israel-Gaza conflict, Lammy said that “ working with our partners is essential, we’ve talked about the need for a new contact group that will include some Arab partners and I remain very concerned about the risk and prospect of escalation in Lebanon. I was in Lebanon a few months ago and I’m in good contact with Amos Hochstein, the US coordinator for Lebanon and of course I will be very engaged from Day One…”

And engagement from Day One on the Middle East, said Lammy “of course (was on) Iran, too.” He was, Lammy said, “very concerned about Iran’s proxy relationship with many of the actors that are causing a lot of problems across the region, Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis particularly, as you would expect me to be and we’ve always raised our concerns within Iran about the IRGC and repression within Iran and I think you’ll find on Labour backbenches particularly a lot of concern about that.”

And Labour front benches, too, where shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper as well as Lammy himself and other prominent Labour politicians have called for tough action against the IRGC, including proscription.

The cross-Party interest in Iran over the past two years across both the House of Commons and House of Lords has been unprecedented. In the weeks before the election, some 500 MPs and Lords called on a new government to proscribe the IRGC in two separate letters to the then government.

The mood of the new Parliament has yet to be known. But the Labour manifesto is clear that “assassination plots by the IRGC” are among the rise in threats in the UK from hostile states and state-sponsored groups “but Britain lacks a comprehensive framework to protect us. Labour will take the approach used for dealing with non-state terrorism and adapt it to deal with state=based domestic security threats.”

Both the new Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary called on the last Conservative government to amend the UK’s Terrorism Act 2000 to introduce a new category of proscription to cover hostile state actors. Starmer’s government now has the opportunity to do so itself - possibly encouraged by the example of Canada and
reports of the European Union’s foreign action service examining the legalities of proscribing the IRGC at Germany's behest.

Amirsalar Davoudi, a lawyer incarcerated in Evin Prison, denounced the election as a "selection" in a letter from prison. He declared his refusal to participate, asserting that the Islamic Republic pursues only a path of "lies and deceit."

In recent weeks, many dissidents have expressed publicly that the upcoming election is a manipulated facade rather than a genuine democratic process.

In his letter, Davoudi pointed out that there is disagreement among some intellectuals and advocates who want a fundemantal change in the country, about whether they should participate in the election or not.

The lawyer and dissident has been sentenced to imprisonment for advocating for a total system overhaul through the empowerment of the people.

In his fifth year of a 10-year sentence, Davoudi is widely regarded as embodying resistance to a government criticized for suppressing genuine democratic expression.

Sepideh Gholian, another political prisoner, described abstaining from voting as a form of "civil resistance" under current conditions.

Given the absence of a democratic mechanism in Iran, elections are widely believed to be predetermined outcomes by the country's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei.

She says that participating in the elections allows Tehran to present a false image of "legitimacy," especially in international forums.

Gholian emphasized that the Islamic Republic is striving to be perceived as legitimate following its "severe and bloody" crackdown on the nationwide protests in 2022.

In direct contrast, those boycotting the election at great risk say that their protest is intended to signal to other countries that the state lacks legitimacy among the broader populace.

Gholian expressed hope for the eventual "overthrow" of the Islamic Republic, illustrating the deep-seated desire for systemic change among many Iranians.

Farhad Meysami, a civil activist and former political prisoner, denied reports of his participation in the elections. In an Instagram post, Meysami declared that he did not need an attorney or guardian to express his views. His response was prompted by claims from some reformist political activists, including Mohammadreza Jalaeipour, about his alleged participation.

This incident highlights the presence of manipulation and misinformation in political discourse in Iran, with false narratives potentially swaying public perception.

Meysami called on those spreading the "false news" to correct it, emphasizing the importance of truthful representation in the fight for genuine democratic processes.

Former political prisoner Abolfazl Ghadiani also called for a boycott of the election. He emphasized that the solution to Iran's problems lies in transforming the “ruling religious dictatorship” into a “democratic secular republic” through “civil and political resistance.”

Ghadiani’s stance echoes a broader sentiment among activists who believe that superficial electoral changes are insufficient and that only a complete overhaul of the political system can address the root issues facing the country.

Motahareh Gounei, an exiled student and detainee from nationwide protests, reiterated her stance on not voting in a post on X.

She stressed that her red line is "human dignity" and the “defense of civil rights,” not the whims of the leadership and the policies of the Islamic Republic.

Gounei’s message also highlighted the personal sacrifices and risks undertaken by activists who oppose the current government, often enduring imprisonment and exile. She emphasized that a bright future will be built by people who no longer have faith in the government, underscoring the profound disillusionment with the existing political framework.

Many observers say that this collective and unprecedented action represents a complete rejection of the current political system, aiming to communicate to both domestic authorities and the international community the pressing need for real change.

As part of efforts to remove Iran's regime-affiliated individuals from Canada, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) had earlier requested the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) to conduct hearings on five individuals with senior positions in Iran’s government.

However, Bagher Larijani does not seem to be one of those five individuals, as he is being removed from Canada not for his affiliation with Iran's rulers, but for his failure to spend at least "730 days in the preceding five years in Canada".

A brother of Iran's US-designated Expediency Council chief Sadegh Amoli Larijani and former Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, the 62-year-old national of Iran "was landed as a permanent resident (PR) of Canada in September 2017," a Canadian Immigration and Refugee Board document shows.

Larijani, a former advisor to Iran's health minister, arrived in Canada along with his wife and son and "qualified for permanent residence as a skilled worker through his experience as a doctor," the IRB said.

The document reveals that he "spent some time in Canada with his family every year from 2017 until 2022. He last returned to Canada on October 15, 2022, just 12 days before his PR card was about to expire. He underwent an admissibility examination at Vancouver International Airport and was issued a Departure Order for failing to reside in Canada for at least 730 days in the preceding five years" as required under the law.

Larijani's son "is now a Canadian citizen, and his wife has a Canadian citizenship application in process. The Appellant’s daughter who also became a permanent resident in her own right in 2017, has been residing in the United States for the past several years," it added.

The hearing for Bagher Larijani was held on November 29, 2023, and the IRB made its decision on January 25, 2024, according to hearing documents seen by Iran International.

The Canadian government has started deporting Iranian regime-affiliated individuals in response to ongoing appeals from the Iranian diaspora to bar regime-affiliated officials from entering the country, particularly in light of the Iranian authorities' brutal crackdown on the nationwide Woman, Life, Freedom protests in 2022.

"Canada stands with the people of Iran, who continue to fight for their rights,” the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) told Iran International. “The Government of Canada has taken action to stop senior members of the Iranian regime from seeking or finding safe haven in Canada.”

However, it said it does not provide comment or details on specific individual cases as an individual’s border and immigration information is considered private and protected by the Privacy Act.

While the Justin Trudeau government adopted sanctions in November 2022, barring individuals linked to the Iranian state from entering Canada, the first deportation order was initiated in February 2024.

The policy previously resulted in deportation orders for Majid Iranmanesh, a science advisor, and Seyed Salman Samani, a former deputy interior minister, according to Global News.

According to Germany's Süddeutsche Zeitung, the legal department of the European Union's foreign action service has officially begun the process to possibly designate the IRGC.

It is a victory for advocacy groups after at attempt by the European Parliament to press the European Union to designate the IRGC failed last year.

It also comes as a stream of Iranian plots have been foiled in recent months in countries including Sweden and Belgium. As far back as 2022, a plot to attack a synagogue in Germany led to the latent summoning of the Iranian ambassador this year as more of Iran's covert activities come to light.

Germany’s largest opposition party, the Christian Democratic Union, is one of the players which has been pushing the European Union to take a tougher position on Iran, including designating its IRGC.

The US designated Iran’s military apparatus in 2019 and the latest country to join ranks, was Canada, where Iranian dissidents have also been targeted by IRGC plots to kill and kidnap.

In addition to demanding action to curb Iran’s ongoing nuclear program, in the face of global sanctions, the CDU wrote a position paper calling for a dramatic change in path as Iran’s proxies wreak havoc across the Middle East and beyond.

Lawmakers suggest a policy aimed at further isolating Iran, which is also under sanctions for supporting Russia’s war on Ukraine. They suggest working with moderate Arab states to form an ‘anti-Iran coalition’, including signatories of the Abraham Accords such as the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia.

Confronting Iran's nuclear ambitions, the CDU lawmakers call for a total halt to the program. Just weeks ago, the UN’s nuclear chief warned Iran was ‘weeks not months’ from a nuclear weapon.

The CDU has proposed that an alliance between Germany, France, Britain, and the United States, must work harder to prevent Iran’s nuclear armament, including imposing tougher sanctions on countries helping Iran evade their own

This would potentially impact countries such as China which his Iran’s biggest consumer of oil.

The policy recommendations also tackle Iran’s human rights abuses at home, including the disproportionate persecution of women and girls, which the UN has branded "gender apartheid".

The policy document has proposed banning any institution in Germany that serves as an information source or influence channel for the Iranian regime, including the immediate closure of the Islamic Center in Hamburg.

This week, the German Federal Administrative Court ruled that the center was affiliated with the Iranian regime and branded it an "extremist Islamic organization” calling its activities “extremism”, as per the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution of Germany.

Currently designated as a terrorist group by Israel, the United States, Bahrain, Canada, Saudi Arabia, and Sweden, the EU has taken a softly softly approach, aiming to continue negotiations regarding Iran’s nuclear program.

The calls to designate the IRGC were echoed this week in a statement by 11 European lawmakers across eight countries and the European Parliament.

At the annual Israel Allies Foundation European Summit, held at the Dutch Parliament in the Hague, lawmakers addressed the threats the IRGC poses specifically to Jewish and Israeli targets.

In May, Israel’s Mossad security service revealed plots against a string of Israeli embassies, including those based in Europe, in addition to Jewish and Israeli targets.

“We recognize the importance of addressing state-sponsored terrorism by the Iranian regime against the State of Israel and Jewish communities across Europe and therefore call on the European Commission to list the IRGC on the European terror list,” the statement read.

With representatives from the Czech Republic, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Slovakia, Portugal and Estonia, it comes as Iran’s proxies continue to wage war on Israel.

Since the October 7 atrocities of Iran-backed Hamas, where at least 1,200 mostly civilians in Israel were murdered and another 250 taken hostage, Iran’s proxies in Lebanon, Yemen, Syria and Iraq have launched attacks on Israel from across its borders.

They have also targeted US positions in the region in retaliation for President Joe Biden’s support of Israel’s right to self defense.

The groups all say their attacks will not stop until a full ceasefire is achieved in Gaza. Israel says the military campaign in the strip will continue until the full eradication of Hamas and the return of the remaining 120 hostages, over 40 of them are known to have died in captivity.

The shops are accused of selling clothes that run counter to Islamic values. The city’s police commander, Mohammad Ghasem Tarhani, described them as containing "unconventional logos and symbols."

"Considering that one of the goals of the sworn enemies of the Islamic Republic of Iran is to lead the youth astray and exert influence through cultural and religious means, authorities are acting on information received about several shops and garment production units," stated Tarhani, according to Mehr News Agency on Wednesday.

As if a national emergency, he warned the public to “avoid unusual clothes for yourself and your children and inform the police by calling 110 if you see any sale or production of unusual clothes".

In mid-May, Iranian authorities arrested over 260 people at an underground rock music festival near Tehran. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) affiliated Tasnim News Agency labeled the festival as a “Satanist” gathering.

Those detained had "signs and symbols of satanism on their clothes, head, face, and hair," according to Tasnim. In their report, Tasnim also released photos of masks, model skulls, and t-shirts depicting skulls.