MEPs from the DROI (SUB Committee on Human Rights) and AFET (Foreign Affairs) Committees discuss how to support human rights, freedom and democracy in Iran with several guests: Mansoureh Shojayi, women's rights activist and writer, Mahdieh Golroo, journalist and women's rights activist, Fatameh Karimi, Researcher in Sociology of Gender, women's rights activist and President of Kurdistan human rights network France, Sattar Rahmani, a former teacher and political prisoner in Iran, expert on teachers' rights movement and Ardeshir Amir Arjomand, senior advisor to presidential candidate Mr. Mir-Hossein Mousavi. Extracts from the exchange of views. The transcription is the result of an automatic process. Please, check against delivery.

Committee on Foreign Affairs

Brussels

exchange of views

Subcommittee on Human Rights

EU - Iran (T)

Human rights (T2)

women's rights (T)

How to support Human Rights, Freedom and Democracy in Iran: extracts from the exchange of views

SOUNDBITE (English), Udo BULLMANN (S&amp;D, DE), Subcommittee on Human Rights, We will have several events today, tomorrow and on Thursday. The objective is to explore with a large spectrum of representatives of Iranian civil society ways of supporting human rights, women and civil society in Iran, and to reflect on the prospects of Iran's democratic movement and how the EU should respond to the challenges Iran faces in these days.

SOUNDBITE (German), Cornelia ERNST (The Left, DE), Chair Delegation for relations with Iran, Europe should not push back people who come to Europe from Iran asking for refugee protection, and we really must not let any aspect, drop any aspect of all of this situation. We need to focus on every everything, every point.

SOUNDBITE (English), Madieh GOLROO, Women&apos;s rights activist and writer, Women, life, freedom, revolution can change, not just that Iran can change many things in the Middle East and in the world about Islam, about the dictatorship, about how women can make a decision about everything from their dress day clothes until their country changed their country. One of the things that the European country and Ms.. And country can help to activists inside Iran to make they voice is try to help to freedom. Internet access to the international Internet is essential for Iran.

SOUNDBITE (English), Madieh GOLROO, Women's rights activist and writer, One of the things that the European countries and western countries can do to help activists inside Iran to make their voice is try to help to freedom internet. Access to the international Internet is essential for Iran.

SOUNDBITE (English), Hamid ESMAEILION, Writer and activist, Association of Families of Flight Ps752 Victims, My name is Hamid Ismaili, and I lost my wife and nine year old daughter when the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps shut down Ukrainian flight ps752 over the skies of Tehran on January eight, 2020. I have been active with the Association of Families of Flight Ps752 Victims in their fight for justice, truth and accountability.

SOUNDBITE (English), Hamid ESMAEILION, Writer and activist, Association of Families of Flight Ps752 Victims, Expel the Islamic Republic from international workers unions, the IKO and other international organisations. Help us to coordinate with international workers unions to set up a strike fund for Iranian workers. Use the technology and means at your disposal to provide free and unhindered access to the Internet for the people of Iran. And finally, call the IRGC what it is an officially named nefarious, bloodthirsty and corrupt entity as a terrorist organisation.

SOUNDBITE (French), Fatameh KARIMI, President of Kurdistan Human Rights network France, According to a report by Jeffrey Rahman, a United Nations reporter, states that almost half of the political prisoners in the country are Kurds. According to the Kurdistan Human Rights Networkin 2022

SOUNDBITE (French), Ardeshir Amir ARJOMAND , Senior adviser to presidentail candidate Mir-Hossein MOUSAVI, -

SOUNDBITE (English), Hannah NEUMANN (Greens/EFA, DE), Vice-chair Subcommittee on Human Rights, What this revolution has clearly achieved is that everyone now knows how brutal this regime is, how it is beating, raping, executing its own people only to protect its power and its kleptocratic way of life.

SOUNDBITE (English), Hannah NEUMANN (Greens/EFA, DE), Vice-chair Subcommittee on Human Rights, There seems to be some kind of an understanding, you want a referendum in Iran so that the people of Iran can decide freely where they want to go, assuming and hoping that that would be moving towards, let's say, a secular democracy. But how can we get the regime to do the referendum? That is the key question, I think.