At an October 10 conference marking the World Day Against the Death Penalty, Giulio Terzi condemned Iran’s escalating executions, criticized decades of Western appeasement, and urged democratic governments to recognize the National Council of Resistance of Iran.
Terzi Urges Western Governments to End Appeasement of Iran’s Regime
Italian Senator Giulio Terzi has called on democratic governments to abandon their policy of appeasement toward Iran’s regime, support the country’s democratic opposition, and pursue international accountability for systematic human rights violations and executions.
Speaking at a conference marking the October 10 World Day Against the Death Penalty, Terzi, who chairs the European Policies Committee in Italy’s Senate and served as foreign minister from 2011 to 2013, warned that decades of disregarding the warnings of Iran’s organized resistance had helped create the conditions for the current crisis.
The conference brought together prominent political figures and legal experts to address executions in Iran, the need to hold the regime’s leaders accountable, and the referral of its crimes to the United Nations Security Council.
Terzi described Iran as a country where executions have reached alarming levels, with more than 1,000 people reportedly put to death in 2025—approximately twice the previous year’s total. He argued that the regime uses executions and the threat of state violence to intimidate society and preserve its grip on power.
The growing use of capital punishment, he stressed, must be understood as part of a broader system of repression rather than as a series of isolated judicial cases.
Human Rights Abuses and Regional Destabilization
Terzi also warned that the consequences of Iran’s regime extend beyond its borders. He pointed to Tehran’s support for armed proxy groups, its role in regional conflicts, and the threats surrounding the Strait of Hormuz as interconnected sources of international instability.
He argued that the international community can no longer treat domestic repression and the regime’s activities abroad as separate issues. In his assessment, the same policies that suppress the Iranian population also contribute to regional insecurity and threaten wider economic interests.
Terzi placed particular emphasis on the warnings issued over four decades by Iran’s organized resistance, led by Massoud and Maryam Rajavi. He said Western governments had repeatedly disregarded those warnings while pursuing engagement and concessions toward Tehran.
In his view, this approach had failed to curb the regime’s conduct and instead demonstrated the consequences of responding weakly to persistent human rights abuses and destabilizing activities.
Support for Iran’s Democratic Opposition
Terzi called for a fundamental change in Western policy, urging democratic governments to support the Iranian people’s struggle for freedom and justice.
A central element of his proposal was formal recognition of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), led by Maryam Rajavi, as a democratic opposition alternative to the ruling regime. He argued that democratic governments should engage with and support organized Iranian opposition forces rather than continue policies that, in his assessment, have failed to bring meaningful change.
He also highlighted the role of Iranian women and young people in the struggle for political freedom and social justice, describing them as central participants in the movement challenging the regime.
Terzi’s remarks placed the question of Iran’s political future alongside the urgent need to stop executions and establish accountability for human rights violations.
International Accountability for Iran’s Executions
The conference’s central message was that ending executions in Iran requires more than expressions of concern. It requires sustained international pressure and concrete measures to address the institutions and officials responsible for repression.
Terzi referred to Maryam Rajavi’s appeal to the UN secretary-general to take the initiative to halt executions in Iran. The broader call for accountability also included bringing the regime’s crimes before the UN Security Council.
His intervention underscored the argument that the international community should move beyond statements condemning individual abuses and confront the wider system of repression.
Terzi concluded by urging democratic countries to support the struggle for a free Iran and to recognize the country’s organized democratic opposition. His message was that continued appeasement had failed, and that defending human rights in Iran required a more determined international response.