Gérard Deprez MEP (ALDE Group), FOFI’s chairman, moderated the meeting. The chairman of the National Council of Resistance of Iran’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Mohammad Mohaddessin, was the guest speaker. Several members of the European Parliament took part in the discussions.

When the UN General Assembly meeting is held in New York next week, the MEPs called for an investigation committee into the massacre, and the UN Security Council is requested to refer this case to the International Criminal Court so that perpetrators of this crime can be brought to justice, per the recent report by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Iran, in which Article 7 points to the 1988 massacre in Iran.

The silence of the international community over this crime sends the Iranian regime a message of weakness, and encourages further human rights violations. In fact, 101 prisoners were executed this past July.

During his opening remarks at the September 11th, UN Human Rights Council, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said, “Since the beginning of the year at least four children have been put to death, and at least 89 other children remain on death row.”

In her 10-point platform of opposition, Maryam Rajavi calls for democracy, secularism, respect for human rights, abolition of the death penalty in Iran, and peace and tranquility in the region. Parliamentarians have endorsed this plan.

Although Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is said to be a ‘moderate’, and ran on a platform promising human rights reforms, during his first term, more than 3,000 people were executed, making Iran the number state-executioner in the world per capita.

In her report, The UN Special Rapporteur on Iran wrote this: “Between July and August 1988, thousands of political prisoners, men, women and teen-agers, were reportedly executed pursuant to a fatwa issued by the then Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khomeini…”

Additionally, the report reveals evidence that, “the names of the officials who had carried out and defended the executions, including the current Minister of Justice, a current high court judge, and the head of one of the largest religious foundations in the country and candidate in the May presidential elections.”

It adds, “Recently, these killings have been acknowledged by some at the highest levels of the State. The families of the victims have a right to know the truth about these events and the fate of their loved ones without risking reprisal. They have the right to a remedy, which includes the right to an effective investigation of the facts and public disclosure of the truth; and the right to reparation. The Special Rapporteur therefore calls on the Government to ensure that a thorough and independent investigation into these events is carried out.”

Regarding Mrs Mogherini’s silence about the 1988 massacre and her general silence about repression of women, and other human rights violations in Iran, the MEPS said, “This silence by our EU High Representative only encourages the mullahs to continue their crimes in Iran. This is very bad for the reputation of Europe.

“We in the European Parliament, who are elected representatives of the people of Europe, we must defend European values which are democracy, human rights, women rights, separation of religion and state.”

Further, European governments and the EU were urged to condition relations with Islamic Republic of Iran to a suspension of executions and a clear progress on human rights.