The closure of embassies in Tehran is a step in the right direction, but this is not the first time that the Islamic regime in Iran has shown their contempt for international agreements; the execution of a Dutch citizen, Zahra Kazemi, in 2011 is still fresh in everyone’s mind. This regime, in the past 32 years of its imposed existence, has continuously committed this kind of crimes, has violated the fundamental rights of the people in Iran, and has ferociously crushed any sign of dissent or demand for change of government in Iran.

A closure of the Islamic regime’s embassy in London is a positive act, but I wish I could have also witness the same level of actions in response to the imprisonment, torture, and execution of thousands of political prisoners in Iran. I have held meetings with the representative of European Parliament and have forwarded many correspondences to them, and to the European governments explaining the specific situation of political prisoners in Iran. I have presented prisoners’ cases to the EU officials in order to illustrate the level of aggression committed by the Islamic regime, and in doing so, I was hoping to see a strong reaction by the EU governments and the UK government, but taking effective action is yet to come.

I would like to draw your attention to a few facts in regards to the situation of Iran:

· The regime in Iran has been executing thousands of women and men. Young boys and girls have been arrested, kidnapped, tortured, raped and executed. In the summer of 1988 in only a few weeks more that 5000 political prisoners were executed. See report.

· The 1988 massacre is only one item on the long list of regime’s atrocities in Iran. Thousands of political prisoners including students, labour activists, women’s right activist, and even children as young as 13 are still in prison, and as I am writing this letter, they are being tortured and many of them are awaiting their executions.

· Iran is one of the only countries that still impose the death penalty on juvenile offenders, tens of them have been executed, and many are waiting.

· According to the Amnesty International 86 people were exceed in January 2011 alone.

· Homosexuality is a crime punishable by imprisonment, hanging and stoning to dead. Tens of them have already been hanged or stoned to dead

· Women have no rights under the Sharia law of the Islamic regime, and thousands of them have been arrested, imprisoned and tortured simply for not obeying the Islamic dress code.

· Stoning(a method of execution in which stones or rocks are thrown at the person they wish to execute) is an official punishment under the Islamic regime and tens of men and women were stoned to dead several still awaiting stoning

I urged the governments of European counties to include the serious violation of human rights’ in Iran on their agenda, and discuss and raise this issue with their counterparts in other countries in an effort to mobilize a unified action. The only solution to hold the Islamic regime accountable for its aggressive and organised attacks on the innocent people in Iran is by expelling the Islamic regime’s diplomats, condemning the tortures and executions, and demanding the release of all political prisoners in Iran. The same unified efforts, by the international community to condemn the attack on the British embassy in Tehran, are needed to save the lives of thousands of political prisoners in Iran.

Shiva Mahbobi

Spokesperson

Campaign to Free Political Prisoners in Iran (CFPPI