International conference calls for democratic change in Iran

An international conference under the banner 'Onward to a Democratic Republic' was held on 17 May at the headquarters of the Iranian opposition coalition, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), near Paris. The event brought together a high-level British parliamentary delegation, European and international dignitaries, and representatives of the Iranian diaspora to express solidarity with the Iranian people’s democratic aspirations.

The highlight of the event was the presentation of a new parliamentary declaration by a cross-party UK delegation comprising Rt. Hon. David Jones MP, Bob Blackman MP, and Baroness O’Loan. The declaration was signed by over 500 members of both Houses of the British Parliament—an overwhelming majority—endorsing the democratic platform of the NCRI and its President-elect Maryam Rajavi (pictured).

The signatories reaffirmed their support for Mrs Rajavi’s 10-point plan for a secular and democratic republic in Iran, which advocates gender equality, the abolition of the death penalty, freedom of expression, and a non-nuclear Iran. The MPs strongly condemned the Iranian regime’s brutal human rights record, including the execution of more than 1,000 individuals in 2024 alone, and called for the designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation.

In their speeches, British lawmakers echoed the growing international consensus that appeasement towards a regime in crisis only emboldens its repression and undermines global security. They stressed the need to recognise the Iranian people’s right to resist tyranny and to support the organised opposition movement that is fighting for a democratic transition.

The conference also drew attention to the regime’s draconian “Hijab and Chastity Law”, the persecution of women activists, and the alarming increase in death sentences against political prisoners, particularly members of the PMOI (MEK). Speakers warned that failure to act now would risk emboldening Tehran’s internal crackdown and external aggression.

Delegates hailed the NCRI as a credible alternative rooted in democratic values, with a clear roadmap to end theocratic rule and establish a republic based on the will of the Iranian people. The message from Auvers-sur-Oise was clear: the time has come for the international community to stand with the Iranian people and their resistance for freedom and democracy.

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