At a conference held on May 21, 2026 at La Stampa Hall at the Italian Chamber of Deputies , Italian lawmakers and human rights advocates warned over rising executions in Iran and called for stronger international action. Mrs. Maryam Rajavi delivered the keynote address online, while speakers included Senator Giulio Terzi, chair of the Italian Senate’s European Policies Committee and former foreign minister; MP Naike Gruppioni; Antonio Stango, president of the Italian Federation for Human Rights; and a message from Senator Marco Scurria.
Delivering the keynote speech, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi said Iran and the wider region had reached a dangerous turning point and urged European governments to change course.
“The European Union must break its silence regarding the tragedy of political executions. This ongoing silence grants the regime a free hand to perpetuate its atrocities.”
Conference at the Italian Parliament: Support human rights and condemn executions in Iran
— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) May 21, 2026
The Iranian people are moving toward establishing a society free from all forms of tyranny.#StopExecutionsInIranhttps://t.co/OeYM4c6hnk pic.twitter.com/O6a1sGaQuB
Mrs. Rajavi added:
“Peace and freedom in Iran are two sides of the same coin. If the European Union is truly serious in its calls for peace, it must simultaneously recognize the right of the Iranian people and their resistance to overthrow this regime.”
She concluded by saying:
“The people of Iran are closer than ever to transforming their own destiny, and they expect defenders of freedom and human rights around the world… to stand beside them.”
Naike Gruppioni focused her remarks on political executions and repression inside Iran, saying:
“Freedom is never guaranteed. Its importance is truly understood only when it is denied, repressed and suffocated.”
Italian MP @naike_gruppioni: “The Iranian people have rejected both dictatorships and want a democratic republic.”
— SIMAY AZADI TV (@en_simayazadi) May 23, 2026
During a conference at Italy’s Chamber of Deputies, MP Gruppioni stressed: “We cannot limit ourselves to routine declarations. The Iranian issue does not only… https://t.co/tf1qefrR0z pic.twitter.com/VXLcamDyAh
Referring to Iran’s prisons, she said:
“Men and women are arrested, tortured and sentenced to death for their ideas, for having demanded rights, dignity and democracy.”
Gruppioni pointed to what she described as a dramatic escalation in political executions and referenced Vahid Baniamerian, quoting his reported final message:
“Even if you kill us, we will multiply.”
She added:
“You can hide bodies, censor the news and fill prisons, but you cannot extinguish a people’s desire for freedom.”
Giulio Terzi said any long-term solution for Iran must come from the Iranian people themselves rather than temporary political arrangements.
“The problem can only be solved by Mrs. Rajavi, her great organization, and the Iranian people—without new false alternatives.”
Terzi paid tribute to political prisoners executed in Iran and referred to PMOI members who publicly expressed support for the resistance while on death row.
He also cited execution figures, stating:
“There were 2,159 death sentences in 2025… and around 700 executions in 2026.”
Calling the situation a test of democratic values, Terzi said:
“At the heart of all this is freedom… the struggle for human rights, human dignity, equality between men and women.”
Antonio Stango argued that sustainable peace in the region requires an end to Tehran’s current system of governance.
“There is only one possible solution for Middle Eastern conflicts: zero ayatollah regime.”
Stango added:
“It is unfortunately not possible to reach compromises with those who have administered death from Tehran for 47 years.”
In a written message read at the conference, Marco Scurria condemned executions and repression, saying:
“One cannot remain silent in the face of repression and killings affecting men, women and even children.”
He added:
“The wind of freedom cannot be stopped… no repressive apparatus, however powerful, can erase a people’s deep desire to live free.”
The conference comes amid growing international concern over executions in Iran. Earlier this month, more than 300 global legal experts, former UN officials, judges and Nobel laureates warned that executions in Iran had reached levels “not seen in nearly four decades.”