The Foreign Affairs Committee of the United Kingdom’s House of Commons in a new report urged the British government to designate the Iranian regime’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) as a terrorist organization. It is high time for the UK government to proscribe the IRGC as terrorists, which is the demand of the Iranian people and their Resistance.
“We recommend proscribing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in its entirety for its clear and enduring support for terrorists and non-state actors working to undermine stability in the region,” read the report.
“Numerous witnesses described the human rights violations perpetrated by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), both against the Iranian people and as exporters of terrorism regionally and internationally,” the report added, referring to the IRGC’s human rights violations.
During the November 2019 uprising, the IRGC forced killed at least 1500 protesters. Many more protesters were arrested and are under torture.
The United States previously designated the IRGC in its entirety as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in 2019. While referring to this fact, the UK Foreign Affairs Committee urged the UK government to take the same action.
“We are satisfied that the actions of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp meet the criteria for proscription in the Terrorism Act 2000 and see proscription as a logical extension of the existing restrictions placed on members of the IRGC by the EU’s sanctions regime. The IRGC’s philosophy and malign actions within Iran and across the region run counter to the interests of the UK and those of the Iranian people,” the Foreign Affairs Committee added.
Previously, 37 Members of Parliament, in an Early Day Motion, urged the UK government to proscribe the IRGC as a terrorist entity, for its terrorist activities in the Middle East and abroad, and violating Iranian people’s human rights.
EDM 2333, tabled on April 29, 2019, states: “That this House strongly condemns suppression of the Iranian people by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its fostering of terrorism in the region; notes the US Authorities’ decision to designate the IRGC as a foreign terrorist organisation; agrees that the Iran regime is the greatest threat not only to the Iranian people but also to the stability in the region and peace in the world; warns of the IRGC’s prominent role in exporting and supporting terrorism in the Middle East and across the world through its extraterritorial force, Qods Force, and in the internal repression of the Iranian people; is concerned about IRGC’s control over Iran’s economy to the detriment of the Iranian people; highlights the direct role of IRGC’s Qods Force in the killing of over 150 British soldiers in Iraq; further notes IRGC’s role in assassinating Iranian dissidents abroad, including members of lran’s main opposition, the People’s Mujahiddin of Iran and the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), especially the bomb plot against the grand gathering of NCRI in Paris in June 2018; notes that IRGC’s Qods Force is already proscribed as a terrorist organisation; agrees with the NCRI President-elect, Maryam Rajavi, that restricting the IRGC’s resources and funds are in the interest of the Iranian people as well as regional peace and security; believes that the long-term interests of UK and the Iranian people converges with regards to countering and limiting the IRGC’s unacceptable behaviour; and calls on the Government to proscribe the IRGC and Iran’s Intelligence Ministry as foreign terrorist organisations in their entirety.”
In a special report on November 11, 2020, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) revealed details of the IRGC, its organization and its devastating role in Iran and the region.
“Since its creation, the IRGC has been actively engaged both in oppressing dissidents inside Iran and spreading terrorism abroad. The IRGC funds and supports terrorist groups such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Palestine,” read the report.
NCRI’s report underlined that the “IRGC’s priority is to oppress any voice of dissent inside the country and protect the regime from downfall in the face of people’s uprisings. During the nationwide Iran protests in November 2019, the IRGC forces, at the direct order of the regime’s current Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, killed over 1,500 protesters.”
The full text of this report could be found here.
In a statement, Ms. Dowlat Nowrouzi, UK representative of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) welcomed the recommendation of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee to proscribe the IRGC in its entirety.
“Proscribing the IRGC is long overdue and will send the right message to the Iranian regime to stop its terrorism on European soil. A two and a half years long judicial investigation in Belgium discovered ample evidence of the role of the Iranian regime and one of its diplomat trying to blow up the Free Iran gathering in Paris in June 2018. Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs under Javad Zarif through its diplomat was directly involved in facilitating this foiled plot. Had they succeeded hundreds would have been killed and many more wounded,” she added.
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I welcome the recommendation of @CommonsForeign to proscribe the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.https://t.co/Yf2xrnkjSnProscribing the #IRGC is long overdue. It will send the right message to the Mullah’s Regime to stop its terrorism on European soil.#BlacklistIRGC pic.twitter.com/5EvMLVO8Yj
— Dowlat Nowrouzi (@DowlatNowrouzi) December 16, 2020
