Swedish MEP, Charlie Weimers, and his party, the European Conservatives and Reformists Group, launched a Resolution on December 17, which asked the EU to set up an independent inquiry into allegations of violence and the use of lethal force during the November demonstrations in Iran.
The bill condemns Iran’s violent crackdown against demonstrators during the November Protests and asks the Iranian government to ensure that all detainees have proper legal representation and that officials respect Iranians’ right to freedom of expression and assembly. The Resolution also calls on the EU to set up an independent inquiry into the protests.
The bill was passed on December 19, and now awaits its first reading in the European Parliament.
The call comes after a similar Resolution in the U.S. was raised in Congress by lawmakers, sparking a growing movement around the world to hold the Iranian government to account for its behavior.
Weimers has been critical of the European Union’s responses to the Iranian government’s actions in Iran and abroad, including its muted reaction during the Iran Protests.
Mr. Weimers’ tweets about Iran have attracted international attention, in particular his demand that former Vice-President of the European Commission, Federica Mogherini should have removed her hijab during a meeting with Iranian officials, to show support for people inside Iran expressing anti-government sentiment.
In this interview with Kayhan Life, Mr. Weimers discusses the progress of the Resolution, the latest thinking in the EU around sanctioning Iran further and his thoughts on Hamid Nouri, the Iranian suspect held in Sweden on suspicion of sending hundreds to their deaths during Iran’s 1988 protests.
