ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - The European Parliament on Thursday adopted separate resolutions condemning both the Iranian regime’s violent crackdown on protesters and civil society and denouncing what it described as Turkey’s targeted expulsion of foreign journalists and Christians under “unsubstantiated national-security pretexts” and “without due process.”

Anti-government protests erupted in Iran at the tail-end of 2025, giving rise to an extensive government crackdown that has led to strong denunciations by international organizations and US President Donald Trump threatening military action under the guise of protecting demonstrators.

The members of the EU Parliament (MEPs) voted on a text on Iran that condemned violence “particularly targeting civil society actors, protesters, women, minorities, and communities” and called for the immediate release of women in detention, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi.

Iran has sentenced Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi to six years imprisonment for "collusion to commit crimes," her lawyer told AFP, adding that she is receiving an additional one-and-a-half-year prison sentence for "propaganda" activities.

The Nobel Committee on Wednesday urged Iran to free Mohammadi, saying it is "deeply appalled by credible reports detailing the brutal arrest, physical abuse, and ongoing life‑threatening mistreatment" of the laureate.

In a press release on the resolutions, the Parliament said it was concerned by reports estimating that the death toll from recent protests “may amount to approximately 35,000 victims” and warned that documented acts “meet the threshold for crimes against humanity.” 

The Iran resolution calls for the alleged atrocities to be independently documented by UN bodies and for evidence to be preserved for future prosecutions, with lawmakers urging accountability through international judicial mechanisms.

The Strasbourg-based legislative body also called for an immediate end to “all violence and repression against civilians,” including “arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, and torture,” and urged authorities to stop the “harassment and prosecution of doctors and healthcare workers who provide treatment to injured protestors.”

MEPs reaffirmed solidarity with the Iranian people and said they are the “sole legitimate source of sovereignty in Iran,” urging the European Commission to expand sanctions on Iran and noting that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which was recently designated by the EU as a terrorist organization, is playing a central role in the repression.

In a separate resolution on Turkey, the Parliament strongly condemned the targeted expulsion of foreign journalists and foreign Christians in Turkey, saying the actions have been carried out under national-security claims that are unsubstantiated and lack due process.

Citing “the lack of access to evidence and meaningful judicial review,” MEPs urged Turkish authorities to immediately end “judicial and administrative harassment of foreign journalists.” The text says Turkey must halt deportation and legal proceedings against Iranian independent journalist Kaveh Taheri and Swedish journalist Joakim Medin, as well as “other journalists targeted for carrying out their professional duties.”

The resolution also urges Turkey to “immediately cease the use of administrative security codes N-82 and G-87,” which the text says designate at least 300 foreign Christian people as national security threats.

The Parliament called for “individual reasoned decisions subject to independent judicial review” and said individuals who were arbitrarily expelled should be allowed to return.

Sharing the assessment of the Commission’s Turkey 2025 report that media freedom and pluralism remain “severely constrained,” MEPs said the Commission should raise the concerns systematically in its political dialogue with Turkey and consider targeted measures if the abuses persist.

The legislature noted that the Iran resolution passed with 524 votes in favor, 3 against, and 41 abstentions, while the Turkish counterpart passed with 502 votes in favor, 2 votes against, and 59 abstentions.