In an open letter addressed to Italian authorities, families of Iranian victims of terrorism have condemned the Italian Parliament’s decision to honor a member of the anti-Iran terror group Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK).
The families described the decision as a “shameful act” that has caused profound pain to many Iranians, especially the families of the 23,000 victims of terrorism in Iran.
The protest follows the Italian Parliament’s decision to present the “Women of Courage Award 2025” to a member of the so-called Association of Iranian Youth in Italy, a group linked to the MEK terrorist organization. The award was handed over by the parliament’s vice president.
In their letter, the families expressed their deep disappointment and outrage at the decision. “This award was presented by the Vice President of the Italian Parliament to a member of a front organization affiliated with the MEK, known as the Association of Iranian Youth in Italy,” the letter stated. “In her acceptance speech, the recipient openly acknowledged her and her family’s membership in and political commitment to the MEK. She expressed support for the terrorist and destructive activities of the MEK’s so-called ‘Rebellious Units,’ whose mission involves sabotage and the use of homemade bombs targeting government and religious sites in Iran.”
The families highlighted the MEK’s long history of violence and terrorism, both within Iran and beyond. “The MEK is a terrorist organization that, over more than five decades of its existence, has massacred countless Iranian citizens through a range of brutal methods, including suicide bombings, explosive attacks, mortar fire, abductions, torture, and both targeted and indiscriminate assassinations,” the letter continued. “Thousands of Iran’s 23,000 victims of terrorism lost their lives to the atrocities committed by this group.”
The letter also pointed out the MEK’s involvement in the murder of American and Iraqi citizens and its mercenary service to Saddam Hussein from the 1980s until his downfall. “The group’s history is so steeped in darkness that, for years, it was listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and even the European Union,” the families wrote. “While regrettable political maneuvers by these nations eventually led to its removal from those lists, the Iranian people and the families of terror victims will never forget the bombings, assassinations, and murders committed by this group.”
The families called on the Italian Parliament to reconsider its support for the MEK and to adopt more just and humanitarian policies. “Instead of representing its own people and defending their rights, the Italian Parliament has, regrettably, chosen an unjust and inhumane path by supporting and rewarding a notorious terrorist group and its members,” the letter concluded. “It is highly unlikely that the Italian people and the voters who elected these representatives would condone such repulsive acts, which stem either from ignorance or from complete disregard for morality.”
The families of Iran’s terrorism victims urged the Italian Parliament and its representatives to cease their support for the MEK and to redirect their efforts toward serving their own citizens.
