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Sen. Giulio Terzi (below right), Sen. Marco Scurria (above right), Sen. Raffaele Speranzon (below left), Sen. Cinzia Pellegrino (below center), MP Naike Gruppioni and MP Emanuele Pozzolo (above left)
The Italian Committee of Parliamentarians for a Free Iran, composed of senators and members of parliament from various political parties in the Italian legislative branch, has strongly condemned the recent defamatory campaign targeting Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), as reported in French media. In a statement issued on March 21, 2025, the committee denounced the smear as part of a broader strategy by the Iranian regime’s Ministry of Intelligence to silence opposition voices abroad.
The lawmakers expressed concern over the suspicious timing of the attack, which preceded the release of French hostage Olivier Grondeau, and warned against the dangerous precedent of trading political concessions for hostages. They reaffirmed full solidarity with Mrs. Rajavi and reiterated their support for her Ten-Point Plan for a democratic Iran based on freedom, gender equality, human rights, and secular governance.
A translated version of the full statement follows below.
Joint Statement by Members of the Italian Parliament Following the Release of a French Hostage by Iran
Rome – March 21, 2025
The Inter-Parliamentary Committee for a Free Iran, which brings together Senators and Members of Parliament from nearly all political forces in the Italian Parliament, strongly condemns the smear campaign recently launched in the French press against Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI).
“We express our indignation at the repeated disinformation and hatred campaign targeting the Iranian Resistance, which has seen yet another defamatory episode in recent days.
On March 18, the satirical weekly Le Canard Enchaîné published a report containing a series of accusations against Maryam Rajavi—accusations that were already proven unfounded more than ten years ago.
This is a modus operandi reflecting a deliberate strategy orchestrated by the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence—which, let us recall, has been under European Union sanctions since 2019—to discredit dissenting voices beyond Iran’s borders.
What heightens our concern is the suspicious timing of the publication, which came just days before the release of French hostage Olivier Grondeau.
We welcome his release and join other parliaments across Europe in expressing outrage over yet another incident of the brutal ‘hostage diplomacy’ that was also denounced by the European Parliament this past January.
One case among many is that of Assadollah Assadi, an Iranian diplomat convicted of terrorism by the Antwerp court for orchestrating a 2018 plot against the Iranian Resistance’s rally, attended by tens of thousands of people. He was later released in a prisoner swap involving Western hostages and received in Iran with the honors of a national hero.
We renew our full solidarity with Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the NCRI, and will continue to support her ‘Ten-Point Plan for the Future of Iran,’ which is based on the principles of freedom, democracy, universal human rights, gender equality, and the separation of religion and state. This plan is a foundation for the values and credibility of the Iranian Resistance movement.”
Signed by:
Sen. Giulio Terzi (President)
Sen. Marco Scurria
Sen. Raffaele Speranzon
Sen. Cinzia Pellegrino
MP Naike Gruppioni
MP Emanuele Pozzolo