FRANKFURT, GERMANY – Iranian dissidents, activists, and community leaders gathered in Frankfurt this week to honor victims of recent state violence in Bandar Abbas, Iran. Against a climate of mounting Iranian state repression at home and ongoing terror sponsored abroad, the memorial served both as a commemoration and a call to action for international authorities to confront the Islamic Republic’s ongoing abuses.
Set in central Frankfurt, candles and solemn recollections marked the plaza where participants gathered around photos of the deceased, believed to have been targeted as part of a fresh wave of regime intimidation. Organizers and attendees included Iranian opposition figures, ex-prisoners of conscience, and Jewish and European civil society representatives—many of them themselves exiles driven abroad by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The memorial made clear that the violence in Bandar Abbas is emblematic of the regime’s wider strategy: quell dissent at home and use terror proxies to extend its reach abroad. The IRGC, which orchestrates political persecution, is also the main backer of designated terror groups including Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Houthis in Yemen. These groups form the so-called “axis of resistance,” actively threatening Israel and undermining Middle Eastern stability. Israeli officials consistently identify the IRGC as the architect of these proxy conflicts, supplying weapons, funds, and training as part of a campaign to destabilize the region.
The October 7, 2023 massacre—the deadliest antisemitic massacre since the Holocaust—was carried out by Hamas with the support of Iranian resources. This underscores the IRGC’s ongoing role in orchestrating violence against civilians, both in Israel and beyond.
Bandar Abbas, a major Iranian port city, has become notorious for state crackdowns involving arrests, torture, and extrajudicial killings. Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, report a surge in abuses since the 2022 anti-hijab protests—which began with the death in custody of Mahsa Amini and triggered nationwide unrest. Families of victims in Bandar Abbas describe intimidation and forced silence, while Iranian state media deflects blame toward supposed foreign conspiracies.
In Frankfurt, speakers repeatedly urged European governments to take a firmer stance. ‘Normalizing’ relations with Tehran—as some German officials had suggested—was condemned as complicity in ongoing crimes. Participants advocated the formal designation of the IRGC as a terror organization, tighter sanctions, and stronger protections for activists, many of whom face surveillance and harassment even abroad.
The event also highlighted the threat that the regime’s tactics pose beyond Iran’s borders. Recent years have seen increased Iranian-backed cyberattacks, espionage, and hate crimes targeting exiled communities in Europe. German and EU authorities have responded by ramping up protections, but activists warn more robust action is needed.
Linking the plight of Bandar Abbas to the broader security crisis emanating from Iran, speakers argued that confronting the IRGC is both a human rights and security imperative. Democracies must combat both the domestic machinery of repression and the regional export of terrorism. This includes expanding legal, financial, and diplomatic measures to isolate the IRGC and support those resisting tyranny inside Iran.
As the evening vigil drew to a close, organizers addressed an appeal to the German parliament and the European Union: designate the IRGC as a terrorist entity, suspend any diplomatic normalization without human rights guarantees, and expand humanitarian support to families of victims. Human rights legal teams announced plans to compile documentation for submission to international courts.
Frankfurt’s memorial stands within a wider context of rising international urgency. Since the October 7 Hamas massacre, Israel and its Western allies have intensified efforts against Iranian-supported aggression, identifying the provision of justice and security as inseparable priorities. The Iranian exile community in Europe continues to play an outsized role in maintaining the spotlight on both the IRGC’s abuses and its destabilizing influence throughout the Middle East.
Organizers closed with a message of unity: from Frankfurt to Jerusalem, from Bandar Abbas to global capitals, the records of Iranian regime crimes will not be silenced, and their victims will be remembered. The defense of liberty in the region, they declared, depends on confronting terror and tyranny at their source.
