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The Iranian Democratic Diaspora Network in Ireland (IDDNI) strongly condemns the Irish Government’s decision to proceed with the accreditation of the Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran on 21 May 2026.
Earlier this year, on 13 January 2026, the Department of Foreign Affairs postponed the same ceremony because of the “very significant number of Iranians killed or injured and a communications blackout” following the regime’s brutal crackdown on protests in Iran. At the time, many Iranians in Ireland welcomed this decision as a recognition that normal diplomatic symbolism could not continue amid mass repression.
The question now is: what has changed?
Since January, the human rights situation in Iran has not improved; it has deteriorated further. Executions continue at an alarming rate, including against political prisoners and protesters. Human rights organizations and international bodies, including Amnesty International and the United Nations, have repeatedly warned about arbitrary executions, torture, and systematic repression in Iran.
During the nationwide uprising of 8 and 9 January 2026 alone, according to numerous reports, security forces killed tens of thousands of Iranians and arrested tens of thousands more. Across multiple uprisings in recent years, Iranians have repeatedly risked and lost their lives to make clear that they no longer want this regime.
At the same time, the Islamic Republic has continued to act as a destabilizing force internationally. In recent months, the regime and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have further expanded tensions and insecurity in the region, including around the Strait of Hormuz, threatening international maritime security and global stability. Given both the domestic repression and the regime’s broader regional conduct, it is difficult to understand why Western governments are once again moving toward appeasement and normalization.
Against this backdrop, the accreditation ceremony sends a deeply troubling symbolic message to Iranians both inside Iran and across the diaspora, especially in Ireland. Diplomatic engagement may at times be presented as a necessity of international relations, but celebratory public symbolism is not.
IDDNI was particularly disturbed by the image of President Catherine Connolly smiling warmly alongside the representative of a regime responsible for severe and ongoing human rights abuses. At a moment when many Iranians are mourning executions, repression, and imprisonment of loved ones, such imagery was painful and unnecessary. This is especially contradictory given President Connolly’s strong and vocal public positioning on international human rights issues.
We are concerned that this reflects a broader international pattern. From renewed diplomatic engagement to discussions of political and economic deals, Western governments once again appear willing to normalize relations with a regime that lacks legitimacy among its own people. This same strategy of accommodation and appeasement has failed for decades.
IDDNI calls on Irish political representatives, civil society organizations, media, and the broader public to take a clear stance on human rights and democratic values in relation to Iran. In democratic countries, public opinion matters. If there is a moment for Irish allies to stand with the Iranian people, it is now.
We invite members of the public to join our peaceful protest outside the Dáil on Thursday at 2:00 p.m. We also encourage people to contact their elected representatives and express their opposition to the normalization of relations with a regime that continues to violently repress its own population.