NewsEuropeThe European Union condemns the execution of a protester in Iran and reiterates its opposition to the death penalty

The European Union condemns the execution of a protester in Iran and reiterates its opposition to the death penalty

File – Protesters gather at a rally in solidarity with Iran protesters in Melbourne, Australia – AAPIMAGE / DPA – Archive

The European Union has condemned this Thursday the execution of a 23-year-old man in Iran after being convicted in connection with the protests that have been taking place in the country since the death in police custody of the young Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini.

The EU diplomatic office has urged the Iranian authorities to refrain from applying the death penalty, while reiterating its opposition to this measure, calling for a “coherent policy towards total abolition”.

“The EU calls on Iran to strictly comply with its obligations enshrined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is a party. Fundamental rights, including the rights to freedom of expression and of peaceful assembly, must be respected in all circumstances”, reads a statement from the European External Action Service.

Thus, the European institutions have criticized the use of the death penalty by the Government of Tehran, as well as the use of forced confessions “as a basis to determine the facts of the alleged crimes.

“It is imperative that the Iranian authorities respect the right to due process of accused persons and ensure that persons under any form of detention or imprisonment are not subjected to any form of ill-treatment,” the letter continued.

The EU’s main spokesman for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Pedro Stano, has stated that the death penalty does not act as a deterrent to crime. “It is a definitive punishment that makes possible judicial errors irreversible”, he has asserted after pointing out that it is “cruel and inhumane” and represents “an unacceptable denial of human dignity and integrity.

The United Nations and the French government have been among the first to react to the execution, condemning it “strongly” and warning of fears about the fate of other protesters sentenced to death in Iran.

Iran announced Thursday morning that it had executed the first prisoner officially convicted of an alleged crime stemming from the protests.

The prisoner, identified by the United Nations as Mohsen Shekari, was convicted of “intentionally” wounding a security guard with a long knife and blocking a street in the capital, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.

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