The European Union said it was «horrified» after learning of the executions on Saturday of Iranian protesters Mohamed Mehdi Karami and Mohamed Hoseini, convicted of the death of a security guard during one of several nationwide protests against the death in custody of young Mahsa Amini.
«The EU reiterates its firm and principled opposition to the use of capital punishment at all times and in all circumstances; a cruel and inhuman punishment, which does not act as a deterrent to crime and represents an unacceptable denial of human dignity and integrity,» he laments.
«Moreover, it is a definitive punishment that renders possible miscarriages of justice irreversible,» added Brussels, which has also denounced the executions as «another indication of the violent repression by the Iranian authorities,» the European Union has made known through its external service.
Brussels once again calls on the authorities to put an end to this «deeply reprehensible practice» and asks them to suspend the possibility of the death sentence to which more than a hundred detainees risk being sentenced, according to local NGOs.
Finally, the EU calls on Iran to comply strictly with its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is a party.
«Fundamental rights, including the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, must be respected in all circumstances,» Brussels concludes.
Also German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has commented on the execution of the two Iranians and called for more EU pressure on Tehran. The two prisoners were executed «because they did not want to submit to the brutal and inhumane actions» of the Iranian regime.
«The terrible fate (of the two prisoners) encourages us to continue to increase pressure on Tehran with the EU,» Baerbock added on Twitter.
With these executions there are now four protesters executed since the outbreak of protests over the death of the young Iranian Kurdish woman, which have shaken the country as not seen in decades and have already left more than 470 dead, according to local NGOs.
The Iranian authorities, while acknowledging occasional excessive use of force on some occasions, have claimed that these protests have been fueled by «troublemakers» and foreign powers.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
