The countries called on Iran to listen to its people, take meaningful steps toward ensuring respect for human rights, immediately end use of the death penalty and release those arbitrarily detained.
Twenty-six countries including France, the UK and Canada, along with the European Union’s top diplomat, have condemned Iran’s use of the death penalty against protesters, accusing authorities of using executions to suppress dissent.
In a joint statement issued on Wednesday, the countries said they “condemn in the strongest terms the ongoing executions of protesters and use of the death penalty” by Iran. They argued that capital punishment could not be justified when used to intimidate communities, silence opposition or punish people for exercising their fundamental rights.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot confirmed that the EU and the 26 countries had jointly denounced the executions.
The countries called on Tehran to respond to the demands of its people, take concrete measures to protect human rights, immediately halt executions and release people they said had been arbitrarily detained.
Iran accused of using executions against protesters
Public executions remain a feature of Iran’s criminal justice system and have frequently been used in cases involving political prisoners. Executions are generally carried out by hanging in public places, with cranes mounted on trucks often used as makeshift gallows.
The protests that prompted the crackdown began amid Iran’s worsening economic conditions before expanding into broader demands for the removal of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was later killed during the opening US-Israeli strikes.
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The crackdown that followed was described as the deadliest in the Islamic Republic’s 47-year history.
According to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), which tracks developments in Iran, more than 7,000 people were killed during the unrest, while the organisation is examining thousands of additional cases. It also reported that more than 50,000 people were arrested over a period of slightly more than six weeks.
Iranian authorities, however, have acknowledged a death toll of more than 3,000.
As the protests intensified, Iranian authorities indicated that protesters could face accelerated trials followed by executions.
The latest joint statement from European and other Western governments comes amid growing international concern over Iran’s treatment of protesters and its continued use of capital punishment.
With inputs from agencies