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Statement of #FriendsOfAFreeIran in the European Parliament

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On 6 August, the clerical regime Iran hanged Mostafa Salehi, one of the prisoners of the Dec 2017-January 2018 uprising, in Dastgerd prison in Isfahan. Salehi, 30, was arrested in Kahrizsang, Isfahan, and sentenced to death during a sham trial for “leading the Kahrizsang riots in Najafabad”.

Friends of a Free Iran (FoFI), issued an urgent statement in this regard. The statement condemned the execution and called on the EU to take action in this regard.

“We urge the European Union High Representative Joseph Borrell to strongly condemn the execution of Mostafa Salehi and call on Iran regime to respect the rights of citizens to freedom of expression and freedom of association and to release all detainees. Therefore, we request a fact-finding mission to visit prisons in Iran and a report on the conditions of detainees before more protesters are being hanged.”

The full text of the statement

On Wednesday, 5 August 2020, the Iranian government hanged Mostafa Salehi in Dastgerd prison in Isfahan. Salehi, aged 30, was one of the prisoners arrested in Kahrizsang, Isfahan following the Dec 2017-January 2018 uprising. He was arrested and sentenced to death for “leading the Kahrizsang riots in Najafabad”.

Now, protesters arrested in the uprisings from December 2017-January 2018 and from November-December 2019 are being sentenced to death, with the execution of Mostafa Salehi being the first of such inhuman measures.

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In light of these events, we would like to draw your attention to the ongoing human rights violations in Iran, particularly the execution of a protester. We are gravely concerned over the ill-treatment and torture of those who have been arrested joining the anti-regime protests and the death sentences issued upon them.

We strongly condemn death sentences against Iranian citizens for taking part in protests and urge for the immediate and unconditional release of these prisoners and an immediate halt to these hangings.

We urge the European Union High Representative Mr. Joseph Borrell to strongly condemn the execution of Mostafa Salehi and call on Iran regime to respect the rights of citizens to freedom of expression and freedom of association and to release all detainees. Therefore, we request a fact-finding mission to visit prisons in Iran and a report on the conditions of detainees before more protesters are being hanged.

Silence and inaction are counterproductive and could be misconstrued by Iran regime as a green light from the European Union to Tehran to continue with human rights abuses. We reiterate our stated position that EU relations with Iran have to be conditioned by halting executions and by clear progress on the respect of human rights.
Sincerely,

Milan Zver
Co-Chair, Friends of a Free Iran (FoFI)

Friends of a Free Iran (FoFI) is an informal intergroup in the European Parliament which was formed in 2003 and enjoys the active support of many MEPs from various political groups.

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