Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
The European Union has condemned in the strongest terms the execution of the Iranian-British national Alireza Akbari in Iran and reiterated its firm opposition to the application of the death penalty under any circumstances.
According to a statement issued Sunday in Brussels by the Office of the Coordinator for European Foreign Policy.
The European Union offers its condolences to Mr. Akbari's family and expresses its full solidarity with the United Kingdom. The execution of a European citizen is a shocking precedent that the European Union will be watching closely.
The death penalty violates the inalienable right to life enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and is a cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment.
The European Union calls on Iran to refrain from any future executions and to pursue a consistent policy towards the abolition of the death penalty.