Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
  In a speech before the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, on behalf of Josep Borrell, European Foreign Policy Coordinator, Helena Daly, Commissioner for Equality, spoke and said:
The unrest in the country following the death of Mahsa Amini has abated dramatically. But the root causes of social unrest remain and are not being dealt with seriously by the Iranian authorities.
There is grave concern about speedy trials and harsh punishments, including death sentences, imposed on protesters. The death penalty is an unacceptable denial of human dignity and integrity, and the European Union aims to abolish it globally.
The European Union and its member states were quick to condemn and respond to the Iranian authorities' handling of the protests and continue to respond to any issue of concern to Iran. Human rights and fundamental freedoms must be respected in all circumstances.
The European Union is closely monitoring the ongoing amnesty for Iranian convicts and detainees, including those unjustly detained in the context of the protests. We expect Iran to make good use of this opportunity.
Iran has been on the agenda of the Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) for the past six months: 5 packages of targeted restrictive measures have been adopted so far. This approach will continue as long as necessary in line with the Council's conclusions adopted in December, which set out the EU's policy approach to Iran.
The poisoning of Iranian students across the country, mostly female students, including schoolchildren, is another cause for concern. We express our solidarity with the student victims of poisoning and their families. Many aspects still need to be clarified, including who is behind this new series of attacks and what was the motive. We have been following reports of arrests in recent days and expect Iran to conduct a proper and transparent investigation and hold the perpetrators to account, with full respect for the due process rights of the accused individuals.
In line with the Council's conclusions endorsed by all Member States, keeping channels of communication open with Iran remains critical in order to address as appropriate the multiple challenges posed by Iran, ranging from human rights to the nuclear dimension and the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, to unacceptable military cooperation with Russia.

The High Representative [Josep Borrell] and the EU Foreign Ministers will continue to take stock at the next Foreign Affairs Council, and I can assure you that they will continue to have zero tolerance for abuses and especially violations of human rights.