Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
There are credible reports that minor Hamid Reza Azadi and protester Milad Zahrvand were executed in Iran on November 24 and 23, respectively. According to what was stated in a statement issued by European Union spokesman Peter Stano on Friday, and the European foreign policy spokesman added through the statement, “The current pace of executions in Iran, which have reached at least 600 people since January, is appalling. The European Union reiterates its opposition.” The strict and principled use of the death penalty at all times and in all circumstances. The death penalty is a cruel and inhuman punishment, does not constitute a deterrent to crime, and represents an unacceptable denial of human dignity and integrity. It is a specific punishment that makes possible miscarriages of justice irreversible.
In addition, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Conventions on the Rights of the Child, to which Iran is a party, absolutely prohibit the imposition of the death penalty for crimes committed by persons under 18 years of age.
The European Union calls once again on Iran to refrain from carrying out any future executions and to pursue a consistent policy towards abolishing the death penalty in line with the global trend.