The EU is appalled by the execution of Mohammad Mehdi Karami and Seyyed Mohammad Hosseini arrested and sentenced to death in connection with the ongoing protests in Iran. 

This is yet another sign of the Iranian authorities’ violent repression of civilian demonstrations.

The European Union calls once again on the Iranian authorities to immediately end the strongly condemnable practice of imposing and carrying out death sentences against protesters. The EU  also calls on the authorities to annul without delay the recent death penalty sentences that were already pronounced in the context of the ongoing protests and to provide due process to all detainees. They must ensure that those who are under any form of detention or imprisonment are not subject to any form of mistreatment.

The EU appeals to Iran to strictly abide by their obligations enshrined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is a party. Fundamental rights, including the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, must be respected in all circumstances. 

The EU reiterates its firm and principled opposition to the use of capital punishment at all times and in all circumstances. The death penalty is a cruel and inhumane punishment, which fails to act as a deterrent to crime and represents an unacceptable denial of human dignity and integrity. Furthermore, it is a definite punishment that makes possible miscarriages of justice irreversible.