DPA: European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton on Saturday expressed concern over the situation in Iran one year after the Islamic republic’s disputed presidential election.
Deutsche Presse-Agentur
Brussels – European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton on Saturday expressed concern over the situation in Iran one year after the Islamic republic’s disputed presidential election.
‘Since the Presidential elections of June 2009, the human rights situation in Iran has gravely deteriorated,’ Ashton was quoted as saying in a statement released in Brussels.
‘We note the ongoing climate of fear in Iran, arising from the continued intimidation of journalists, human rights defenders, students and all those who try to speak up in defence of their legitimate rights.’
Ashton called on the Iranian government to respect freedom of expression, allow citizens access to information and to provide fair trials for detainees.
The top EU diplomat also offered reassurance that ‘the people of Iran that they have not been forgotten.’
Iranian President Mahmoud was re-elected in the June 12, 2009 vote in which he faced three other presidential candidates. The opposition has accused his government of electoral fraud.
