AFP – The United States on Monday voiced renewed concerns about the “large” number of executions in Iran, the day after a political prisoner was hanged despite international concern.
Gholamreza Khosravi Savadjani was executed after being convicted of “waging war against God” by helping the People’s Mujahedeen Organisation of Iran (PMOI), Iranian state media reported.
But the exiled Iranian opposition said he had been jailed just for being a member of the PMOI, and Amnesty International condemned his 2010 trial as unfair.
“We continue to be concerned about the large number of Iranians executed following trials involving serious violations of due process,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.
“Even as we test the potential for a diplomatic resolution to the nuclear issue, our support for the fundamental freedoms and rights of all Iranians will continue,” she insisted.
Progress in Iran’s respect for human rights would be “a key test in Iran’s reintegration with the international community,” Psaki added.
