Dutch minister wants detail of Iran death sentence

AP: Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal called on Iran Wednesday to provide details of the case of a Dutch-Iranian woman whose daughter says she has been sentenced to death for drug smuggling.

The Associated Press

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) – Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal called on Iran Wednesday to provide details of the case of a Dutch-Iranian woman whose daughter says she has been sentenced to death for drug smuggling.

Rosenthal said in a statement he was “very concerned” about the fate of Sahra Bahrami after her daughter told a Dutch radio station Wednesday her mother was handed the death sentence.

Bahrami has been jailed in Iran since December 2009. Dutch diplomats have been denied access to her because Iran does not recognize her Dutch nationality.

Rosenthal said the Netherlands is calling for “information, the opportunity to provide consular assistance and a fair trial.”

Bahrami reportedly was arrested after taking part in anti-government demonstrations. She was born in Iran but gained Dutch citizenship after moving to the Netherlands.

In a telephone interview from Iran, Bahrami’s daughter Banafsheh Najebpour told Radio Netherlands Worldwide her mother was sentenced Sunday.

“I am devastated. What has my mother done wrong for heavens sake? I just don’t understand it,” the broadcaster quoted her as saying.

She said her mother also is facing trial and the possibility of another death sentence, likely within two months, for allegedly belonging to an armed opposition group.