In a statement released by the council’s Austrian Presidency, the 25-nation block expressed its serious concern at the situation of human rights in Iran and the increasing rate of executions.
The European Union also expresses its serious concern about the general increase in executions in Iran. This trend is confirmed by the 10 executions carried out recently in the prison of Evin, the statement said.
It highlighted the case of human rights activist Abdolfattah Soltani, calling on Iranian authorities to respect Soltani’s right to a fair and public hearing. The EU also regrets that Abdolfattah Soltani has been disbarred from holding his elected position in the Iranian Bar Association, it said.
The EU calls upon Iran to stop penalising individuals for contacts with embassies, the statement added.
Several other European states that are not part of the EU block aligned themselves with the declaration.
