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Thank you, President,

The European Union has a strong, unequivocal and longstanding opposition to the death penalty at all times, and in all circumstances. The EU always raises human rights issues and human rights cases in its official interactions with Iran, including by raising specific cases. Death penalty is an ultimate denial of human dignity, which fails to act as a deterrent to crime and makes miscarriage of justice irreversible. 

We do not shy away, as I said, from expressing our condemnation and our position publicly and in private, in any country where the death penalty is used.  

This includes the widespread use of the death penalty in Iran, which we regularly address in our direct exchanges with the Iranian authorities, as part of the EU’s comprehensive policy approach towards the country.  

The EU has publicly condemned Iran’s recent execution of Mohammad Ghobadlou, after being arrested and sentenced to death in connection with the 2022 protests in Iran.  

This latest execution is part of an alarming trend in Iran, with more than 750 (seven hundred and fifty) executions in 2023, representing a sharp increase from previous years and including, in particular, individuals from ethnic minorities. 

The use of the death penalty as a tool of repression against protestors is yet another reminder of the deterioration of human rights in Iran. Fundamental rights such as freedom of opinion and expression must always be respected.  

Both privately and publicly, we continue to urge Iran to uphold its international obligations under international law, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Iran must guarantee the full range of fundamental rights for their citizens irrespective of religion, belief or any other status.  

In line with its firmly established stance in multilateral fora, including the UN, the EU will spare no effort to urge Iran to pursue a consistent policy towards the abolition of the death penalty altogether.  

It is also imperative for the Iranian authorities to uphold the accused individuals’ due process rights, and ensure that those who are under any form of detention or imprisonment are not subject to any form of mistreatment.  

I thank you. 

Link to the video (starting at 27:45): https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/video/I-252507