Today, 23-year old Mohsen Shekari was executed after being arrested and sentenced to death in connection with the ongoing protests in Iran. The European Union condemns his execution in the strongest possible terms. 

The EU urges the Iranian authorities to refrain from applying the death penalty and carrying out any future executions, and to pursue a consistent policy towards the abolition of the death penalty altogether.

We call on the Iranian authorities to refrain from the unacceptable practice of using forced and publicised confessions as a basis for ascertaining the facts of alleged crimes. It is 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.

The EU appeals to Iran to strictly abide by their obligations enshrined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is a party. Fundamental rights, including the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, must be respected in all circumstances. 

The EU reiterates its firm and principled opposition to the use of capital punishment at all times and in all circumstances. The death penalty is a cruel and inhumane punishment, which fails to act as a deterrent to crime and represents an unacceptable denial of human dignity and integrity. Furthermore, it is a definite punishment that makes possible miscarriages of justice irreversible.