On Tuesday, Mohammad Ghobadlou was executed by Iranian authorities after being arrested and sentenced to death in connection with the 2022 protests in Iran. The European Union strongly condemns this execution and calls once again on the Iranian authorities to immediately end the practice of imposing and carrying out death sentences against protesters.

The use of capital punishment as a response to domestic dissent is unacceptable. The increase in executions recorded last year in Iran and the current pace of executions are appalling.

The European Union urges the Iranian authorities to refrain from applying the death penalty and carrying out future executions, and calls on 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.

The EU urges the Iranian authorities to uphold their obligations under international law, including 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 death penalty at all times and in all circumstances. It represents an ultimate denial of human dignity, fails to act as a deterrent to crime and makes miscarriage of justice irreversible.