A public exchange of accusations broke out between French and Iranian foreign ministers following the publication on Wednesday of a joint statement, signed by more than 30 countries and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, condemning Iran's use of the death penalty against protesters.
France and Iran trade accusations after 32-country statement condemning Iranian executions
A public exchange of accusations broke out between French and Iranian foreign ministers following the publication on Wednesday of a joint statement, signed by more than 30 countries and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, condemning Iran's use of the death penalty against protesters.
The statement was initially signed by 26 countries and Kallas, according to the French Foreign Ministry, which said additional signatories later brought the total to 32, including France, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, and Italy. The signatories condemned Iran's use of the death penalty against protesters 'in the strongest possible terms,' saying the Islamic Republic was executing protesters in an attempt to 'silence dissent.' They called on Tehran to immediately end the executions and release those detained.
The latest wave of arrests and judicial sentences dates to late December of last year, when protests initially focused on economic hardship, inflation, and the cost of living developed into wider anti-government demonstrations. Iranian officials reported that more than 3,000 people were killed during that period and attributed the violence to 'terrorist actions' organised by the United States and Israel; rights groups outside Iran reported higher casualty figures and said security forces opened fire on protesters.
A joint US-Israeli attack on Iran on 28 February, which the source describes as marking the beginning of a new Middle East war, further intensified the security crackdown, according to observers cited in the article, with arrests and executions linked to the conflict and protests rising since then.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said earlier in August that Tehran was using executions to 'spread fear and terror,' reporting that since March 19 at least 56 people had been executed on national security-related charges and more than 100 others remained at risk of execution. Amnesty International reported that Iran executed more than 2,150 people last year, placing it second to China among the world's leading users of the death penalty.
- The source does not state the specific date in August on which Türk made his remarks.
- The source does not identify which countries joined the statement after the initial 26 signatories to bring the total to 32.
- The source does not state the total number of people currently detained in Iran in connection with the protests or the military conflict.
- The source does not provide an Iranian government response to the joint international statement itself, separate from Araghchi's reply to France.
- The source does not reconcile the Iranian government's casualty figure of more than 3,000 with the higher figures cited by rights groups, nor does it name those rights groups.
- The source does not establish the legal basis or specific charges applied in the at least 56 executions reported by Türk.