Criticism of European Indifference to Human Rights Situation in Iran

Three human rights organizations have strongly criticized the European Union officials for ignoring the human rights situation in Iran during their visits to the country. The "International Federation for Human Rights", the "Center for Human Rights Defenders in Iran", and the "Society for the Defense of Human Rights in Iran" published a report condemning European officials for traveling to Iran without considering the human rights situation. According to the website of the International Federation for Human Rights, Abdolkarim Lahiji, the president of this organization, stated: "We believe the future path lies in dialogue, but governments cannot ignore the fact that Iran ranks second in the world among executing countries and is currently planning to execute juvenile offenders." The report indicates that the implementation of the death penalty in Iran has been increasing in recent years, and if the current rate of executions continues, Iran will set a record for the number of executions in 2015, surpassing the figures of 1989. According to the report, Iranian officials have confirmed the execution of 246 individuals from December 2014 to July 2015. Additionally, credible sources have reported another 448 executions in Iran; this number is slightly less than the total executions reported for the entire year of 2014 and indicates a very concerning trend in the increase of executions. The report suggests that thousands of others are currently awaiting execution in Iran on charges such as murder, drug offenses, and blasphemy. According to the statistics from the International Federation for Human Rights, Iran ranks first in the world among countries executing juvenile offenders. At least 160 juveniles sentenced to death in Iran were under 18 years old at the time of their alleged crimes, and their sentences directly violate international law, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Iran has signed and ratified. Lahiji remarked: "Despite the international prohibition on executing juvenile offenders, Iran continues these executions while improving relations with the West. The international community, including the European Union, has a responsibility to place human rights at the center of their relations with Iran and insist on an immediate halt to these human rights violations." According to human rights defenders, Iran executed Javad Saberi on April 15, 2015, for murder, despite the fact that he was only 17 years old at the time of the alleged crime and suffered from severe mental illness. Several other juvenile offenders face similar fates; Salar Shadizadi is scheduled to be executed on August 1 for a murder he allegedly committed at the age of 15. Hamid Ahmadi is also at risk of execution in the near future, although there are doubts about his age at the time of the alleged crime. Saman Nasim was sentenced to death for an offense he allegedly committed at 17. It was previously believed that he had been secretly executed five months ago, but according to the website, he has recently been seen in Zanjan prison. Human rights organizations in Iran have emphatically called on the Iranian government to "immediately halt the execution of all juvenile offenders" and to "as a first step towards the complete abolition of the death penalty, cease the execution of this punishment for juveniles." The international community has also been urged to ensure that economic and political relations with Iran are conditional on respect for human rights and adherence to international obligations.