European Union: The Speed of Executions in Iran is 'Horrific'

On Friday, December 1, the European Union issued a statement calling the speed of executions in Iran 'horrific' and demanded an end to them. The statement referenced the execution of Hamidreza Azari, a 17-year-old, and Milad Zohrevand, a detainee from the nationwide protests of 2022, in recent days, stating: 'The current pace of executions in Iran - at least 600 since the beginning of this year - is horrific.' According to human rights sources, Milad Zohrevand, a 22-year-old protester, was executed on Thursday, December 2, without prior notification and without having a final meeting with his family, following the influence of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Hamadan Central Prison. According to HRANA, the news agency of human rights activists in Iran, Hamidreza Azari, a teenager accused of murder, was also executed on Friday, December 3, for an accusation related to a case from when he was 16 years old. The UN Human Rights Office recently condemned the execution of Hamidreza Azari and Milad Zohrevand by the Iranian government. In its statement, the European Union emphasized its 'principled and firm opposition' to the use of the death penalty 'at any time and under any circumstances.' The statement referred to the death penalty as a 'cruel and inhuman punishment' that 'is incapable of preventing crime and constitutes an unacceptable denial of human dignity and human rights.' The European Union described the death penalty as a 'definitive punishment' that makes any 'judicial error' 'irreparable.' The EU also reminded Iran of its membership in the 'International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights' and the 'Convention on the Rights of the Child,' emphasizing that these two treaties categorically prohibit the execution of defendants under the age of 18. The statement continued: 'The European Union once again urges Iran to refrain from executing sentences in the future and to adopt a coherent policy in line with the global trend towards the abolition of the death penalty.' In recent days, Liz Throssell, spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office, also urged the Islamic Republic of Iran to refrain from using punitive measures against political activists and those exercising their right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression. Mahmoud Amiri Moghadam, director of Iran Human Rights, recently called for breaking the silence of the international community, especially European countries, regarding the 'excessive executions of more than three people per day by the Islamic Republic.' He considered the lack of global reaction to executions in Iran as a 'green light for more executions' by the Islamic Republic.