Shirin Ebadi's Request to the European Union to Obligate Iran to Respect 'Death Penalty Prohibition' and 'Freedom of Expression'

Shirin Ebadi, the Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate, in a letter to the EU's foreign policy chief, urged that the initiation of human rights negotiations with Iran be contingent upon adherence to the 'prohibition of the death penalty' and 'respect for freedom of expression'. In this letter, published on August 9 on the website of the Human Rights Defenders Center, she also requested that the methods of monitoring the implementation of these 'values' be included in the agenda of the negotiations. Referring to reports about Iran's readiness for human rights negotiations with the EU, she reminded that the two principles of 'prohibition of the death penalty' and 'respect for freedom of expression' are among the 'values' that the EU has repeatedly stated it is 'not willing to overlook'. According to Ebadi, Iran has the highest per capita execution rate in the world, and several journalists, lawyers, and human rights activists, such as Eisa Saharkhiz, lawyer Abdolfattah Soltani, and Mohammad Sadiq Kabudvand, the head of the Kurdistan Human Rights Organization, have been imprisoned for years 'solely due to the lack of freedom of expression'. In her letter, Ebadi requested that the EU's foreign policy chief condition the start of human rights negotiations with the Islamic Republic on 'respecting' these two principles and include 'methods of monitoring their implementation' in the negotiation agenda. On August 4, Sadegh Amoli Larijani, the head of Iran's judiciary, had called on the Human Rights Headquarters of the judiciary, the Supreme National Security Council, and the Foreign Ministry to open discussions about human rights with Europeans. He also considered the dialogue with Europe on human rights to be conditional on 'mutual' discussions and mentioned issues such as 'Islamophobia' and 'mandatory hijab in high schools and universities in France' as topics for bilateral discussions. A day after these remarks, Mohammad Javad Larijani, the secretary of the Human Rights Headquarters of the judiciary, stated that human rights negotiations with the EU are based on the 'system's' request but will be conditional on certain issues. Meanwhile, the head of the judiciary stated that some have interpreted the proposal to start human rights discussions with Europe in a way that is 'contrary to the main nature of the proposal'. Sadegh Larijani described the main condition for starting these discussions as 'mutual questioning' and added, 'It is not the case that only the Western side is the questioner while we are in a position to respond and defend ourselves'. Previous human rights discussions between Iran and the EU have a history. Iran and the EU held negotiations on human rights during Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani's presidency under the framework of 'critical dialogue with Iran', which continued during Mohammad Khatami's presidency. Additionally, during Federica Mogherini's visit to Tehran in April of this year, a joint statement was issued emphasizing 'annual' and 'regular' political dialogue and economic cooperation, stating that both sides would 'enter into human rights discussions'. The proposal for human rights discussions with Europe came just one day after the execution of 20 members of the 'Tawhid and Jihad' group in Rajai Shahr prison in Karaj. Meanwhile, the head of the judiciary strongly objected to criticisms from Western human rights organizations and some individuals within Iran regarding the execution of these Sunni prisoners, stating that 'the execution of several terrorists has nothing to do with the issue of Shia and Sunni'. Ra'ad Hussein, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, called the execution of Sunni prisoners a 'great injustice' and expressed doubts about their access to a fair trial. The secretary of the Human Rights Headquarters of the judiciary sent a letter to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on August 8, objecting to his statement and calling the claim of torture of these prisoners 'baseless and unrealistic'. He also accused the executed individuals of committing acts such as 'the assassination of Mawlawi Burhan Ali, a Sunni cleric, and Mawlawi Sheikh al-Islam', 'acquiring various and multiple weapons and constructing over 50 ready-to-explode bombs', 'committing several armed robberies from jewelry stores in the cities of Qorveh, Zanjan, and Hamadan', and killing 'several environmental guards in Kurdistan province'. Previously, judiciary and intelligence officials in Iran had made similar accusations against the executed individuals. Most of these individuals denied the allegations and stated in videos and writings released from them that they had been held for long periods in 'solitary confinement' and 'under torture'. For instance, Shahram Ahmadi, one of the executed individuals, stated that he had been in solitary confinement for 33 months, was sentenced to death in a 'five-minute' trial, and had 'no opportunity to defend himself or access a lawyer'. In this context, the head of the judiciary set conditions for starting discussions with Europe on human rights, stating that human rights negotiations with Europe would arise from the 'system's' request and would be conditional. The International Federation for Human Rights protested against the recent executions in Iran, and the Iranian Attorney General announced that the number of executed members of the 'Tawhid and Jihad' group was 20. The 'Human Rights Defenders' statement protested against the execution of Sunni prisoners, and the UN called the execution of 20 prisoners in Iran a 'great injustice'. Mawlawi Abdul Hamid criticized the recent executions in Iran, and the Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned foreign reactions against the execution of '20 prisoners'. Javad Larijani protested against the UN statement regarding the execution of 20 prisoners in Iran.