EU nations summon Iranian ambassadors over executions

The Iranian government announced three new death sentences on Monday, 48 hours after the execution of two protesters, provoking a new wave of international indignation.

Saleh Mirhashemi, Majid Kazemi and Saïd Yaghoubi, accused of being involved in the death of three members of the security forces during demonstrations in November, were sentenced to death.

In response, Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark have announced that they would summon Iranian ambassadors. The French ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it would summon the Iranian charge d'affaires to Paris on Monday "to convey to him" its "strongest condemnation" of the executions and the current repression in Iran.

German Foreign minister Annalena Baerbock announced on Monday that she had summoned the Iranian ambassador to Berlin to protest against these executions, which "will not remain without consequence". The Norwegian Foreign Ministry also summoned the Iranian ambassador to Oslo, saying it "strongly condemns" these acts.

The three convicted protesters, like the two men executed on Saturday, were arrested as part of the protest movement sparked in Iran by the death of Mahsa Amini. The 22-year-old woman was detained for violating the Islamic Republic's strict dress code.

^{A protest action in front of the Iranian embassy in Brussels. © BELGA PHOTO ERIC VIDAL}