ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The European Union and 26 countries on Wednesday condemned Iran for an ongoing wave of executions targeting protesters and political prisoners, demanding that Tehran end capital punishment and free those held without due cause.
In a joint statement, France, Canada, Albania, Germany, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Spain, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, along with the High Representative of the European Union, condemned in the "strongest terms" the continuing executions of protesters and the use of the death penalty by the Islamic Republic of Iran.
"The use of capital punishment to silence dissidents, intimidate communities, and punish individuals exercising their fundamental rights can in no way be justified," the statement added.
The nations demanded that Tehran immediately halt the use of capital punishment and release all arbitrarily detained individuals, while urging the country to take 'concrete measures' to guarantee respect for human rights."
For his part, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Wednesday that “seven months after the mass crimes committed against the Iranian people, who rose up to demand justice and dignity, the regime continues to shed blood by increasing executions.”'
In his statement on X, the senior diplomat stressed that “this unbearable and inhumane repression must end. Those responsible must be held accountable. Political prisoners must be released.”
The Norway-based Iran Human Rights organization documented at least 1,639 executions in 2025, a 68 percent increase from the previous year and the highest annual total the group has recorded since 1989.
At least 444 people were executed during the first seven months of 2026, including 24 protesters and 12 people accused of espionage or collaboration with foreign states. Only 15 percent of those executions were officially announced, according to the rights monitor.
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