ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Iranian foreign ministry on Sunday summoned Switzerland’s ambassador to Tehran to protest a tweet from the Swiss Embassy condemning the recent spree of executions in the Islamic republic.
On Friday, Iran executed three men for their involvement in the wave of nationwide protests at the end of last year. The Swiss Embassy in Iran condemned the executions, calling on Tehran to reduce carrying out the death sentence, while using a picture which included the flag of the overthrown Pahlavi dynasty.
Iran’s “dissatisfaction” and “protest” was conveyed to Swiss Ambassador Nadine Olivieri Lozano, saying that the “unusual act” contradicted the friendly relations between Bern and Tehran.
Spokesperson for the Iranian foreign ministry Nasser Kanani also condemned Switzerland’s “intrusive” stance on Saturday, saying that it was “ridiculous” for Western countries to accuse Iran of restricting freedom of expression when they themselves “have a heavy record of gross human rights violations against other nations and are openly engaged in violating the rights of their citizens in their own country.”
Zhina (Mahsa) Amini, 22, died in police custody last September after being detained for allegedly violating the strict dress code that requires women to cover their hair. Authorities claimed that the cause of death was a heart attack, but human rights activists and witnesses said she had been beaten inside the police van, leading to her death.
Amini's death sparked nationwide protests initially calling for greater freedoms, before growing into a revolution with calls for the overthrow of the Islamic regime. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its paramilitary Basij led a violent crackdown against the protesters, killing hundreds of people and wounding thousands others.
The protests have been quietened, but Iran's crackdown was harshly condemned by the international community.
On Friday, Iran executed three men for their involvement in the wave of nationwide protests at the end of last year. The Swiss Embassy in Iran condemned the executions, calling on Tehran to reduce carrying out the death sentence, while using a picture which included the flag of the overthrown Pahlavi dynasty.
Iran’s “dissatisfaction” and “protest” was conveyed to Swiss Ambassador Nadine Olivieri Lozano, saying that the “unusual act” contradicted the friendly relations between Bern and Tehran.
Spokesperson for the Iranian foreign ministry Nasser Kanani also condemned Switzerland’s “intrusive” stance on Saturday, saying that it was “ridiculous” for Western countries to accuse Iran of restricting freedom of expression when they themselves “have a heavy record of gross human rights violations against other nations and are openly engaged in violating the rights of their citizens in their own country.”
Zhina (Mahsa) Amini, 22, died in police custody last September after being detained for allegedly violating the strict dress code that requires women to cover their hair. Authorities claimed that the cause of death was a heart attack, but human rights activists and witnesses said she had been beaten inside the police van, leading to her death.
Amini's death sparked nationwide protests initially calling for greater freedoms, before growing into a revolution with calls for the overthrow of the Islamic regime. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its paramilitary Basij led a violent crackdown against the protesters, killing hundreds of people and wounding thousands others.
The protests have been quietened, but Iran's crackdown was harshly condemned by the international community.
Comments
Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.
To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.
We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.
Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.
Post a comment