Paris (Xinhua) – French foreign ministry has summoned the charge d’affaires at the Iranian embassy in France to express its "profound preoccupation" with the enforcement of capital punishment in Iran.
The charge d’affaires was summoned by the ministry Wednesday at the request by Rama Yade, French minister of state in charge of foreign affairs and human rights, according to a ministry statement.
During the meeting, "we took the opportunity to express our extreme preoccupation and underscored our opposition to the death penalty, our commitment for its universal abolition, our commitment to see that Iranian authorities uphold the 2002 moratorium against stoning, our appeal that no one should be condemned to stoning," according to the statement.
France condemns the execution of 12 Iranians, which occurred on July 22 and is "particularly concerned" with the fact that on July 10 an Iranian official announced that sexual orientation was one of the charges brought against those who were executed, according to the statement.
On July 5, 2007, an Iranian man was condemned to die by stoning after being convicted of adultery, according to the same source.
