Source: Norway Ministry of Foreign Affairs 12 May 2010
On Sunday, Iran executed five Kurdish activists in the Evin prison in Teheran. The executions were carried out at a critical point prior to the anniversary of the 2009 election.
State Secretary in the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Gry Larsen commented, “Norway condemns the execution of the five Kurdish activists in Iran last Sunday morning.”
The executions are in violation of basic national and international principles of the rule of law to which Iran is committed. These cases have involved extensive use of torture, long periods of isolation and summary trials, and the executions were not in accordance with national legislation.
The execution of the five Kurds took place shortly after a number of other people were condemned to death for taking part in demonstrations following the election in 2009. A number of these were tried at mass trials without satisfactory legal assistance for the accused and without proper evidence. They were condemned on the basis of alleged participation in organisations that are opposed to the regime, cooperation with “enemies of the country”, and for being “enemies of God”.
“The trial proceedings have been unfair with a lack of proper evidence and only vague references to the exact charges. This increases the unpredictability and fear felt by the people of the country. The executions on Sunday, just before the anniversary of the disputed presidential election, also raise concerns about the situation of other activists in prison,” said Ms Larsen.
Norway has aligned itself with a statement from the EU condemning the executions. The Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bjørn T. Grydeland, also condemned the executions when he met the forthcoming Iranian Ambassador to Norway earlier this week.
