Ashton said in a statement she was “deeply concerned” by reports his execution “may be imminent”. He was sentenced in 2010 for “enmity against God” in connection with claims he supported the dissident group.
Ashton “appeals for clemency and urges that the sentence be commuted,” the statement said.
“The EU holds a strong and principled position against the death penalty,” it added. Ashton “restates her call on Iran to halt all pending executions and to introduce a moratorium on the death penalty.”
Earlier this year she voiced concern over the large number of executions in Iran, saying hundreds of people were executed in 2011. She said at the time that Iran was “the world’s leading user of the death penalty per
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Text of the statement:
EUROPEA1 U1IO1 Brussels, 9 October 2012
A 447/12
Statement by the spokesperson of the High Representative,
Catherine Ashton, on reports of the imminent execution of Iranian
prisoner Gholamreza Khosravi Savadjani
The spokesperson of Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and
Security Policy and Vice President of the Commission, issued the following statement today:
“The High Representative is deeply concerned about reports that the execution of Iranian prisoner Gholamreza Khosravi Savadjani may be imminent. She appeals for clemency and urges that the sentence be commuted. His death sentence contravenes Iran’s international obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The EU holds a strong and principled position against the death penalty. The High Representative restates her call on Iran to halt all pending executions and to introduce a moratorium on the death penalty.”