France, 25 other countries condemn Iran’s execution of protesters

France and 25 other countries, along with the EU foreign policy chief, on Wednesday condemned “in the strongest possible terms” Iran’s continued execution of protesters and its use of the death penalty.

“The use of capital punishment to silence dissidents, intimidate communities and punish individuals for exercising their fundamental rights can never be justified,” they said in a statement issued by the French Foreign Ministry.

The signatories stressed that the Iranian people must be able to exercise their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly without fear.

“We call on the Iranian regime to immediately end its use of the death penalty and release all those arbitrarily detained,” it said.

They also urged Iranian authorities to listen to its citizens, who they said were demanding change, and to take concrete steps to guarantee respect for human rights.

The statement was signed by nations, including France, Canada, Germany, Australia, Denmark, Spain, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, the UK and others, as well as the EU’s foreign policy chief.