The Foreign Ministry in Athens. Credit: AMNA
Greece’s Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis on Wednesday condemned Iran’s crackdown on protesters, calling on Tehran to refrain from imposing and executing sentences against demonstrators “who are protesting for freedom.”
“The death penalty against young people, resulting from the exercise of a universal right, constitutes a disgrace (that is) not tolerable by the global community,” Gerapetritis said following a meeting with his visiting Dutch counterpart David van Weel. “We call for absolute abstention from any such action.”
Gerapetritis noted that “fundamental rights, among them freedom of expression and freedom of assembly, must be respected by all. Use of force in any form, even more so when its result is the loss of human lives, is abhorrent and absolutely condemnable.”
His remarks come ahead of a trilateral meeting Sunday in Cairo, where Gerapetritis will join Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and Cypriot Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos to discuss rapidly evolving Middle East developments.
Iran has “no plan” to execute protesters
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump says Tehran has “no plan” to execute protesters, but still hasn’t ruled out US military action against the country over its violent crackdown on anti-government demonstrators.
Speaking from the White House on Wednesday, Trump said his administration had been told “on good authority” that “the killing in Iran is stopping, and there’s no plan for executions”.
When questioned by a reporter, Trump said that “very important sources on the other side” had informed him of the developments, adding that he hoped the reports were true.
Trump had earlier threatened “very strong action” against Iran if the government executed protesters, after reports emerged that a 26-year-old man who had been arrested during the height of the demonstrations had been sentenced to death.
Erfan Soltani was scheduled to be executed on Wednesday, his family had told BBC Persian. They later told the Norway-based Kurdish human rights group Hengaw that his execution had been postponed.
Related: Trump Warns Iran: “Very Strong Action” Looming Over Execution of Protesters