Strongly condemning the arbitrary detention, conviction, and recent return to prison of 2012 Sakharov Prize winner Nasrin Sotoudeh, the European Parliament called on the Iranian authorities on Thursday 17 December to release her “immediately and unconditionally” and to allow her to receive the health care she needs.
In the joint resolution adopted by the Greens/EFA, S&D, Renew Europe, ECR, and EPP groups (614 in favour, 12 against and 63 abstentions), MEPs also denounced the recent executions of journalist Rouhollah Zam (see EUROPE 12622/16) and wrestler Navid Afkari (see EUROPE 12559/27) and called for an immediate halt to the imminent execution of the Iranian-Swedish academic Ahmadreza Djalali (see EUROPE 11928/24).
The Iranian government must immediately and unconditionally release the hundreds of people arbitrarily detained for peacefully exercising their right to freedom of opinion and expression, adds Parliament, which also calls on it to declare an immediate moratorium on all executions, with a view to abolishing the death penalty.
Welcoming the new EU human rights sanctions mechanism, Parliament calls for targeted measures to be taken against Iranian officials who have committed serious human rights violations. Such measures will be necessary if the Iranian authorities do not release Dr Jalali, MEPs also warn.
See the resolution: http://bit.ly/3mmsx0Y (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)