Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the EU on the arrest and detention of human rights defenders
Published
Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the EU.
The European Union expresses serious concern over the widespread use of arbitrary detention by Iranian authorities to suppress critical voices within the country, in violation of Iran’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
We call on the Iranian authorities to release all individuals unjustly detained for exercising their fundamental rights, including freedom of expression and assembly. This includes Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, whose health remains fragile, as well as other human rights defenders who were arrested on 12 December in Mashhad.
Human rights defenders must be able to make their voices heard and to carry out their legitimate work without risking their freedom, in Iran as everywhere else.
