We deplore the public executions of Mohsen Shekari and Majidreza Rahnavard, both of whom were just 23-years of age, following trials in which the defendants were denied due process. Such acts by the Iranian authorities are a stain on humanity.
The NEU has written to the Foreign Secretary to urge the UK government to step up its opposition to the human rights crackdown in Iran and to do all it can to put pressure on the Iranian authorities to halt further executions.
We fear for the lives of the dozens more protesters, many of whom are young people in their twenties, who have also received death sentences in recent weeks, merely for exercising their rights to peaceful protest.
The NEU is also aware that children are being subjected to torture in state custody after being arbitrarily arrested. Such acts stand in violation of Iran’s commitment to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, including Article 37, which states, “No child shall be deprived of his or her liberty unlawfully or arbitrarily.”