Authorities from 32 countries, along with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, have strongly condemned Iran’s continued use of the death penalty, particularly against protesters.

Axar.az reports that the joint statement was published on the website of Germany’s Federal Foreign Office.

"Canada, Albania, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, the High Representative of the European Union, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, the Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom condemn in the strongest terms the ongoing executions of protesters and use of the death penalty by the Islamic Republic of Iran," the statement said.

“The use of capital punishment to silence dissent, intimidate communities, and punish individuals exercising their human rights can never be justified. The people of Iran must be free to exercise their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly without fear,” it added.

The signatories called on Tehran to immediately halt executions and release all individuals who have been arbitrarily detained.

The countries and the EU representative also urged Iranian authorities to respond to public demands for change and take concrete measures to strengthen respect for human rights.

“We further call on Iran to listen to the voice of its people as they demand change, and to take meaningful steps toward ensuring respect for human rights,” the statement concluded.

It should be noted that, according to the United Nations, executions in Iran have sharply increased following the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East. UN figures show that at least 56 people have been executed in the country since March 19 on national security-related charges, including 27 people linked to the January protests. More than 100 others are currently facing death sentences on similar charges.