Stockholm, Sweden. Iran executed a Swedish citizen on Wednesday, Sweden’s foreign minister said, adding that she had summoned the Iranian ambassador in Stockholm to condemn the decision.
Sweden summons Iranian ambassador
The person, who was not named, was arrested in Iran in June of last year and Sweden has repeatedly raised the case with Iranian officials, Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard said.
Stenergard said the death penalty was “an inhumane, cruel and irreversible punishment” and that Sweden, together with the rest of the EU, condemned its application in all circumstances.
She added that the legal proceedings leading up to the execution did not meet the standards of due process.
EU foreign policy chief condemns execution
The European Union’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas condemned the execution in a statement on Wednesday evening.
Kallas said “the appalling human rights situation in Iran and the alarming increase in executions are intolerable and show the regime’s true colours,” and sent condolences to the family of the citizen.
No immediate response to request for comment
The Swedish foreign ministry and the Iranian embassy in Stockholm did not immediately respond to a request for comment when contacted by Reuters via phone and email.
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