Iran on Wednesday carried out the death term given to Mohsen Shekari, 23, who had been arrested during riots in Tehran.
During his trial process at a Tehran court, Shekari was found guilty of “waging war against God” by using arms to close off a street, injure a member of the security personnel on duty, threaten the lives of people, cause panic among the public, and disrupt social order.
In a statement, the European Union condemned the execution “in the strongest possible terms.”
The EU “urges the Iranian authorities to refrain from applying the death penalty and carrying out any future executions…,” it said.
In a similar stance, the US also has denounced the execution of Mohsen Shekari, calling such penalties “draconian” tactics meant to “intimidate people.”
The Iranian Foreign Ministry hit back at the statements issued by the Western states in the wake of the execution.
In a tweet, it reaffirmed that Iran’s Law Enforcement Force had “shown utmost restraint” in countering the riots, in which Tehran says the Western countries, along with their allies and mercenaries, had a hand.
“Unlike many Western regimes who smear & violently crackdown even the peaceful protesters- Iran has employed proportionate & standard anti-riot methods,” read the tweet. “The same is true for the judicial process: restraint & proportionality.”
The Foreign Ministry reminded the Western countries that public security constitutes a “redline” for the Islamic Republic.
“Armed assault & vandalism aren’t tolerable, even to Western regimes who’ve found an opportunity to hypocritically lecture. Instead of exposing its mendacity by politicized statements, West must stop hosting, backing & encouraging terrorists,” it added.
Iran has been gripped by protests and deadly riots since mid-September, when an Iranian woman died in police custody.
The protests were initially peaceful but they quickly degenerated into violence as rioters, thugs and hooligans, many of whom were armed, entered the scene and engaged in deadly acts of violence and vandalism.
