European countries summon Iranian ambassadors to denounce the repression of protests

Several European governments have summoned the Iranian ambassadors in their respective countries this Tuesday to denounce the repression of the security forces in the anti-government protests, which, according to civil organizations, have resulted in hundreds of fatalities.

The French Foreign Minister, Jean Noel Barrot, has announced before the French Parliament that he has summoned the Iranian ambassador in Paris to protest the “intolerable, unbearable and inhuman (…) state violence exercised indiscriminately against peaceful protesters.”

“We will not stop there: there can be no impunity for those who turn their weapons against peaceful protesters,” he stated, in reference to the proposal for sanctions announced by the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, due to the “terrifying” number of deaths.

From Germany, the diplomatic portfolio has also confirmed that it has summoned the Iranian ambassador to the Foreign Office, since “the brutal actions of the Iranian regime against its own people are shocking.” Thus, he urged Tehran to “end violence against its citizens and respect their rights.”

For her part, the British Foreign Minister, Yvette Cooper, has confirmed that her portfolio has also taken this same measure “to underline the seriousness of this moment and demand that Iran respond for the terrible reports received”, despite the fact that the day before she conveyed her “total indignation” about it to her Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araqchi, in a phone call.

“This latest behavior of the Iranian regime is not an aberration. It is not an isolated case. It is totally consistent with the fundamental nature and trajectory of this regime,” he declared, considering that its behavior is in line with “the lethal repression” during the 2022 protests over the death of Mahsa Amini.

The Italian Government has also summoned the Iranian ambassador to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where Antonio Tajani received him to tell him that it is “absolutely unacceptable” that “men and women fight in the streets, paying a very high price, suffering, prison and probably torture.”

“Dialogue does not mean passively accepting the spectacle of a regime that violently represses its own citizens,” he said in statements reported by the Italian television network RAI.

Spain has also summoned the Iranian ambassador in Madrid, to whom it has conveyed its “strong rejection and condemnation”, while emphasizing that “the right to peaceful demonstration must be respected”, as well as the freedom of expression and communication of the population, due to the Internet blackout that has affected the Central Asian country for 120 hours.

The Foreign Minister of the Netherlands, David van Weel, explained that he has carried out the same protest action in “coordination” with his European partners and added that his government “supports European sanctions against those who violate Human Rights in Iran.” “Those responsible must be held accountable,” he concluded.

The Governments of Portugal, Slovenia and Finland have mobilized in this same sense. It is worth mentioning that the day before the Belgian Government also summoned the Iranian ambassador, warning that “the situation in Iran” is “deeply concerning” and regretting that the repression seeks to “repress a movement that demands,” among other things, “democracy.”

During the day on Monday, Tehran summoned the respective representatives of European countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and France to show them a video of “the violence of the rioters” and demand that they “withdraw official statements of support for the protesters.”