European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton says she is "appalled" by the execution of 10 Iranians convicted of drug-trafficking offenses.
Ashton said the October 22 executions in a Tehran jail add "to the alarming execution rate in Iran" now at over 300 since the beginning of the year.
In a statement from Brussels, the EU's chief diplomat reiterated her call for Iran to introduce a moratorium on the death penalty.
Separately, a trio of UN human rights experts have also blasted Iran for executing the 10 men.
UN Special Rapporteurs Ahmed Shaheed, Christof Heyns, and Juan E Mendez said in New York late on October 22 that the crimes of the executed men "do not amount to the ‘most serious crimes’ as defined by international human rights law."
Ashton said the October 22 executions in a Tehran jail add "to the alarming execution rate in Iran" now at over 300 since the beginning of the year.
In a statement from Brussels, the EU's chief diplomat reiterated her call for Iran to introduce a moratorium on the death penalty.
Separately, a trio of UN human rights experts have also blasted Iran for executing the 10 men.
UN Special Rapporteurs Ahmed Shaheed, Christof Heyns, and Juan E Mendez said in New York late on October 22 that the crimes of the executed men "do not amount to the ‘most serious crimes’ as defined by international human rights law."