PRESS RELEASE : Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the EU on the execution of Mr Alireza Akbari [January 2023]

The press release issued by the Council of the European Union on 15 January 2023.

The European Union condemns in the strongest terms the execution in Iran of Iranian-British national Alireza Akbari and recalls yet again its strong opposition against the application of capital punishment in any circumstance.

The European Union offers its condolences to Mr Akbari’s family and expresses its full solidarity with the United Kingdom. The execution of a European citizen is an appalling precedent that will be followed closely by the EU.

The death penalty violates the inalienable right to life enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment.

The European Union calls on Iran to refrain from any future executions and to pursue a consistent policy towards the abolition of capital punishment.