The European Parliament,

–   having regard to its previous resolutions on Iran, and in particular those of 7 May 2009, 22 October 2009 and 10 February 2010,

–   having regard to the statement made on 5 February 2010 by High Representative Catherine Ashton on the imminent executions in Iran,

–   having regard to the statement by its President on 9 October 2009 reiterating Parliament’s commitment to the worldwide abolition of the death penalty and specifically denouncing the capital punishment of juvenile offenders,

–   having regard to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to all of which Iran is a party,

–   having regard to the resolution of the General Assembly of the United Nation of 29 October 2009 on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran,

–   having regard to Rule 110(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas the human rights situation in Iran is continuing to deteriorate and the repression of peaceful protesters and dissidents (including students, academics, women’s rights activists, lawyers, journalists, bloggers, clerics and human rights activists) is widespread in that country,

B.  whereas on 11 August 2010 the execution by stoning of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani for adultery was confirmed,

C. whereas, following many representations at international level, the sentence has been suspended,

D. whereas Iran has given an undertaking to the international community to respect the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which prohibits the imposition of capital punishment for the crime of adultery (Article 6), condemns all form of torture, including its most barbarous forms such as stoning (Article 7) and rejects the conviction of accused persons on the basis of confessions obtained by torture,

E.  whereas Zahra Bahrami was arrested on 27 December 2009, tried by an Islamic court on 16 August and sentenced to death for ‘enmity against God’ and ‘acting against national security’,

F.  whereas both Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani and Zahra Bahrami were tortured and forced to make televised ‘confessions’ to the charges against them and neither woman received a fair trial, as Zahra Bahrami was not even allowed to have a lawyer at her trial and Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani’s lawyer had been obliged to flee the country,

G. whereas reports from human rights activists and former prisoners at Vakil Abad prison indicate that the Iranian judicial authorities ordered 100 prisoners to be hanged,

H. whereas the prison authorities are alleged to have carried out 68 executions on Wednesday, 18 August 2010 and 100 more prisoners are alleged to be awaiting execution in the next few days,

I.   whereas the collective nature of these executions, which moreover were decided on in the greatest secrecy, constitutes a flagrant breach of international law,

1.  Condemns the sentence of death by stoning passed on Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani and calls for her immediate release;

2.  Equally condemns the arrest of Zahra Bahrami and the sentence passed on her, and calls for her immediate and unconditional release;

3.  Supports the tens of thousands of Iranians who continue to risk their professional careers and their lives by calling for greater freedom and more democratic rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran;

4.  Strongly condemns the systematic and brutal attacks carried out by the security forces against those who engage in peaceful demonstrations or criticise the government, and condemns the closing down of newspapers and the offices of human rights organisations;

5.  Condemns the efforts made by the Iranian authorities to censor the press, jam radio and television broadcasts, and block the internet; strongly criticises international firms, including Nokia Siemens in particular, which provide the Iranian authorities with the necessary censorship and surveillance technology, thereby helping to facilitate the persecution and arrest of Iranian dissidents;

6.  Calls on the Iranian authorities to release immediately all those arrested for peacefully exercising their right to freedom of expression, association and assembly and to investigate and prosecute any members of the government and of the security forces responsible for the murder, ill-treatment or torture of family members of dissidents, demonstrators and detainees;

7.  Reiterates its support for the worldwide abolition of capital punishment and once again urges the Iranian judicial authorities to institute a moratorium on capital punishment and unambiguously prohibit execution for adultery, in accordance with international law;

8.  Also reiterates its commitment to secular values and stresses that the merging of State and religion, by leading to ‘sin’ being equated with ‘crime’, undermines fundamental freedoms, particularly in the case of women;

9.  Calls on the Iranian authorities to abolish the law on stoning, in accordance with its international commitments;

10. Urges the Iranian authorities to immediately put an end to the show trials broadcast on television and calls on the Iranian Parliament to change the provisions of Iranian law which allow the government to withhold defendants' rights to due process, including access to adequate legal representation;

11. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the governments and parliaments of the Members States, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the United Nations Security Council, the United Nations High Commission on Human Rights, and the Government and Parliament of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

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