LOC16:49
13:49 GMT
PARIS, July 26 (KUNA) -- Saying it was strongly opposed to capital
punishment in agreement with its European Union partners, France on Thursday
condemned the execution of 12 Iranians on July 22 and expressed "particular
concern" over the motivation behind them.
Upon a request by the French State Secretary for Human Rights at the
Foreign Ministry Rama Yade, the French government summoned Irans Charge
dAffaires here in Paris to express its strong position to the Iranian
executions and to capital punishment "in all circumstances."
France also expressed its support for a global abolition of the death
penalty and urged Iran to respect a moratorium it declared on stoning in 2002.
French Foreign Ministry deputy spokesman Denis Simonneau said in a
statement that France had learned that an Iranian was stoned on July 5 despite
the moratorium.
The French official added that his government had called on Iran not to
carry out any further sentences of stoning. (end)
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