TEHRAN: Iran summoned Switzerland’s ambassador on Sunday in response to a tweet by the Swiss embassy calling for a cessation of executions related to protests following the death of Mahsa Amini, announced Iran’s foreign ministry.
The Swiss embassy took to Twitter on Friday to “condemn” the execution of three men earlier that day. The individuals had been convicted of killing security force members during protests in Isfahan, the central city, last year.
The tweet from the embassy, which also represents US interests in Tehran, urged Iran to halt the executions and take measures to reduce the use of the death penalty.
In response to Switzerland’s “interventionist position in our country’s internal affairs,” Ambassador Nadine Olivieri Lozano was summoned, according to the foreign ministry’s statement on Sunday.
The Swiss embassy’s tweet featured an image from a demonstration in Iran, showing protesters holding a poster of Mahsa Amini, who died in custody on September 16, and waving Iran’s pre-Islamic revolution flag.
Iran criticizes Switzerland’s embassy
Tehran criticized “the unconventional and unprofessional use of this country’s embassy in Tehran in republishing an image with a fake flag.” The statement expressed that such actions were incompatible with the friendly relations between Iran and Switzerland and should be rectified.
Iran experienced a series of nationwide protests following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, an Iranian Kurd who had been detained for allegedly violating the country’s strict dress rules for women.
During these protests, which the Iranian government often labeled as foreign-instigated “riots,” thousands of Iranians were detained, and hundreds were killed, including dozens of security personnel.
Majid Kazemi, Saleh Mirhashemi, and Saeed Yaghoubi were executed on Friday after being found guilty of “moharebeh” or “war against God” for the shooting deaths of three security force members on November 16.
The executions drew strong reactions from Western nations and were condemned by human rights groups outside Iran. Amnesty International and other human rights organizations report that Iran executes more individuals per year than any other country except China.
The pace of executions has been relentless in 2023, with the Iran Human Rights (IHR) organization based in Norway documenting at least 270 executions since the beginning of the year.
