The arrest of European citizens by the Islamic Republic is concerning
Simultaneously with the announcement of the fifth round of sanctions against the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the EU’s foreign policy chief strongly criticized Tehran on Monday, issuing statements about the arbitrary detention of citizens of the EU by Iran.
In his statement, Josep Borrell stated that the EU strongly opposes the arbitrary detention of its citizens and dual Iranian-European citizens by the Iranian government, and urges the country to put an end to the distressing detention of foreign citizens for political exploitation.
This statement adds to the growing number of EU citizens who are currently being held in Iranian prisons for baseless reasons, causing great concern. Many of these individuals are being kept in deplorable conditions without any chance of a fair trial.
According to this senior diplomat of the EU, Iran is urged to seriously adhere to its international commitments under the Vienna Convention on consular and political relations, as well as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.