EU concerned about human rights situation in Iran

EU High Representative Catherine Ashton expressed Thursday her "deep concern by the human rights situation in Iran." "I remain worried that, despite the overall release of 1200 prisoners, many are still detained on grounds which appear above all political, " she said in a statement this evening.
"The ongoing persecution of human rights lawyers and activists in Iran is in breach of the international obligations that Iran has itself signed up to. I therefore call on Iran to release them immediately and to allow them to exercise their rights freely," she added.
The statement noted that just over a year ago, human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, who is now serving an 11-year prison sentence, was arrested. The EU said it maintains its concerns about her case, which have not met with any convincing response when raised with the authorities. "On the contrary, I am now informed of the recent arrest of Mr. Abdolfattah Soltani, a prominent human rights defender and Ms. Sotoudeh's own lawyer. This illustrates the erosion of political and civil freedoms in Iran and is indicative of the increasingly difficult conditions for human rights activists in Iran, " said the EU's foreign policy chief.
The EU welcomed the release of Dr. Arash Alaei, an AIDS doctor imprisoned since 2008, in connection with the end of Ramadan pardon.

Source: Kuwait News Agency