EU condemns Iran's violent crackdown on protesters
- World
- DPA
- Published Date: 11:40 | 25 September 2022
- Modified Date: 11:54 | 25 September 2022
The European Union has condemned Iran's response to widespread unrest across the country, sparked by the death of a woman after morality police arrested her for not covering herself according to the country's strict.
"For the European Union and its member states, the widespread and disproportionate use of force against non-violent protestors is unjustifiable and unacceptable," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Sunday on behalf of the bloc.
Protests erupted in Iran after 22-year-old Mahsa Amini fell into a coma and died in hospital, days after she was arrested on September 13.
The EU also made a vague threat of sanctions against Iran.
Before the next meeting of foreign ministers, the EU would "consider all the options at its disposal" in response to "the killing of Mahsa Amini and the way Iranian security forces have responded to the ensuing demonstrations."
According to eyewitnesses in Tehran, both security forces and protesters are turning more and more violent, and a total of 41 people have now been killed, Iranian national broadcaster IRIB has reported. There was no official confirmation of the figure.
The EU called on Iran to clarify the number of deaths and arrests, release all non-violent protesters and investigate Amini's death.