Washington calls on Iran to respect human rights in response to Kurdish executions

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – On Thursday, the spokesperson of the US State Department Mark Toner called on Tehran to respect human rights and implement a transparent judicial proceeding in all cases.

On Tuesday, at least 36 Kurdish Sunni prisoners were hanged in Rajai Shahr Prison, Karaj, the Human Rights Activists News Agency in Iran (HRANA) reported.

The estimated 13 million Kurds in Iranian Kurdistan (Rojhelat), make up 18 percent of the population but they are a majority among political prisoners. Of the 93 charged with Moharebeh (enmity against God) in Iran in 2015, 63 were Kurds.

"So I would just say we reaffirm our calls for Iran to respect and protect human rights and to ensure fair and transparent judicial proceedings in all cases. This is something we’ve consistently expressed," Toner said in response to the question of Kurdistan24 reporter regarding the execution of Kurds by Iranian government.

"Our concerns about Iran’s human rights record have been expressed in a range of channels – obviously in our annual Human Rights Report but also in our International Religious Freedom Report," he said.

He mentioned that they have worked with other countries within the UN framework, including General Assembly and UN Human Rights Council to emphasize Washington's concerns regarding human rights in Iran.

"I would just say that what we would expect and call on Iran to do is to ensure that any legal process is fair and transparent," Toner told Kurdistan24.

In 2015, Iran was the first highest executioner per capita in the world .

Amnesty International says the continuation of capital punishment “demonstrates the Iranian authorities’ utter disregard for the right to life.”

According to Amnesty, Iran is determined to continue their “staggering execution spree that saw nearly 1,000 people put to death last year.”

Editing by Ava Homa
(Laurie Mylroie contributed to this report from Washington DC)