I am extremely concerned about the case of Pastor Nadarkhani, a thirty-four year old father of two who faces the death penalty for the charge of apostasy if he does not renounce his Christian faith. This comes amid repressive actions against followers of diverse faiths in Iran, including Sufis and Baha'is. I am particularly disturbed by reports that an execution order has been issued for Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani. There have been many other troubling aspects to this case, including the fact that the proceedings do not seem to be solely in the hands of the judiciary, that Mr. Nadarkhani has come under repeated pressure to renounce his faith in exchange for his freedom and that there has been a lack of transparency which means that Mr. Nadarkhani has not been afforded due process.
Threatening the death penalty and imprisoning innocent people because of their faith is an issue of the utmost gravity and represents a serious attack on the universal right to religious freedom. I fully support the call by the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran Ahmed Shaheed, in his report to the Human Rights Council on 12 March, to the Iranian Government to "seriously consider a moratorium on the death penalty for all crimes until such time as effective enforcement of due process rights may be meaningfully demonstrated." The Special Rapporteur also professes "to be alarmed by communications that demonstrate the systemic and systematic persecution of members of unrecognized religious communities, particularly the Baha'i community, in violation of international conventions."
Furthermore, the case involving Pastor Nadarkhani illustrates the chronic violations of due process in the Iranian justice system, including in terms of the application of the death penalty and actions against religious freedom, which are systematically established in the Special Rapporteur's report. Mr. Shaheed specifically highlights an overall lack of adherence to the rule of law and the failure of Iran's justice system to uphold its obligations under both domestic law and international legal instruments that Iran has itself signed. I urge the Iranian state to tackle this endemic problem as a matter of urgency.
Ireland has been actively involved in raising this case with the Iranian authorities and calling for Mr. Nadarkhani's immediate and unconditional release, including with the Iranian Ambassador here in Dublin. At EU level, Ireland strongly supports the statement on 6 January by High Representative Ashton on this case and calling for an immediate moratorium on the death penalty in Iran.
Ireland and its EU partners will continue to put pressure on Iran to release Mr Nadarkhani and to urge Iran to respect its international human rights commitments, including on the death penalty and on freedom of religion or belief.