France called Thursday, November 18 for the release of Iranian human rights activist Narges Mohammadi, defender of the death penalty in her country, arrested on November 16 according to Paris.
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Narges Mohammadi, spokesperson for the Center for Human Rights Defenders founded by Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi, is "
a figure in the defense of fundamental freedoms
" in his country, French diplomacy underlined.
"
Her activities, particularly in favor of the abolition of the death penalty and the fight against violence against women, have already earned her several unacceptable prison sentences and corporal punishments
", recalled the spokesperson for the Quai. d'Orsay.
Sentenced for "propaganda against the system"
The human rights activist, released in October 2020 after five years in prison, was again sentenced in May to 80 lashes and 30 months in detention, for "
propaganda against the
Iranian political
system
", defamation and "
rebellion
" against the prison authority. He is accused of having issued a statement against the death penalty and of having organized a sit-in protest during his detention in Evin prison in Tehran.
According to the reformist daily Etemad, the activist, also a journalist, declared that she had "
been beaten and harassed
" in this prison.
According to the international press organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF), she was also transferred "
by force
" from Evin prison to Zanjan penitentiary (north-west).
France called on Iran to "
respect its international commitments
" in terms of human rights, "
in particular the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
".
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