Australia Summons Iran’s Acting Ambassador To Condemn Public Execution Of Protestor

Australia has summoned Iran’s acting ambassador to condemn the execution of an anti-government protester, vowing to continue pressuring against the regime’s “egregious human rights abuses”.

Australia has summoned Iran’s chargé d’affaires in Canberra Mohammad Pournajaf six times since the protests crack down started in September.

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Officials have also spoken to him by phone once.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade told the Guardian in a statement it had “most recently summoned the chargé on [Monday] to express our deep concern over the execution of Mohsen Shekari, the continued use of the death penalty, and the rights of religious minorities in Iran”.

Mr Shekari was hanged last Thursday morning, after being found guilty by a Revolutionary Court of "moharebeh" (enmity against God), state media said.

Meanwhile, just yesterday, more fears emerged Iran is prepared to execute scores more protestors after authorities hanged a man in a public killing.

Majidreza Rahnavard was sentenced to death by a court in the city of Mashhad, a centre of the protests, for allegedly killing two members of the paramilitary Basij force and wounding four other.

Mr Rahnavard was not prohibited from choosing his own lawyer, challenging the evidence against him, or asking for the trial to be held in public.

Since protests began in mid-September, 488 people have been killed according to Human Rights Activists in Iran, a group that has been monitoring the protests.

A further 18,200 people have been detained by authorities.

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