Denmark, Belgium Summoning Iran Envoys Over Execution Of Protesters

Following the execution of two more protestors in Iran, Denmark and Belgium announced they will summon Tehran’s ambassadors, and new EU sanctions are on the way.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen told Ritzau news agency on Sunday that Iran's ambassador in Copenhagen will be summoned to convey the Danish government's anger at the Islamic Republic's aggression against its people.

The Danish Foreign Ministry also told AFP that the meeting will take place on Monday.

Meanwhile, Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib wrote on Twitter that she was "horrified" by the executions.

“Together with likeminded EU member states, we will summon the Iranian ambassador. New EU-sanctions are on the table,” reads her tweet.

On Saturday, the judiciary of the Islamic Republic executed two protesters, Mohammad Hosseini and Mohammad Mehdi Karami, on the charge of allegedly participating in the killing of a Basij member named Ruhollah Ajamian.

The execution of the two men came after a hasty trial and without their right to choose a lawyer. Many jurists and human rights activists described the trials as “unfair” and questioned the verdicts.

Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra wrote on Twitter Saturday that he was “appalled by the horrible executions of demonstrators in Iran,” and that the ambassador of the Islamic Republic in Amsterdam will be summoned.

He also said that the fourth EU sanctions package is being prepared, which will be discussed at the next meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council.

The executions drew widespread Western condemnations.