European parliamentarians quizzed Zarif about human rights violations in Iran

Zarif

EU-Iran relations should not improve at the expense of human rights, members of Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament said in Tuesday’s debate with the Iranian regime’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

In his first-ever visit to the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, members told him “the human rights situation in Iran, the death penalty, public executions and the prosecution of bloggers and journalists are unacceptable and will serve as a litmus test for future relations,” according to a report published on the Parliament’s website.

Reuters reported: “European parliamentarians quizzed Zarif about alleged human rights violations in Iran, Iranian defense spending and nuclear activity and Tehran's stance on Middle East conflicts that have killed hundreds of thousands of people and driven millions from their homes, spurring a large influx of refugees into Europe.”