The European Union on Saturday condemned in the “strongest terms” Iran’s execution of Ruhollah Zam, a former opposition figure convicted of involvement in 2017 protests.

“The European Union condemns this act in the strongest terms and recalls once again its irrevocable opposition to the use of capital punishment under any circumstances,” said a statement from the EU’s External Action Service.

“It is also imperative for the Iranian authorities to uphold the due process rights of accused individuals and to cease the practice of using televised confessions to establish and promote their guilt.”

Zam was charged with “corruption on earth” — one of the most serious offences under Iranian law — and sentenced to death in June.

State TV aired an “interview” with him in July, in which he is seen saying he believed in reformism until he was detained in 2009 during protests against the disputed re-election of ultra-conservative president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

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The EU said the death penalty was “a cruel and inhumane punishment” that did nothing to deter crime.

“The European Union calls on Iran to refrain from any future executions and to pursue a consistent policy towards the abolition of the death penalty.”

(AFP)