Kabul concerned over Afghan executions in Iran

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Foreign Ministry on Monday said it was concerned about the periodic executions of Afghan nationals in neighbouring Iran, calling on Tehran to address Kabul’s reservations in this regard.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmad Shakib Mustaghni said Afghanistan objected to the executions of death row Afghan inmates in Iran’s prisons.

Iran on Friday sent into the gallows half a dozen Afghan nationals, who had been there working as labourers, an official in northeastern Takhar province said.

The reaction comes two days Takhar residents said Iran was set to hang another seven Afghans on Saturday.

The dead belonged to Takhar and they had gone to the neighbouring country in search of work, according the governor’s spokesman, Sunatullah Taimori.

Mustaghni said the Iranian government had been conveyed the Afghan government’s grievances and Tehran had been told to show leniency by converting capital punishment into life imprisonment.  

“We have repeatedly urged the Iranian government to carry out transparent investigation into such cases and contact the Afghan Embassy in Iran before handing down such harsh punishment to our nationals,” he added.

Earlier, the Amnesty International and the upper house of parliament expressed grave concerns over the latest executions of Afghans in Iran.

The Mesharano Jirga asked the government to close Iranian charities and other organisations operating in Afghanistan.

nh/rm.ma

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