Commenting on the arrest of Iranian human rights activist Narges Mohammadi, Markus Löning, the Federal Government Commissioner for Human Rights Policy and Humanitarian Aid at the Federal Foreign Office, issued the following statement in Berlin today (11 June):

”I am deeply concerned about the news of Narges Mohammadi’s arrest. Ms Mohammadi has long worked courageously to ensure that human rights are respected in her country. Her case is an example of the continuing suppression of opinion and disregard for basic human rights in Iran.

I call on the Iranian Government to work for the immediate release of Narges Mohammadi and to honour the international commitments it has made to protect the civil and political rights of the Iranian people.“

Narges Mohammadi is the President of the Executive Committee of the National Peace Council in Iran as well as a close confidante of the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and human rights activist Shirin Ebadi. She was arrested in Tehran on 10 June.

Iran has signed and ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.