EU condemns Iranian dissident hangings

The European Union's foreign affairs chief on Friday condemned the executions by Iran of two dissidents convicted in connection with protests over the disputed presidential poll in June.Mohammed Reza Alizamani and Arash Rahmani were hanged on Thursday, having been sentenced to death in mass trials, convicted of being enemies of God and charged with plotting to topple the Islamic regime."The European Union strongly condemns these two executions and expresses its profound concern at the death sentences imposed on persons tried in these mass trials," High Representative Catherine Ashton said in a statement.

The EU "opposes the death penalty, whatever the circumstances," she added. "It calls on the Iranian authorities to suspend the sentences passed and to declare a moratorium on all forms of capital punishment."The hangings drew strong condemnation on Thursday from the United States, Britain and Amnesty International.

The authorities in Iran arrested an estimated 4,000 people including journalists and reformist politicians in a massive crackdown in the weeks following the presidential election.According to officials, 36 people were killed during the riots last June, but the opposition puts the toll at 72. Fresh unrest a month ago resulted in eight deaths and hundreds more people wounded across Iran.The latest hangings bring to at least 12 the number of people executed in Iran so far in 2010. Last year at least 270 people were hanged.