BERLIN, 13 Nov. (DPA/EP) –
The Iranian government lashed out hard this Sunday against German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, warning him that his comments on the protests that are sweeping the country will cause “long-term damage” to diplomatic relations.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani called Scholz’s comments “provocative, meddling and undiplomatic” which sabotaged the historic relationship between the two countries.
“We recommend to the German government that it finds its way back at its discretion to avoid further disruption of bilateral relations,” said Kanaani, whose government has exempted security forces from responsibility and blamed most of the protests on the action. of foreign powers.
Scholz harshly criticized in a podcast the way in which the Iranian government has acted in the face of the protests over the death in custody of the young Mahsa Amini, and which, according to NGOs, have left around 330 dead due to the repression.
“What kind of government is it that shoots its own people?” Scholz questioned, before adding that anyone doing so should expect resistance.
Amid criticism from abroad, the Iranian Parliament also denied reports of a request by the majority of lawmakers for harsher punishments for protesters detained in Iran.
“The letter from 227 deputies mentioned in the media represented false documents and, therefore, the information in this regard is denied,” Parliament announced in a press release issued today.
According to the Fars news agency, which quoted the statement, some lawmakers had only called for harsh punishments for those involved in the killings and bloodshed during the riots.
Last week, 227 of the 290 deputies had issued a statement accusing protesters across the country of “war against God” and demanding that the judiciary hand down the corresponding sentences, according to the media.
Islamic law determines that the charge of “war against God” can carry the death penalty, and this is how the statement by the Iranian Parliament was interpreted abroad.
Observers in the country considered that the government’s statement about the alleged forgery is a step backwards.
They see the denial as an attempt to back down from the call for death sentences for the protesters, which was condemned in the strongest terms both in Iran and abroad, by politicians including German Chancellor Scholz.
Iran’s parliament has been dominated since 2020 by hardliners who have become known for their often radical decisions.
