Switzerland has criticised the use of the death penalty in Iran, in particular the execution of minors.

At a meeting on human rights, Bern also condemned corporal punishment, violations of the expression of opinion and the repression of Kurds and members of the Baha'i faith.

The criticism was made during talks in the Swiss capital between the foreign ministry and an Iranian delegation led by the deputy foreign minister, Sayed Mohammed-Ali Hosseini.

A Swiss foreign ministry statement on Tuesday said both countries had agreed on closer collaboration in the field of juvenile justice.

The talks were the fourth round of human rights dialogue between Switzerland and Iran since 2003.

Last week, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva condemned the execution of two young people for crimes committed when they were minors.

It said the executions represented a clear violation of international law.

An Iranian foreign ministry statement said that the Bern talks also touched on Iranian concerns in the field of "Islamophobia" and problems of the Muslim minority in Switzerland.

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