Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

Switzerland condemns violence by Iranian security forces

Iran
Solidarity protests have been taking place in many countries including in Switzerland, where on October 1 thousands of protestors marched in the streets calling for more freedom for women in Iran. © Keystone / Jean-christophe Bott

The Swiss foreign ministry has called on the Iranian government to protect Iranians’ right to freedom of expression amid a violent crackdown on anti-government protests that erupted after the death of a young Iranian woman.

In a statement released on Twitter on Wednesday, the foreign ministry condemned the excessive use of force by Iranian security forces against protestors, writing that Switzerland is “dismayed by the high number of victims in relation to the protests in Iran”.

The ministry called on the Iranian government to exercise restraint and guarantee Iranians’ right to freedom of expression, including on social media.

External Content

The statement comes in response to a violent crackdown on anti-government protests that have spread across the country in the past two weeks. They were triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini, a young Iranian woman who died shortly after being taken into custody by the Iranian morality police on September 13 for allegedly breaking the strict law requiring women to wear a head scarf.

Her family has alleged that the police are to blame for her death. However, the Iranian government has denied this, claiming she suffered a heart attack. Iranian security forces have been accused by human rights groups of killing dozens of people in the protests.

More

The Swiss government also repeated previous calls for the Iranian government to deliver swiftly on its promise for an impartial and transparent investigation into the circumstances of Amini’s death.

News

wingsuit jumper

More

Fatal wingsuit jump accident in canton Ticino

This content was published on A 36-year-old man from Ticino lost his life on Saturday in Val Malvaglia, in the north of canton Ticino, during a wingsuit jump from a plane.

Read more: Fatal wingsuit jump accident in canton Ticino

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR