France 'deeply worried' by human rights situation in Iran

The French government said on Thursday it was "most deeply worried" by the continuing deterioration of respect for human rights in Iran and called on Tehran to halt detentions and repression of dissidents. The French Foreign Ministry said in a statement it had observed "a constant deterioration" in the human rights situation in Iran and noted a worsening of prison conditions for opponents and dissents in the infamous Evin prison in the Iranian capital. "We are profoundly shocked to learn of the death in detention of blogger Sattar Beheshti," the statement said. "We call on the Iranian authorities to shed all light on the circumstances of his death," it pointed out. France said that it had learned that conditions in Evin prison had been hardened and that 33 prisoners there had denounced their treatment. This is "a source of major concern for France," the Foreign Ministry said. The repression of dissident voices which are peacefully expressed in Iran is unacceptable," Paris indicated.