Reprieve, a charity which offers free legal support to people facing execution, believe that the EU is funding programs that work with iran's drug police force, the force responsible for the majority of Iran's 977 executions last year. 682 drug offenders were executed last year and 474 in 2014.
EU funding
The EU helps to fund the United Nations Office on drugs and Crime (UNODC), with this money going to program called "Afghanistan and the neighbouring countries," a program which helps to facilitate the Iranian drug force.
As such Reprieve are calling on the EU to clear up the reports seen in the Iranian media, suggesting that the EU is wanting to help fund the Iranian force through UNODC.
This can be seen as the EU tacitly giving consent to the Iranian human rights abuse and using EU citizens tax money to do so.
The reports in the Iranian media state that the European Commission wants to send funds to Iran purely for the benefit of their anti-narcotics officers. There is now a draft resolution working its way through the European Parliament. With the resolution aiming to "ensure that any technical or other assistance offered to Iran is not used to commit human rights violations."
Reprieve can prove EU links
Whilst Denmark, Sweden, and Norway want to help secure funds for Iran, the UK, Austria, Italy, and Germany are saying they will not contribute to any fund that will be used to fund the Iranian drug's force, what they say and what actually happens is a very different matter.
Reprieve can prove links for the UK giving money going back to 1985.
Despite the money being given to this force and the number of executions happening, even for minor non-violent offenses, the Iranian deputy head of the judiciary, Mohammad Bagher Olfat, has admitted that there has been no reduction in drug trafficking in Iran.
Since 1985 the UK has given almost $30 million to anti-narcotic efforts in Pakistan and Iran. It would be hard to believe that the UK's money was not used to help execute some of Iran's convicted. Reprieve have also managed to find a direct link between European funding and 3,000 executions. As the EU gives more money, there are more convictions and with more convictions, more people facing the death penalty.
