Iran on Sunday summoned Switzerland's ambassador over a tweet condemning the execution of three men accused of killing security men during protests triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini, Tehran's foreign ministry said.
The Swiss embassy took to Twitter on Friday to "strongly condemn" the execution earlier that day of three men convicted of killing two IRGC-affiliated Basij members and a police officer during last year's protests in the central city of Isfahan.
The Swiss tweet featured an image from a demonstration outside Iran showing protesters raising a poster of Amini and waving Iran's flag during the term of former Shah of Iran Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
Ambassador Nadine Olivieri Lozano was summoned "following Switzerland's interventionist position in our country's internal affairs", the foreign ministry said.
Tehran condemned "the unconventional and unprofessional use of this country's embassy in Tehran in republishing an image with a fake flag".
"Such an unconventional action is not compatible with the friendly relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Swiss Confederation, and should be corrected," the statement added.
The Iranian authorities detained Hossein and Mahdi, two brothers of Majid Kazemi, one of the three protesters who were executed, and his sister, according to the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights.
Relatives of the three men and the human rights organizations insist that they are innocent of the charge of killing security men during the protests in Isfahan in Nov, according to dpa.
The country has been rocked by demonstrations since Amini, 22, died in custody on September 16 following her arrest for an alleged breach of the country's strict dress code for women.
Hundreds were killed including dozens of security men while thousands were arrested during the protests which the Iranian authority insists on calling “riots” incited by foreign countries.
The recent executions on Friday bring the total number of protests-related executions to seven.
The executions drew criticism from the rights organizations that warned weeks ago about the quick pace of executions in Iran.
China has led the way in the total of executions, ahead of Iran, according to an Amnesty International report.
The UN human rights chief, Volker Türk, denounced on May 9 the “frightening” number of executions carried out this year in Iran. More than 10 people are put to death each week in Iran, Türk said.
Iranian authorities executed last year 582 individuals, human rights groups said, a 75% increase from the year 2021, according to the Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR).
An image used by the Swiss embassy in Tehran to which the Iranian foreign ministry expressed objection about it. (EPA)
