By Daphne Rasehei- Emtv Online
A topless activist has staged a mock hanging from a Paris bridge, to protest the visit of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to France.
Rouhani is in the French capital to formalise new business deals between the two countries, after economic sanctions to Iran were lifted in 2015.
Rouhani was met with protests, particularly over recent executions in Iran.
A member of women’s rights group Femen was hung from the Debilly footbridge, execution-style, with an Iranian flag painted on her chest.
Femen France’s spokesperson, Sarah Constantin, said: “We organised this public display as a little reminder of the fact that every year, more than 800 people are sentenced to death in Iran. Among them are women, feminists, homosexuals, and free-thinkers that are rotting on death row, just because they are free-thinkers. And Francois Hollande doesn’t take any of this into account.
“It shows that Francois Hollande doesn’t care about human rights. The only thing he cares about is business…”
Iran is one of the World’s largest users in death penalty, ranking second to China. Most Iranian executions are linked to drug smuggling.
Sarah Constantin also stated that the “public hanging” was to call attention to those executed for political reasons and put pressure on Hollande to bring up human rights in his meeting with Rouhani.
Read the full story at International Business Times and see footage of the protest at Radio Free Europe.
