Chancellor Olaf Scholz has sharply criticized the Iranian government for its actions against demonstrators. "Who shoots at their own people? The Iranian government does that, and that's why we will continue to position ourselves very clearly there," said the Chancellor on Thursday on the sidelines of the EU summit in Brussels. "What the Iranian government is doing is unacceptable, is not justifiable."

According to human rights activists, at least 18,000 participants in the system-critical demonstrations that have been going on for almost three months have been arrested, and more than 475 demonstrators are said to have been killed in the protests. In November, demonstrators were sentenced to death for the first time. The second protester was executed on Monday, causing horror and outrage at home and abroad. According to media reports, at least 23 other demonstrators face the death penalty.

The current protests in the country were triggered by the death of the Iranian Kurd Jina Mahsa Amini. She died in police custody on September 16 after being arrested by the Morality Police for breaking the Islamic dress code. Since her death, tens of thousands have been demonstrating across the country against the government's repressive course and the Islamic system of rule.