Spain and Switzerland on Monday expressed concern over ongoing protests in several parts of Iran, urging authorities to end violence against demonstrators and respect fundamental rights.
In a statement, the Spanish Foreign Ministry condemned "the violence carried out against peaceful protesters in Iran and demands that the country's authorities respect and guarantee the exercise of freedom of expression and peaceful demonstration."
The Spanish government also called on Iranian authorities to "immediately lift all restrictions on communications and put an end to arbitrary arrests of peaceful protesters," the ministry said.
It added that it is closely monitoring developments in coordination with its embassy in Tehran, which remains "fully operational."
The Swiss Foreign Ministry said it is "following the numerous arrests and deaths in connection with the protests in Iran with great concern."
"Switzerland calls on the Iranian authorities to end the violence against demonstrators and to guarantee the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all the protesters," the ministry said in a post on US social media platform X.
Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger said she was "deeply shocked" by the developments, condemning the "brutal crackdown" on demonstrators.
"Therefore, I have summoned the Iranian ambassador to make Austria's position unequivocally clear," she said on X. "The violence must end immediately. Iranians must be able to exercise their rights without fear of repression, imprisonment, and lethal violence."
The minister also urged the release of all those imprisoned for peaceful protest.
Belgium's Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot also voiced the "utmost" concern over the situation.
Prevot said he had summoned the Iranian ambassador to Belgium to "strongly condemn all the violence perpetrated by the regime, the arbitrary detentions, the intimidation, the internet shutdown, all aimed at suppressing a peaceful movement, a movement calling for democracy, the legitimate aspiration of Iranian men and women for a better life."
"I continue to monitor the situation closely with my European colleagues," he said, adding that Belgium was prepared to discuss further European sanctions on Tehran.
Iran has been rocked by protests since late December, beginning at Tehran's Grand Bazaar on Dec. 28, amid a sharp depreciation of the Iranian rial and worsening economic conditions. Demonstrations later spread to several cities across the country.
There are no official casualty figures, but HRANA, a US-based rights group, said at least 544 people have been killed, including security forces and protesters, with more than 1,000 injured.
The group also reported that at least 10,681 people have been detained during protests at 585 locations nationwide, including 186 cities across all 31 provinces.
