The Netherlands today accused Iran of not meeting normal standards of civilised behaviour for not allowing relatives to bury a Dutch-Iranian woman executed last month, and recalled its ambassador to Iran.
Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal told Reuters the Dutch ambassador to Tehran was being recalled in protest at the case of Zahra Bahrami (45), who Iran said it hanged in Tehran on January 29th for drug smuggling.
Instead of the normal procedure of handing over the body to family members for burial, Ms Bahrami's remains were taken 400km from Tehran and interred with no relatives present.
"This is a shocking fact which bears upon the regime which does not meet the normal standards of civilised behaviour towards citizens and foreigners," Mr Rosenthal told Reuters, ahead of a meeting with the Jordanian monarch in Amman.
According to postings on Iranian blogs and news websites, Ms Bahrami died when she was tortured under interrogation by the Iranian authorities.
Asked about the allegations of torture, Mr Rosenthal said: "I am not entering into this now, simply now it's that the next of kin have not been permitted to go through a mourning process which should be allowed to anyone who is losing next of kin."
The Dutch ambassador to Iran has now been recalled. "I am shocked by this situation and for that matter I have recalled my ambassador in Tehran for urgent consultations just to show to the regime that we consider this to be a totally disrespectful behaviour vis-a-vis the next of kin of the executed Madame Bahrami," Mr Rosenthal said.
Ms Bahrami's family has said the drug-smuggling charges were fabricated after she was arrested for taking part in anti-government protests in 2009.
Dutch television reported after Ms Bahrami's death that she had been convicted in the Netherlands in 2003 for smuggling 16kg of cocaine from the Caribbean.
In the wake of Ms Bahrami's death, relations between The Netherlands and Iran have rapidly deteriorated.
Reuters