Switzerland summons Iran ambassador to protest violence

Switzerland has summoned the Iranian ambassador in Bern to express its "deepest concern" about the violence carried out by Iranian security forces against protestors in Iran. + Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) conveyed its incomprehension of such violence and the unprecedented number of deaths in such a short period, FDFA’s head of Middle East and North Africa, Monika Schmutz Kirgöz, told Swiss public broadcaster RTS. + Read about Switzerland's record as an international mediator Switzerland also reiterated its "strong" opposition to any form of death penalty to the Iranian ambassador on Thursday. According to Schmutz Kirgöz, the Iranian government has confirmed that there have been "more or less 2,500 deaths" since the start of the protest movement. The Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights (IHR) reports nearly 3,500 demonstrators killed. This is "unprecedented in such a short time," said Schmutz Kirgöz.