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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Friday, July 31st 2015

Austrian Crane Manufacturer Palfinger Eyes Iran’s Execution Market

CEO Ortner sees huge demand for cranes in Iran - Palfinger crane was used for executions in 2011 - STOP THE BOMB condemns Iran business

Austrian crane manufacturer Palfinger has apparently not learned anything from the company’s past. Although the use of at least one of its cranes in Iran for executions has been documented, Palfinger CEO Herbert Ortner yesterday described Iran as a "promising market". There is an especially high demand for cranes in the country, Austria’s Press Agency APA quoted him say. The Salzburg based company does not seem to have any problem at all with the fact that this high demand is due to the mass executions taking place in Iran at the moment. According to Amnesty International, the regime has executed at least 700 people in 2015.

STOP THE BOMB spokesperson Stefan Schaden explains: "Palfinger is one example, which clearly shows, that Austrian companies do not care at all about the disastrous human rights situation when it comes to doing business in Iran. In fact they support the regime and its inhuman policies as long as it serves their profit interests. The Austrian Economic Chamber WKO and Austrian politics in general encourage this attitude with the planned visit to Iran of Austrian President Heinz Fischer, Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz, Economy Minister Reinhold Mitterlehner and WKO President Christoph Leitl. While European companies rush into business with the Iranian regime, the Iranian population is thrown under the bus as the regime is enabled to continue with its brutal oppression."

Photo: Palfinger crane used in a public execution in Iran in 2011 http://www.worldpressphoto.org/collection/photo/2012/contemporary-issues/ebrahim-noroozi/07




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