Iran's embassy in China has rejected reports that a number of Iranian nationals have been executed in China on charges of drug smuggling, Press TV reported.
Reports have circulated in the past couple of weeks that a number of Iranians convicted of drugs smuggling in China have been put to death by the Beijing judicial authorities.
Tehran's embassy in Beijing rejected the reports on Friday, asserting in a statement that "no Iranian has been arrested in the past year for drug smuggling, or executed for that matter."
"Since three years ago, a total of 46 Iranians have been charged with illegal drug trade in China. Most of these people were not drug smugglers but were in fact ordinary airline passengers, who were unaware of the illegal narcotics packed in their luggage," Mehr News Agency quoted the embassy as saying.
The embassy added that a number of the detainees have been sentenced to death in initial court rulings two years ago and are pending the final verdict of the appellate court in Beijing.
"Tehran's embassy in Beijing is determined to defend the rights and interests of all Iranians residing in the People's Republic of China," the statement concluded.