Execution sentence of jailed Swedish-Iranian by the Islamic regime in Iran
A reaction to the trial of Hamid Nouri in Sweden!
The Swedish government and other European governments must stop the Islamic regime’s hostage taking!
Mr Ahmad Reza Djalali, an Iranian-Swedish dual national was arrested, tortured, and then sentenced to death in Iran. He has been held in prison in Iran to be used as a hostage. The Islamic Regime is trying to use Djalali in exchange for Hamid Nouri, who committed a crime against humanity, and is currently in Swedish prison awaiting his sentencing.
In April 2016, Mr Ahmad Reza Djalali, a medical doctor, lecturer, and researcher, was arrested upon arriving in Tehran, Iran. He travelled to Iran because he was officially invited to speak at the University of Tehran. He was then arrested by the order of IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) without any arrest warrant or reasons as to why he is being arrested. He was then put in prison on a fabricated charge of being espionage, tortured, and then sentenced to death. Like other jailed dual nationals, Mr Djalali has been held in prison to be used by the Islamic regime as a hostage and a bargaining chip in their negotiations with the EU and the US.
Hamid Nouri, who participated in the massacre of political prisoners in 1988, was arrested during a visit to Sweden in November 2019 and his trial started in November 2021. Nouri was a deputy prosecutor at Gohardasht Prison near Tehran-Iran. Aside from his role in hunting down and arresting opposition members, he had a major role in executing thousands of political prisoners in the summer of 1988 in Iran.
The last hearing session of Hamid Nouri was on the 4th of May 2022 in Stockholm-Sweden. During the months of his trial, tens of witnesses, including survivors of 1988 and expert witnesses, presented their detailed testimonies in court. The survivors’ testimonies included their encounters with Nouri while in prison in 1988, and the horror of being interrogated by him and also by the members of the ‘Death Panel’. Nouri and the ‘Death Panel’ decided on the prisoners’ faith, tortured them, and sent them to be executed by hanging, or firing squad, in the summer of 1988.
The Nuri’s trial was extremely emotionally difficult and overwhelming for all the survivors of 1988 including the families of those who were executed and survivors of torture, including myself. The families and survivors of the 1988 massacre had to relive the nightmare of one of the most brutal crimes against humanity committed by the Islamic regime in Iran.
The trial of Hamid Nouri is a historic moment and a significant achievement for the movement to seek justice. This trial is significant not just for Iranian people but for the people around the world. After all, crime against humanity is a crime against all, anywhere in the world.
In the last court hearing of Nouri, the prosecutor requested a life sentence for Nuri for his role in torturing and executing thousands of political prisoners. Immediately following that, the Islamic regime announced and threatened that Mr Djalali would be executed at the end of May 2022. The Islamic regime made this threat hoping that Nouri is released.
The trial of Hamid Nouri is an enormous milestone in exposing crimes committed by the Islamic regime. This crime is not limited to Nouri. The current president of the Islamic regime, Ibrahim Raisi, had an even more significant role and responsibility in the execution of thousands of political prisoners in the summer of 1988. Raisi was a member of the ‘Death Panel’ and gave the order to execute thousands of prisoners.
In the summer of 1988, thousands of political prisoners were executed in only 3-4 weeks. They executed these political prisoners and dumped their bodies in mass graves, never to be found. After 34 years, many families still do not know where the bodies of their loved ones are buried; some families have been arrested and tortured only because they are demanding to know the truth including where they were buried. Until now, no one within the Islamic regime, including Raisi, has been charged for the massacre of 1988.
The trial of Hamid Nouri is tremendously significant as this is the first time that someone from the Islamic regime with a role in the massacre has been arrested and charged by a judiciary of a European country. Nouri’s sentencing will open the door for further investigations into other regime members who participated in the massacre of 1988 in Iran. This is why the officials of the Islamic regime have reacted to Nour’s trial, officially opposed it and called it “illegal” and recently summoned the Swedish ambassador to Iran.
Mr Djalali has been jailed in Iran since 2016, being tortured and given a death sentence. He went on hunger strike several times to protest against his situation. His wife and children live in Sweden and have not seen him since 2016, and they are extremely worried about what happens to Mr Djalali.
On behalf of the Campaign to Free Political Prisoners in Iran (CFPPI), I urge the Swedish Foreign Minister, Ms Ann Linde, to take urgent and effective action using any opportunities and measures to demand the immediate and unconditional release of Ahmad Reza Djalali. I would urge Ms Ann Linde to involve the European Parliament, EU governments, and UN Human Rights Council, to pressure the Islamic regime to release Djalali.
The hostage-taking of the Islamic regime must be stopped and the Swedish and other EU governments can do this. They can and must stop the Islamic regime from taking more hostages by putting collective pressure on the regime, and prioritise the release of dual nationals, like Mr Djalali, over any economic and or political gains and agreement.
We call on all concerned individuals and organisations, to send an email/tweet to Anne Linde, the Swedish Foreign Minister, and demand that the Swedish government must put pressure on the Islamic regime to release Ahmad Reza Djalali immediately and unconditionally.
Tweet: @AnnLinde
Email: ud.registrator@gov.se
We also invite you to participate in the day to support Ahmad Reza Djalali on 14th May 2022. Please see the following link for more information:
Shiva Mahbobi
Spokeswoman for Campaign to Free Political Prisoners in Iran (CFPPI)
www.cfppi.org
Shiva.mahbobi@gmail.com Tel: +447572356661
