Amnesty International has called for the immediate release and annulment of the death sentence of Ahmad Reza Djalali, an Iranian-Swedish dual national researcher who has been arbitrarily detained in Iran for over eight years. Despite exhausting all legal avenues to overturn his death sentence, Djalali is in serious danger of execution.
Unfair Trials and Health Concerns
Djalali, a doctor and researcher in crisis and emergency management, was arrested during a trip to Tehran in April 2016. He was invited by the University of Tehran and Shiraz University to participate in a crisis management workshop. Djalali was held in solitary confinement for seven months until his execution sentence was announced in October 2017 on charges of “espionage” and “corruption on earth”. The Iranian judiciary and security apparatus accused Djalali of involvement in the murder of two Iranian nuclear scientists based on “confessions” extracted under torture in solitary confinement. Throughout this period, Djalali had no access to a lawyer.
Amnesty International has repeatedly stated that “corruption on earth” does not comply with the necessary clarity and precision requirements in criminal law. In December 2018, Djalali’s lawyers were informed that the Supreme Court had confirmed the death sentence without giving them the opportunity to present defenses. Since late December 2018, Djalali’s “forced confessions” have been repeatedly broadcast on state television.
In a letter written in a new campaign by Amnesty International for Djalali’s freedom, addressed to Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the head of the judiciary of the Islamic Republic, it is mentioned that Djalali suffers from heart arrhythmia, anemia, and high blood pressure and has been deprived of timely and adequate medical care. His health condition has worsened after a hunger strike in June.
Human Rights Violations
Djalali’s arrest, due to serious violations of his right to a fair trial, including the principle of innocence, the right not to self-incriminate, the right to trial in an independent and impartial court without undue delay, access to a lawyer from the time of arrest, adequate defense, protection from torture and ill-treatment, and challenging the legality of his arrest, has turned into arbitrary detention.
Human rights organizations and United Nations-affiliated institutions have identified fundamental flaws in the handling of charges against Djalali in numerous reports and have called his trial unfair due to numerous violations in the case formation process.
The Case of Hamid Nouri
Hamid Nouri, known as Hamid Abbasi, was arrested in Sweden in November 2019 and sentenced to life imprisonment. The Swedish government exchanged him with two Swedish nationals who were imprisoned in Iran, and he was returned to Iran on June 15, 2024. Although the Swedish government could have returned Djalali to Sweden in this exchange with the Iranian government, it exchanged two other Swedish prisoners with Nouri.
Nouri, after five years of detention and life imprisonment in Sweden, was exchanged with two Swedish nationals through Omani mediation. He is known as one of the perpetrators of torture and execution of political prisoners in the 1980s, especially in 1987. His trial was held in 92 sessions with the presence of survivors, families of executed prisoners, and prisoners who had seen him in prison. He was the first person to be tried and convicted as an individual involved in the torture and massacre of political prisoners in the 1980s. Nouri was sentenced to life imprisonment in both the first and appellate courts.
After the official announcement of his arrest, human rights and political activists outside Iran described Nouri’s exchange as Europe’s surrender to the hostage-taking and ransom-seeking of the Islamic Republic. The Islamic Republic of Iran continues to issue and carry out death sentences without reconsideration. For instance, on July 5, the campaign to defend Sharifeh Mohammadi announced the issuance of a death sentence in the first instance court for this labor activist. Seven months after her arrest, the Iranian judiciary and security apparatus accused Mohammadi of “rebellion”, a charge that led to the issuance of a death sentence in the first instance court.
Rebellion or armed uprising against the foundation of the Islamic Republic of Iran is considered a crime and is punishable. The sentence for the crime of rebellion, depending on whether the rebel has used a weapon or not, will be either execution or discretionary imprisonment. In any case, when the charge of the crime of rebellion is brought against individuals after a complaint or report by judicial officers, this charge must be dealt with in the public prosecutor’s office and the revolutionary court, and ultimately a sentence must be issued.
According to a report by the Iran Human Rights Organization in 2023, the Islamic Republic executed 834 prisoners. This figure represents a 40% increase compared to the previous year. In more than twenty years in Iran, the annual documented execution statistics have only exceeded the 2023 figure once.
This is a summary of original Radio Zamaneh content crafted with the help of AI, edited by a Radio Zamaneh editor. To read the original article, click here.
