Warning of "Retaliatory" Execution for Dual-Citizen Prisoner Ahmadreza Jalali Raises Concerns
In the wake of the Swedish Court of Appeal affirming the life sentence of Hamid Nouri, the former assistant p
Hengaw: Saturday, January 23, 2023
In the wake of the Swedish Court of Appeal affirming the life sentence of Hamid Nouri, the former assistant prosecutor of Gohardasht Karaj Prison, for his role in the killing of political prisoners in 1988, apprehensions about the potential retaliatory execution of Ahmadreza Jalali, a dual Iranian-Swedish citizen held in Iran, have escalated.
According to Hengaw, Ahmadreza Jalali, a 52-year-old researcher arrested by the Intelligence department during a scientific trip to Iran seven years ago, faces an imminent risk of execution and is currently incarcerated in Tehran's Evin prison.
On Friday, December 22, 2023, Amnesty International issued a warning regarding the impending and retaliatory execution of Ahmadreza Jalali, stating, "The international community, including Sweden, should urge Iranian authorities to halt any plans for Ahmadreza Jalali's execution and secure his release."
Amnesty International's warning follows the Swedish court's December 19 decision, sentencing Hamid Nouri to life imprisonment, equivalent to 25 years, and ordering compensation for the families of deceased political prisoners from the 1980s in Iran.
In 2016, Ahmadreza Jalali, a university professor, was sentenced to death by Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court on charges including "espionage and selling information to Israel" and "corruption on earth" after months of detention in Iranian security centers.
Serious concerns about the retaliatory execution stem from public threats and retaliation by Iranian government authorities and affiliated media. Kazem Gharibabadi, the secretary of Iran's judicial system human rights headquarters, warned after Hamid Nouri's judicial sentence confirmation: "This action of Sweden will not be without cost for him."
Previously, Iranian government media, echoing security institutions' accusations of espionage, framed Ahmadreza Jalali as a "spy," suggesting that his execution would be a reaction to the Swedish judicial outcome in Hamid Nouri's case.
The Islamic Republic of Iran has faced repeated accusations from human rights organizations of holding citizens of foreign countries hostage, particularly those with dual citizenship, for political leverage.
