Anger and protests from activists and civil society activists against the release of "Hamid Nouri"

Activists and civil society activists reacted strongly to the release of Hamid Nouri, a former deputy prosecutor of the judiciary.

In recent days, several imprisoned citizens were exchanged in accordance with an agreement between Iran and Sweden, mediated by Oman. Former assistant prosecutor of the judiciary, Hamid Nouri, was released and returned to Tehran in exchange for the release of Johan Flodrus and Saeed Azizi.

He, who had previously sentenced many Iranians to death, is now in Tehran with his family, and this release has provoked a reaction from many people, including “Esmat Vatanparast.” Esmat Vatanparast, whose 11 family members were executed in the 1960s, said in response to Hamid Nouri’s release: “It is true that my heart broke today, tears came to my eyes, but I have hope for you, the people of Iran.”

In response to his release, Nazanin Bonadi released a message on the X network, warning that the Islamic Republic would continue to take hostages of dual nationals, suppress the Iranian people, take hostages of foreign citizens, and create terror abroad. She also said: "The international community must adopt a new approach to achieve a different result. An approach that, instead of compromising with the Islamic Republic, deters it."

Shahryar Shams, a civil activist in Iran, also posted a message on X Network in response to Hamid Nouri's release, writing: "The release of Hamid Nouri, even after the deaths of Ebrahim Raisi and his foreign minister, showed that the Islamic Republic's negotiations with foreign governments are not being conducted by the president and his team. So, do not vote with promises and under the pretext of openness and interaction with the world."

Shirin Ebadi, a human rights activist, lawyer, and Nobel Peace Prize winner, referred to the presence of the wife of Ahmad Reza Jalali, a political prisoner in Iran, in front of the Swedish Foreign Ministry on Sunday, calling Hamid Nouri's release a shameful exchange and said: "I ask all Iranians and citizens who consider Hamid Nouri a murderer and the Islamic Republic a criminal against humanity, and who believe that appeasement with the executioners is unacceptable, to accompany the wife of Ahmad Reza Jalali."

Hamed Esmailiyon, a member of the board of directors of the PS752 Flight Victims' Families Association, wrote in response to Hamid Nouri's release: "The exchange of Nouri, Asadi, and other criminals with the hostage-taking government of the Islamic Republic is not unpredictable. The people of hypocrisy, taqiyyah, and death have relied on hostage-taking since the beginning of their rise, and will continue to kidnap and bargain for the release of their terrorists in the future."

Hamed Esmailiyon defended the process of holding the trial in Sweden for Hamid Nouri, calling it a successful example of transitional justice and one of the trials that could be held within the country after the overthrow of the Islamic Republic. According to him, the trial was an opportunity for the victims and surviving families to speak about their suffering and the details of the crime.

He also wrote: "It is our goal to hold such a trial in the future and in a free Iran. Prosecution based on human rights laws and in the same place where the crime was committed. That day will come, we will neither forget nor forgive the perpetrators and instigators of the crimes."