Amnesty International: Jamshid Sharmahd, Dual-National Political Prisoner, Faces Danger of Execution
Amnesty International warned on Thursday, April 16, that Jamshid Sharmahd, a 66-year-old Iranian-German prisoner, faces the danger of execution, and in a letter addressed to Iran’s head of judiciary, called for the release of this political prisoner.
According to the organization’s report, more than eight months have passed since Jamshid Sharmahd, leader of the Tondar group, was “arbitrarily” arrested by security forces of the Islamic Republic, and throughout this period, he has been deprived of access to an independent lawyer and fair trial.
The news of Mr. Sharmahd’s abduction in Dubai and his transfer to Tehran by Iranian government agents was released on August 2, 2020. The Islamic Republic has accused Mr. Sharmahd of participation in a bombing operation at a Husseiniya in Shiraz.
Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence immediately after announcing Mr. Sharmahd’s arrest, broadcast and published forced “confession” videos of him in domestic media, including on Iranian state television.
Amnesty International has also expressed concern about the exact location of Jamshid Sharmahd’s detention in prison and his family’s lack of information about his condition.
According to the human rights organization’s report, Mr. Sharmahd suffers from underlying diseases such as diabetes and heart problems, as well as Parkinson’s disease, and requires daily medication.
This is while there is no information about this prisoner’s access to medicine and medical care, and his family is deeply concerned about his physical condition, especially amid the coronavirus pandemic crisis.
Ghazel Sharmahd, Jamshid Sharmahd’s daughter, told Radio Farda on April 5 that her father had reported in his last contact a 20-kilogram weight loss during his detention.
Following the “arbitrary” arrest of a number of Iranian-German citizens by Iran’s government, Germany’s Foreign Ministry on November 22 of last year issued a statement urging dual-nationality individuals to avoid unnecessary travel to Iran.
Islamic Republic officials have repeatedly arrested Iranian dual-nationals and foreign citizens on charges of “action against national security” and “espionage,” and in some cases have used them as leverage in negotiations with Western countries.
Source: Radio Farda
