Iran Suddenly Cancels Video Meeting Between Iranian and German Parliament Representatives
A video meeting that was scheduled to take place between representatives of the Iranian parliament and Germany was suddenly cancelled by Iran. Bijan Jierseraye, a member of the German parliament, was supposed to discuss Nahid Tavaqqoli, a dual-national prisoner.
A video meeting between representatives of the German parliament and the Iranian Islamic Consultative Assembly was cancelled by Iran shortly before the scheduled time. No reason was provided by Iran for cancelling this meeting.
Bijan Jierseraye, an Iranian-born member of the German parliament from the Free Democratic Party (FDP), announced the news to Der Spiegel magazine, saying he suspects the cancellation by Iran was due to new sanctions imposed by the European Union against human rights violators in Iran.
On Monday, April 12th, the European Union sanctioned eight commanders from the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Basij, and police, along with three prisons of the Islamic Republic (Evin Prison, Fashafuyeh Prison, and Rajai Shahr Prison in Karaj). These individuals are accused of human rights violations and suppressing the November 2019 protests.
To date, a total of 87 Iranian political, judicial, executive, and security officials have been placed on the European Union’s sanctions list.
Jierseraye told Der Spiegel that with the cancellation of the Iran-Germany parliamentary meeting, which had been planned for some time, it is likely that no other meeting between these representatives will take place until after September and the German parliamentary elections.
The Iran-Germany parliamentary group is part of a global network of representatives from parliaments around the world, with its programs organized by the German parliament. These meetings sometimes include critical topics as well. Human rights issues have always been a subject of discussion for German representatives in their meetings with their Iranian counterparts.
Last year, no meeting between Iranian and German representatives took place due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Discussion About Nahid Tavaqqoli
Bijan Jierseraye, spokesman for foreign policy of the Free Democratic Party faction in the German Bundestag, was supposed to discuss Nahid Tavaqqoli, an Iranian-German citizen who has been held in Evin Prison since last autumn, in the video meeting with representatives of the Iranian parliament.
Jierseraye and his party colleague from the city of Cologne, where Ms. Tavaqqoli resides, sent a letter about her to Iran’s ambassador in Germany in late March. In this letter, the two German parliamentarians warned about Nahid Tavaqqoli’s condition, noting that she has been imprisoned for approximately five months and that her physical condition is deteriorating and she has no contact with her lawyer. They described these conditions as “unacceptable” in their letter to Iran’s ambassador.
Source: DW
