Iran’s Judiciary Denies Possibility of Exchanging Ahmadrezа Jalali for Hamid Nouri

Masoud Setayeshi, spokesman for Iran’s Judiciary, on Tuesday, June 24, denied the possibility of exchanging Ahmadrezа Jalali, a dual national prisoner in Tehran, for Hamid Nouri.

The judiciary spokesman emphasized that the proceedings in Ahmadrezа Jalali’s case have concluded and the file is now at the stage of enforcing the sentence.

He said that the decision on the timing of sentence execution is the responsibility of the prosecutor and the official in charge of enforcing the sentence.

Masoud Setayeshi further stated: “I clearly announce that the issue of exchanging this person is not on the table.”

During the past months when the trial of Hamid Nouri, a former Gohardasht Prison official, was taking place in Sweden, some media outlets had reported the possibility of his exchange for Ahmadrezа Jalali.

Hamid Nouri’s trial sessions, which have been held in a Swedish prison since November 2019, on charges of “involvement in mass executions in 1988 in Iran,” concluded two weeks ago in a court in Stockholm, and the court’s verdict will be announced on July 14.

Vida Mehran Nia, wife of Ahmadrezа Jalali, said a month ago in an interview with Voice of America that, noting numerous complaints against Hamid Nouri, she is unwilling to have her husband exchanged for him.

According to the website “Edalat News,” Mohammad Hossein Sakat, one of Ahmadrezа Jalali’s lawyers, said on Sunday, June 1, that in a detailed petition accompanied by documents submitted to the court, he has proven that the charges attributed to his client are incorrect.

Referring to the broadcast of his client’s coerced confessions on Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, he emphasized that according to law, those confessions are not admissible, and added that “his client has made no explicit confession before the court.”

Halale Mousavian, another lawyer for Ahmadrezа Jalali, also stating that there are numerous legal defects in his client’s case, described the video of his client’s coerced confessions as “edited” and said that multiple reasons for rejecting the charges have been submitted to the court by the lawyers.

Stating that Ahmadrezа Jalali’s charge is “corruption on earth through espionage,” she emphasized that there is no proportionality between this charge and the prescribed punishment.

Ahmadrezа Jalali’s wife also appealed to the European Union in recent days again to make efforts to save her husband’s life.

Vida Mehran Nia in an interview with Germany’s ZDF network called on the European Union to prevent an innocent man from being killed in this “inhumane manner.”

She expressed hope that the European Union would make decisive action to bring her husband home.

Ahmadrezа Jalali, an Iranian-Swedish physician and researcher, who had traveled to Iran to participate in a crisis management workshop, was arrested in April 2016 and subsequently sentenced to death by Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, headed by Judge Abolqasem Salavati.

The charge against this Iranian-Swedish physician is “espionage,” while Ahmadrezа Jalali and his family have repeatedly denied this charge.

Iran’s judicial system has so far provided no documents or evidence to prove his charge and only relies on his coerced confessions. These confessions are typically obtained under pressure, torture, and prolonged solitary confinement.

Amnesty International on Thursday, April 19, in a statement accused the Islamic Republic of using Ahmadrezа Jalali as “a pawn in a ruthless political game.”

This human rights organization has repeatedly called for the release of Ahmadrezа Jalali.

Beyond the calls from human rights defenders, numerous campaigns have been launched and gatherings held to overturn Ahmadrezа Jalali’s death sentence.

Nevertheless, Zabihollah Khadiyan, former spokesman for the Judiciary, announced on April 10 that Ahmadrezа Jalali’s death sentence is final and the judiciary will act based on the issued ruling.

The Iranian government in recent years has imprisoned a number of foreign nationals or dual nationals and in return for their release has demanded payment or the release of Iranians imprisoned abroad.

Human rights defenders consider foreign nationals or dual nationals imprisoned in Iran to be “hostages” of the Islamic Republic.

Source: Voice of America