Iran's Judiciary Rejects Possibility of Exchanging Ahmadreza Jalali

On Tuesday, June 25, Masoud Setayishi, spokesman for the Iranian Judiciary, ruled out the possibility of exchanging Ahmadreza Jalali, a dual-citizen prisoner in Tehran, for Hamid Nouri.

The Judiciary Spokesperson emphasized that the process of investigating Ahmad Reza Jalali's case has been completed and the case is in the execution stage.

He considered it the responsibility of the prosecutor and the person responsible for executing the sentence to decide when to execute the sentence.

Masoud Setayishi continued: "I clearly declare that the issue of exchanging this person is not an issue."

During the past months, when the trial of Hamid Nouri, the former assistant prosecutor of Gohardasht Prison, was ongoing in Sweden, some media outlets reported the possibility of his exchange with Ahmad Reza Jalali.

The trial of Hamid Nouri, who has been in prison in Sweden since November 2019, on charges of "involvement in the mass executions of 1988 in Iran," concluded two weeks ago in a court in Stockholm, and the court's verdict will be announced on July 13.

Vida Mehrannia, the wife of Ahmad Reza Jalali, said in an interview with Voice of America a month ago that she was not willing to exchange her husband for Hamid Nouri, noting that there were many complaints against him.

According to the "Insaf News" website, Mohammad Hossein Saket, one of Ahmad Reza Jalali's lawyers, said on Sunday, June 1, that he had proven in court, in a detailed bill along with documents, that the accusations and crimes attributed to his client are not true.

Referring to the broadcast of his client's forced confessions on the Islamic Republic Radio and Television, he emphasized that according to the law, those confessions are not admissible, adding that "his client did not make any explicit confession in court."

Hilaleh Moussavian, another lawyer for Ahmad Reza Jalali, also stated that there were numerous legal issues in her client's case, described the video of her client's forced confessions as "fragmented" and said that the lawyers had presented numerous reasons to the court in rejecting the charges.

Stating that Ahmad Reza Jalali's accusation is "corruption on earth through espionage," he emphasized that there is no proportion between this accusation and the punishment imposed.

In recent days, Ahmad Reza Jalali's wife has once again called on the European Union to try to save her husband's life.

In an interview with the German ZDF network, Vida Mehrannia called on the European Union not to allow an innocent man to be killed in this "inhumane manner."

He expressed hope that the European Union would take decisive action to bring his wife home.

Ahmadreza Jalali, an Iranian-Swedish physician and researcher who had traveled to Iran to participate in a crisis management workshop, was arrested in May 2016 and shortly thereafter sentenced to death by Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Abolghasem Salavati.

The Iranian-Swedish doctor has been accused of "espionage," while Ahmadreza Jalali and his family have repeatedly denied the accusation.

The Iranian judiciary has so far failed to provide any evidence to prove his charges, relying only on his forced confessions, which are usually obtained under duress, torture, and long periods of solitary confinement.

Amnesty International issued a statement on Thursday, May 10, accusing the Islamic Republic of using Ahmad Reza Jalali as a "pawn in a ruthless political game."

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

In addition to the requests of human rights defenders, numerous campaigns have been launched and rallies have been held to overturn Ahmad Reza Jalali's death sentence.

However, Zabihollah Khodayian, the former spokesman for the judiciary, announced on May 10 that Ahmad Reza Jalali's death sentence was final and that the judiciary would act based on the issued verdict.

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

Human rights defenders consider foreign or dual-nationality prisoners in Iran to be "hostages" of the Islamic Republic.

Source: Voice of America