Human rights activists' letter to German Foreign Minister to save Jamshid Sharmahed's life
Dozens of journalists and human rights activists have written a letter to the German Foreign Minister, urging him to take all diplomatic measures to prevent the possible execution of Iranian-German prisoner Jamshid Sharmehed.
Family members and dozens of journalists and human rights activists wrote an open letter to German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock, urging her to use all diplomatic means to pressure the Islamic Republic and save the life of Jamshid Sharmehed, a dual Iranian-German prisoner.
The letter, while expressing concern about the prisoner's health in Iran, states that "this political prisoner is at risk of execution and Germany must take immediate action to prevent him from being hanged."
Jamshid Sharmehed, 66, was kidnapped by Islamic Republic security forces in Dubai in August 2020 and transferred to Iran. At the time, the Islamic Republic's Ministry of Intelligence issued a statement announcing that it had arrested the leader of the "Thunder" group "in a complex operation."
Jamshid Sharmehed lived in Germany before immigrating to the United States and settling in California. Having founded an engineering company in Germany in 1997, he moved to the United States in 2003 and launched the website “Tander” and then, in 2007, Radio Tander, as a media outlet for the “Iranian Royal Society.”
Jamshid Sharmehed is facing charges of "spreading corruption on earth," which carries the death penalty in the Islamic Republic.
The Islamic Republic's judiciary accuses Sharmehd of involvement in an attack on a mosque in the southern Iranian city of Shiraz in 2008 that killed 14 people. His family denies the charges, and after the first court hearing, they called all of his charges fabricated and a propaganda stunt.
Ghazal Sharmehed, the prisoner's daughter, and dozens of human rights activists and journalists have told Annalena Barbok: "It is very important that the German federal government takes immediate action to prevent a planned state assassination against Mr. Sharmehed."
The letter to the German Foreign Minister continues: "We urge you to take immediate, serious and sustained action to save the lives of this 66-year-old German citizen and his family from this horrific act. We demand that this matter be given priority and that a crisis management team be formed."
In addition to members of Sharmehed's family, the letter was signed by various human rights activists, including Martin Lesnenstein, spokesperson for the International Human Rights Council; Ulrike Becker, an official at the Berlin-based Middle East Freedom Association; Masih Alinejad, journalist; Shiva Mahboubi, spokesperson for the Campaign to Free Political Prisoners in Iran; Jamshid Barzegar, journalist; and Nazanin Bonadi, actress and human rights defender.
According to Ghazala Sharmehed, she only has one month left to save her father's life.
Sharmehed’s family said they were “deeply concerned” about the prisoner’s condition. The letter also noted that the judge in Sharmehed’s trial was Judge Abolghasem Salavati, the same judge who sentenced Ruhollah Zam to death.
Ruhollah Zam was kidnapped by IRGC intelligence agents in Iraq in October 2019 and transferred to Tehran. His death sentence was carried out on December 12, 2020.
Source: DW
