Court in Tehran: German-Iranians sentenced to death

A German-Iranian who had been in prison for months was put on trial in Tehran. Now Jamshit Sarmat has been sentenced to death. Human rights activists and relatives criticize the practice.

German-Iranian Djamshid Sharmahd has been sentenced to death in Iran in a controversial trial. A revolutionary court in Tehran charged the 67-year-old Mizan with a terrorist attack, the Justice Portal reported. The judgment can be appealed to the Supreme Court.

In 2020, Sharmad was arrested in Dubai

Activist Sharmad was reportedly arrested by the Iranian secret service in Dubai in the summer of 2020 and taken to Iran. Since then he has been imprisoned in Tehran.

Sharmat previously lived in the US for several years. His family and human rights organizations have previously denied the allegations against him. Sharmad was involved in the exiled resistance group “Volunteer” (ED) in the United States, which advocated a return to the monarchy.

Iran’s judiciary has claimed responsibility for the 2008 attack on a mosque in the city of Shiraz that killed several people. Three people have already been hanged as a result.

As an engineer and IT professional, Sharmat participated in a radio program hosted by the Exile group. In 2019, the group’s website, which has since been deleted but can be accessed in archived form, said the radio show broadcast content about politics and history, but also gave instructions on how to protest. The volunteer group condemned the persecution of its members by the Islamic Republic.

See also  KYIV MEDIA RELEASE: Ukranian troops win victory in Treoblastenek

Merz wanted to gain political support

It is not clear whether Sarmad will be able to receive diplomatic assistance from the German embassy in Tehran. Iran considers dual nationals to be legally Iranian. Amnesty International previously described the trial as a show trial.

CDU leader Friedrich Merz announced in early January that he would accept Sharmat’s political sponsorship. “Through my sponsorship, I want to be an example to all men and women fighting for a free, self-determined life in Iran,” Merz’s Twitter account said. The world is watching what is happening in Iran.

Many European citizens are currently detained in Iran, many of them Iranian nationals. Critics accuse Iran of holding foreigners as political hostages. Tehran denies the allegations and usually justifies the arrests with espionage charges.