Ahmadreza Jalali, sentenced to death: 9 years have passed; my situation is terrifying

Ahmadreza Jalali, a dual-national Iranian-Swedish prisoner sentenced to death in Iran, in a message from Evin prison, referred to his nearly 9-year imprisonment and called for intensified efforts from Swedish officials for his release. According to Swedish media, this dual-national physician on Tuesday, January 15, on his fifty-third birthday, criticized the delay of Swedish officials in securing his freedom, stating: "It seems that what happens to me as a Swedish citizen does not matter to Swedish officials." Ahmadreza Jalali, recalling that he has spent eight years and nine months in Evin prison without any leave, reported that his life is in danger due to multiple illnesses. In part of his message, he stated: "Since I was arrested in Evin prison in Iran, I have spent 3185 days without any leave in this terrifying cell. Recently, my family celebrated their ninth Christmas and New Year without me. My son was only 4 years old when I was arrested; now he is 13. After nearly 9 horrific years, I suffer from several diseases, such as bone and skin diseases, gallstones, nerve pain, and palpitations that endanger my life and put me at risk of sudden cardiac arrest." This dual-national citizen sentenced to death criticized the inaction of Swedish officials regarding his release, stating that they are aware of his situation "but nothing has happened to improve my condition. It seems that what happens to me as a Swedish citizen does not matter to Swedish officials." In his message, Ahmadreza Jalali continued: "I am now at risk of death either by execution or due to my illnesses. The decision made by [Swedish] officials seven months ago proves my assumption that despite the danger of being executed at any moment, they have left me in this terrifying situation." This dual-national physician added: "It seems that my status as a dual-national has led to me being treated as a second-class citizen. Over the past 9 years, Swedish officials have ignored all the resolutions, reports, and statements issued by the United Nations, the Human Rights Council and its experts, Amnesty International, the European Parliament, academics, and researchers, as well as the requests signed by hundreds of thousands of people worldwide regarding the horrific and torturous situation I am enduring. None of these requests for my release have been acknowledged. Furthermore, none of the Swedish officials have requested evidence of my innocence, the evidence that refutes all the fabricated charges against me, from my wife and family." Ahmadreza Jalali deemed the prisoner exchange agreement ineffective for his situation, stating: "In the past seven months, after the prisoner exchange agreement, the approach has remained the same, and we still hear the same statements from Swedish officials that they are pursuing my case, but in reality, no improvement has occurred, and no action has been taken to bring me home." Ahmadreza Jalali, who was sentenced to death on charges of "espionage," had previously gone on a hunger strike in protest of not being included in the exchange of two Swedish prisoners in Iran for Hamid Noury, a former deputy warden of Gohardasht prison. Hamid Noury was sentenced to life imprisonment, the highest penalty under Swedish law, for his involvement in the execution of thousands of political prisoners in the 1980s. Stockholm claims it has made every effort to secure Ahmadreza Jalali's release in the recent prisoner exchange, but Tehran refuses to discuss his case as the Islamic Republic does not recognize dual nationality. In his recent message, Ahmadreza Jalali once again emphasized his death sentence by the judicial authorities of the Islamic Republic, stating: "I remain alone here without help and in constant danger of execution. I urge Swedish officials to strengthen their efforts to bring me home after 3185 days." Vida Mehran-Nia, Ahmadreza Jalali's wife, previously described her meeting with the Swedish Foreign Minister regarding her husband's release as "very disappointing" and stated that officials did not provide any "specific" explanations, and she is "very hopeless." Ahmadreza Jalali, an Iranian-Swedish doctor, traveled to Tehran in spring 2016 at the invitation of the University of Tehran for a lecture and was arrested and sentenced to death on charges of "espionage." Mr. Jalali and his wife have repeatedly denied these charges. According to human rights groups, including Amnesty International, the Islamic Republic has the second-highest annual number of executions in the world after China.