Amnesty International: Ahmadreza Jalali May Be Sentenced to Death

After Ahmadreza Jalali's wife reported to Radio Farda about Judge Salavati's threat to issue a death sentence for this Iranian researcher, Amnesty International stated that Iranian judicial authorities have threatened him with execution. Amnesty International reminded that Mr. Jalali has been on a hunger strike for a month and a half. According to this non-governmental organization, he was taken to Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court without a lawyer at the end of January, nine days ago, where the judge threatened him with execution on charges of 'espionage.' Mr. Jalali's lawyer informed the organization that this potential sentence has not yet been officially announced and the trial is ongoing. 'Amnesty International' stated that at the end of last year, Ahmadreza Jalali was pressured to sign documents alleging espionage for a 'hostile government.' Following his refusal to sign these documents, he was threatened with a 'moharebeh' sentence. In protest against these events, this imprisoned researcher and physician has gone on a hunger strike. Previously, on February 4, Vida Mehran-Nia, Mr. Jalali's wife, told Radio Farda that Judge Abolqasem Salavati announced her husband's sentence as 'death.' As reported by 'Amnesty International,' Ms. Mehran-Nia also stated that this threat occurred in Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court after her husband was asked to 'break his hunger strike.' Ahmadreza Jalali, a physician and researcher born in Iran and residing in Sweden, was arrested in Tehran on April 24 of this year and has been in Evin Prison since then. This is not the first time this researcher has traveled to Iran; he has come and gone for research and educational programs, and according to his wife, his entry and exit have 'always been without problems.' Amnesty International stated that it is unaware of the content of the statements that Mr. Jalali has been 'pressured to sign.'