Amnesty International Calls for Investigation into the Cause of Jamshid Sharmad's Death

Amnesty International announced that it is "shocked and angry" that Iranian authorities "in a disgusting act to hide the truth, removed the heart, thyroid, tongue, and larynx of Jamshid Sharmad before returning his body to Germany." Jamshid Sharmad, an Iranian-German political activist, died under unclear circumstances in Iranian prisons last November. Mr. Sharmad was abducted by the Islamic Republic's security forces while staying at a hotel in Dubai during a business trip amid the COVID-19 pandemic and was transferred to Iran. Following the autopsy of Mr. Sharmad's body in Germany, Ghazaleh, Mr. Sharmad's daughter, stated at a ceremony held for him on April 22 in Berlin: "Our lawyers have said that my father's heart and tongue have been removed, and he was not returned completely. Under these circumstances, the cause of death cannot be determined, but further investigations must be conducted." In response to this news, Amnesty International wrote that "we call on the German Federal Prosecutor's Office to initiate a criminal investigation and, if there is sufficient credible evidence, to issue arrest warrants for those suspected of committing crimes against Jamshid Sharmad, including torture and enforced disappearance." This response adds that "the cause and circumstances of Jamshid Sharmad's death, as well as the actions of those who manipulated or destroyed evidence that could have clarified the truth for German authorities, must be thoroughly investigated, and all responsible parties must be held accountable." Jamshid Sharmad was imprisoned in Iranian prisons after his abduction until the Islamic Revolutionary Court sentenced him to death in March 2023. On November 7, the Tehran Prosecutor's Office announced in a statement published by the Mizan news agency that this political prisoner was "convicted by a competent court" and on November 7, "received his just punishment"; however, there was no direct reference to the execution of his sentence. A few days later, the spokesperson for the Islamic Republic's judiciary claimed that Jamshid Sharmad had not been executed and had "died" before the execution of the sentence. Mr. Sharmad's death led to diplomatic tensions in relations between Tehran and Berlin, prompting the German government to close three of its consulates in Iran. The judiciary and other senior officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran accused Jamshid Sharmad of "designing multiple terrorist operations," including the "bombing and explosion of the Seyyed al-Shuhada Hosseiniyeh in Shiraz" in April 2008. However, the German government, relatives, and human rights activists strongly reject the accusations against him.