Amnesty International Warns of Possible Execution of Ahmadreza Jalali

Amnesty International has warned against the potential execution of Ahmadreza Jalali, a dual Iranian-Swedish national imprisoned in Iran, and called for its prevention. Amnesty has urged the Islamic Republic to halt any plans for executing this accused individual, revoke his death sentence, and release Mr. Jalali from prison considering his health conditions. Ahmadreza Jalali, a doctor and dual national researcher, was arrested by intelligence agents in Iran in May 2016 while attending a scientific conference. He was subsequently sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court on charges of 'espionage for Israel,' which he has denied from the outset. During a recent prisoner exchange with Sweden, the Islamic Republic of Iran released two Swedish citizens imprisoned in Iran in exchange for the release of Hamid Nouri, a former deputy warden of Gohardasht Prison, while Mr. Jalali remained in prison. Hamid Nouri had been sentenced to life imprisonment in Sweden for his involvement in the execution of thousands of political prisoners in the 1980s in Iran. Ahmadreza Jalali ended his hunger strike in prison due to his deteriorating health. He had gone on a hunger strike in protest of his situation and conditions in prison, but after his health worsened, he agreed to end the strike. Amnesty International emphasized that the detention and trial process of this dual national researcher has been unfair, and he should be protected from further torture and mistreatment while having access to necessary medical care. This human rights organization also called for a prompt and independent investigation and trial regarding those responsible for illegal actions against Ahmadreza Jalali. Vida Mehranian, Ahmadreza Jalali's wife, told Radio Farda on July 6 that her husband ended his hunger strike due to 'severe stomach issues following previous strikes,' 'severe physical weakness,' and 'low heart rate and blood pressure.' On July 3, she wrote on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter): 'Ahmadreza's physical condition is very, very weak, and as he enters the fourth day of the hunger strike, his life is in serious danger.' After the release of Johan Flodros and Saeed Azizi, Swedish citizens during the exchange with Hamid Nouri, Amnesty International expressed satisfaction with this event but continued to urge the Swedish government to do everything possible to bring him home.