Dialogue Between German and Iranian Foreign Ministers on the Fate of German Prisoners in Iran

On Friday, Annalena Baerbock, the German Foreign Minister, spoke with Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, her Iranian counterpart, regarding the status of two German citizens imprisoned in Iran. This phone call came amid recent criticisms from human rights activists and families of German prisoners in Iran. Jamshid Sharmad, a German citizen of Iranian descent, was abducted by Iranian authorities in late July 2020 and was sentenced to death earlier this year on charges of 'corruption on earth.' Nahid Taghavi, another German citizen of Iranian descent, was sentenced to 10 years and 8 months in prison after her arrest in Tehran in August 2021. The German Foreign Ministry stated that the two ministers discussed 'with a particular focus on Germany's consular cases' during this phone call. A spokesperson for the German Foreign Ministry responded to a question about the call, saying, 'Germany's position regarding the Iranian regime is very clear; we condemn any violation of human rights in Iran.' On December 2, the European Parliament issued a resolution noting 'the worsening human rights situation in Iran and the brutal killings of women by Iranian authorities, including the killing of Mahsa Amini, a Sakharov Prize laureate,' calling on Iranian officials 'to immediately end any discrimination against women and girls, including mandatory hijab, and to repeal all discriminatory gender laws.' The resolution also condemned arbitrary detentions, denial of medical services to detainees, police violence, torture, capital punishment, and the alarming increase in the number of executions. The European Parliament condemned the Iranian regime's 'hostage diplomacy' and called on the European Union to counter this action. Members of the European Parliament also demanded the immediate and unconditional release of dual nationals and non-Iranian citizens imprisoned in Iran, including Johan Floudros, Ahmadreza Jalali, Nahid Taghavi, Kamran Ghaderi, and Jamshid Sharmad. On the first day of the annual conference of NoFedi, Ghazaleh Sharmad stated that Western support for the people of Iran for regime change has not been sufficient. She added that Ebrahim Raisi should be held accountable in a court rather than accusing countries at the United Nations. Ghazaleh Sharmad emphasized that the media should publish their narrative rather than that of the Islamic Republic. The European Parliament called on the Islamic Republic to end 'discrimination against women and girls' and 'hostage diplomacy.' Ghazaleh Sharmad mentioned that her father suffers from advanced Parkinson's disease, and there is a risk of his execution at any moment.