Ghazaleh Sharmeh: We are seeking definitive evidence about my father's fate

Ghazaleh Sharmeh, the daughter of Jamshid Sharmeh, a dual Iranian-German citizen whom the Islamic Republic announced last week was executed in Iran, says her family has no evidence of her father's execution and does not know how to return his body home if the death sentence was carried out. Ms. Sharmeh, who resides in the United States, emphasized in an interview with the French news agency published on Monday, November 14, that her father 'may have been poisoned or injected with something, he may have died due to mistreatment after more than 1500 days in solitary confinement, he may have been hanged, or he may still be alive. We do not know.' She states that her father, in addition to being a German citizen, should be considered an American citizen and urged Berlin and Washington to work to follow up on his fate and increase pressure on Tehran. The daughter of this dual citizen says, 'We are still waiting for confirmation from the governments of Germany and the United States to understand what happened to the German-American hostage (referring to Jamshid Sharmeh).' According to her, without evidence, 'we cannot reach a conclusion,' and the governments of Germany and the United States have not provided any other evidence regarding the execution of Jamshid Sharmeh. 'The Islamic Republic has its hand on my father's life.' The Islamic Republic of Iran, which does not recognize dual citizenship, announced four years ago without providing details that it had arrested Jamshid Sharmeh after 'a complex operation.' Jamshid Sharmeh, who was born in Iran and was a citizen of Germany and a resident of the United States, was imprisoned after being kidnapped in the United Arab Emirates through Islamic Republic agents and transferred to Iran. He was sentenced to 'execution' by the Tehran Revolutionary Court in March 2023, and ultimately, on November 7, news of his execution was published by the Mizan news agency affiliated with the Islamic Republic's judiciary. In a statement released by the Tehran prosecutor's office, it was stated that Mr. Sharmeh was 'convicted by a competent court' and on November 7 'received the punishment for his actions.' The statement did not directly mention the execution of his sentence. The Islamic Republic's judiciary accused him of 'designing multiple terrorist operations,' including 'the bombing and explosion of the Seyyed al-Shuhada Hosseiniyeh in Shiraz' in April 2008. Although the German government, relatives, and human rights activists strongly rejected the accusations against this Iranian-German citizen. The announcement of the execution of Jamshid Sharmeh by the Islamic Republic's judiciary received widespread attention and was met with many reactions. Amnesty International described his trial as 'severely unfair' and stated that the Islamic Republic of Iran imposed 'ruthless oppression' on him and his family. Germany also reacted by recalling its ambassador from Tehran and summoning the Iranian chargé d'affaires, issuing an order to close Iranian consulates on its soil, but it was announced that the Iranian embassy in Berlin would continue its work. Annalena Baerbock, the German Foreign Minister, stated that 'we have repeatedly and clearly told Tehran that the execution of a German citizen will have serious consequences,' but Ghazaleh Sharmeh says such actions are not enough and criticized the governments of Germany and the United States for 'not taking practical action.' The daughter of Jamshid Sharmeh said that such actions should have been taken four years ago when her father was kidnapped. She believes that both governments (the United States and Germany) had many opportunities to save her father or at least to cancel his death sentence and called these governments 'accomplices' in the crimes committed against her father.