Hamid Nouri Returns to Iran; Two Swedish Citizens Imprisoned by the Islamic Republic Released

Hamid Nouri, the former deputy prosecutor of Gohardasht Prison in Karaj, returned to Iran on Saturday, June 16, after a swap with two imprisoned Swedes. Upon arrival at Mehrabad Airport, Nouri stated in a speech on state television, "You said even God couldn't free Hamid Nouri. You saw that He could." Previously, Kazem Gharibabadi, Secretary of the Islamic Republic's Human Rights Headquarters, announced on the same day that Nouri had been released and was returning to Iran. Gharibabadi claimed that Nouri had been held illegally in Sweden since 2019, calling his release a success attributed to various Iranian institutions, including the judiciary and the Ministry of Intelligence. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson also stated on the messaging platform 'X' that two imprisoned Swedes, Johan Flodros and Saeed Azizi, had been released and were on their way back to Sweden, noting that they had been detained without reason. He added, "The Swedish government has worked hard for their release. Today they will land in Sweden and reunite with their families and loved ones." Meanwhile, there has been no news regarding Ahmadreza Jalali, a Swedish-Iranian prisoner at risk of execution in Iran. Previously, Vida Mehranian, Jalali's wife, criticized the Swedish government for doing nothing to secure his release. The state news agency of Oman confirmed on Saturday that the three individuals had been transferred from Tehran and Stockholm to Muscat, the capital of Oman, before returning to their countries. In this context, Reza Shafakhah, lawyer for Saeed Azizi, reported that "this exchange took place without my knowledge as a lawyer and that of my client's family." Earlier, the Judicial Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran had warned on June 9 about the Swedish government's "preparations" for the release of Hamid Nouri, a former official of the Islamic Republic's judiciary. The committee stated, "The Swedish government intends to pass a law in its parliament, similar to Belgium, allowing foreign prisoners in Sweden to serve their sentences in their home countries." According to the statement from the Judicial Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, which is close to the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization, the Swedish Minister of Justice said this action aims to reduce the workload of the prison administration and save taxpayers' money. The committee emphasized that this law will come into effect a year later, starting from July 1 next year, and assessed Stockholm's action as "copying Belgium's government in releasing the terrorist diplomat, Assadollah Assadi," adding that this action is a "preparation for the release" of Hamid Nouri and strongly condemned it. The committee stressed that "rewarding those involved in massacres, torturers, terrorist bombers, and agents of the IRGC and clerical intelligence emboldens them in genocide, crimes against humanity, and rampant terrorism, and is contrary to international law." Reactions to Hamid Nouri's release included Mahmoud Amiri Moghaddam, director of Iran Human Rights, who wrote, "Hamid Nouri's release by the Swedish government is another shameful page in the history of Western countries' foreign policy towards the Islamic Republic. The smoke of this policy will return to their eyes because such transactions encourage and strengthen the Islamic Republic's hostage diplomacy." Shiva Mahbubi, a women's rights activist and spokesperson for the Committee for the Freedom of Political Prisoners in the UK, reacted to the news of the release of the two Swedish citizens by the Swedish Prime Minister, saying, "The Swedish government has released the criminal Hamid Nouri. Shame on you. If the Swedish judicial system is truly independent, why was Hamid Nouri released? However, the evidence of Nouri's crimes and those of his accomplices will not disappear and will still be used as evidence in courts." Daniela Sepehri, a journalist and human rights activist in Germany, also criticized Hamid Nouri's release, asking why "you do not release all Swedish hostages?" referring to Ahmadreza Jalali. Kambez Ghafouri, a journalist and human rights activist in Finland, described Hamid Nouri as a "war criminal," calling it "a disgrace for the Swedish government and the free world." He wrote, "By releasing Hamid Nouri, Sweden has succumbed to the hostage-taking policies of the Islamic regime. This action not only slaughtered justice in the face of terrorism but also showed that crimes can be overlooked through hostage-taking and political pressure. This decision will lead to distrust in the Swedish judicial system and its human values." Khakereh Moieni, from the families seeking justice for Khavaran, wrote, "Shame on you for betraying the belief in justice." Atena Daemi, a human rights activist in Canada, also wrote, "It was clear from the beginning that Hamid Nouri's case would end in his exchange and release. The Islamic Republic has been using the hostage-taking of citizens from other countries and making baseless accusations against them for years to pave the way for prisoner exchanges with money or the release of its criminal elements, and unfortunately, other countries have repeatedly proven that they prioritize their own people's interests over resisting the bullying and hostage-taking of the Islamic Republic." Previously, the Supreme Court of Stockholm had reaffirmed on March 7 that it rejected Hamid Nouri's appeal against his life sentence, confirming the previous ruling. The life sentence, the highest penalty under Swedish law, was finalized on December 19 after an appeal court hearing in Stockholm for Hamid Nouri, who was accused of involvement in the mass executions of political prisoners in the 1980s. Following Nouri's arrest in Sweden and his trial for his role in the mass executions and torture of political prisoners, relations between Tehran and Stockholm soured. Several human rights activists claim that the Islamic Republic uses false accusations to detain foreign citizens, especially those with dual nationality, to use them as political bargaining chips, effectively taking these citizens hostage.