Iraqi: If Jamshid Sharmeh's family wishes, transferring his body anywhere is permissible

Iran's Foreign Minister states that the family of Jamshid Sharmeh, a dual Iranian-German citizen who reportedly died in custody, can request an autopsy and the transfer of his body to any location they desire. According to a text published by the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) from Abbas Araqchi's interview with the German magazine Spiegel on Friday, November 9, he claimed that the Islamic Republic of Iran is also in contact with German officials regarding this matter. Araqchi stated that according to Iranian law, the family of the deceased decides on the burial location. He asserted that if the Sharmeh family officially requests it, transferring the body for burial anywhere is 'permissible.' Ghazaleh Sharmeh, Jamshid Sharmeh's daughter, stated on November 5 in an interview with Agence France-Presse that the family does not know how to return his body home. She also suggested that her father 'might have been poisoned, injected with something, died due to mistreatment during over 1500 days of solitary confinement, been hanged, or might still be alive.' The Iranian Foreign Minister denied that this political prisoner was tortured, claiming that while something might have happened at the time of arrest, no torture occurred during detention. Araqchi then confirmed his claim by stating that Jamshid Sharmeh's body is 'available and if his family wishes, we have no problem with even conducting an autopsy.' In another part of his interview with Spiegel, he acknowledged the ambiguity of the statement released by the Tehran prosecutor's office regarding Mr. Sharmeh's death and added that if necessary, the Iranian judiciary would release more information on this matter. The Iranian Foreign Minister also considered whether Sharmeh was executed or died naturally as a 'secondary issue.' Jamshid Sharmeh, born in Iran, was a German citizen residing in the United States and was transferred to prison in Iran after being abducted in the United Arab Emirates by agents of the Islamic Republic. In March 2023, the Revolutionary Court sentenced him to 'execution,' and ultimately on November 7, news of his death was published by the Mizan news agency, affiliated with the Iranian judiciary. The Tehran prosecutor's statement published by Mizan stated that Mr. Sharmeh was 'convicted by a competent court' and on November 7 'received the punishment for his actions,' but did not directly refer to the execution of his sentence. A few days later, the spokesperson for the Iranian judiciary announced that Jamshid Sharmeh was not executed but had 'died' before the sentence was carried out. The judiciary and other senior officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran accused Jamshid Sharmeh of 'designing multiple terrorist operations,' including 'bombing and exploding the Seyyed al-Shuhada Hosseiniyeh in Shiraz' in April 2008. However, the German government, relatives, and human rights activists have strongly rejected the accusations against him. The announcement of Jamshid Sharmeh's execution by the Iranian judiciary received widespread attention and was met with many reactions. Republican Senator Marco Rubio recently wrote in response on social media that under the Biden-Harris administration, the Iranian regime has become bolder and referred to Jamshid Sharmeh's execution as based on 'false accusations.' Ghazaleh Sharmeh: We are seeking definitive evidence about my father's fate.