Letter from 15 Former Hostages of the Islamic Republic to the Prime Minister of Sweden: Take Serious Action for the Release of Ahmadreza Jalali

Fifteen individuals who were previously taken hostage by the Islamic Republic have sent a letter to the Prime Minister of Sweden, urging more serious actions regarding the case of Ahmadreza Jalali, a Swedish-Iranian prisoner at risk of execution in Iran. They expressed their 'deep concern' over the continued 'lack of meaningful action' by the Swedish government for Jalali's release, stating that as former hostages who endured 'harrowing hardships' of prolonged and illegal detention in Iran, they feel compelled to speak out. They noted that May 7 marks the eighth anniversary of Dr. Jalali's 'unjust detention,' and while many international human rights organizations and the United Nations have condemned his 'illegal detention' and warned about his deteriorating physical and mental health, the Swedish government has taken little action for his release and has failed to provide necessary support and information to Jalali's family. They called on the Swedish government to increase its efforts to rescue all its citizens taken hostage by the Islamic Republic, provide sufficient resources and support to their families, and make a 'clear and explicit' commitment that none of the unjustly detained Swedish citizens will be overlooked in potential negotiations with the Islamic Republic. They emphasized that if Ahmadreza Jalali or any other arbitrarily detained citizens are not included in prisoner-related agreements, it would result in a 'catastrophe of unacceptable dimensions.' The 15 former hostages stated that the Swedish government, as one of the leading democracies in the world, has a clear duty to ensure the safe return of all innocent citizens who are used as pawns in the Islamic Republic's 'malevolent hostage diplomacy.' They also urged the Swedish government to collaborate with other countries whose citizens have also been arbitrarily detained by the Islamic Republic and to address this issue 'at its roots' through the imposition and enforcement of severe sanctions. Ahmadreza Jalali, a Swedish-Iranian citizen, physician, and university professor, was arrested by intelligence agents during a trip to Iran in May 2016 to attend a scientific conference. The Tehran prosecutor announced his death sentence on October 24, 2017. The United States and many Western countries accuse the Islamic Republic of unjustly detaining foreign citizens for political leverage. Signatories of the letter to the Prime Minister of Sweden include Jason Rezaian, Nizar Zaka, Siamak Namazi, Mohammad Bagher Namazi, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, Anoosh Ashouri, Kamran Ghaderi, Morad Tahbaz, Fariba Adelkhah, Emad Sharqi, Barry Rosen, Kylie Moore-Gilbert, Roland Marshall, Benjamin Brier, and Xu Wang.