Letter from Ahmadreza Jalali's Wife to Rouhani: Act Before It's Too Late

The wife of Ahmadreza Jalali, an Iranian doctor sentenced to death on espionage charges, has written a letter to Hassan Rouhani, urging the President to form an impartial committee to investigate the "violation of his civil rights" by the Ministry of Intelligence before it is too late. In the letter sent exclusively to Radio Farda, Vida Mehranian refers to Rouhani's statements about civil rights, expressing her continued hope for the realization of these promises. Mehranian writes: "At the same time, the actions of several interrogators from the Ministry of Intelligence under your administration, in collusion with Judge Salavati and state television, regarding the broadcast of contradictory and staged films about my defenseless husband, Dr. Ahmadreza Jalali, a doctor and expert in natural disaster crises, is another clear indication of the violation of his civil rights, as well as those of our children, his elderly and heartbroken mother, and myself within that important security apparatus." In the televised confessions aired from Ahmadreza Jalali, prepared by the anti-espionage section of the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence, it is claimed that he was recruited by someone in a European country and sent information to Mossad. After the broadcast of this film, titled "Axe on the Roots," Ahmadreza Jalali stated in an audio file attributed to him that his confessions were made under pressure and that he had no access to a lawyer or investigator. He claims that his responses to those who introduced themselves as "foreign agents" were not included in the film. He asserts that he completely rejected the requests of these agents for information, but this part was omitted from the film. Ahmadreza Jalali has strongly denied any collaboration, providing information about nuclear scientists, or any other sensitive information to foreign security services and Mossad. Now, in her letter to Hassan Rouhani, Vida Mehranian writes: "You rightly stated that ministers should report to me every six months and to the people once a year regarding the implementation of civil rights. Given the danger to my husband's life, I kindly request that you promptly order the removal of the offending interrogators and prevent them from interfering with and pressuring the judiciary in the ongoing proceedings and the request for retrial. Such a report should be prepared by an impartial committee selected by you regarding the actions of the interrogators of the Ministry of Intelligence in your administration in my husband's case and made available to you for decision-making..." Vida Mehranian also mentioned in her letter to the Iranian President that the interrogators of the Ministry of Intelligence threatened her husband in solitary confinement in Ward 209 with the harassment of their children to pressure him into producing the "Axe on the Roots" film with "edited false and fabricated content." Ahmadreza Jalali's wife expressed confidence that if such an investigation were conducted, Hassan Rouhani would realize that there are "factions" within the Ministry of Intelligence that are undermining the civil rights program and discrediting the President's promises. Vida Mehranian writes: "As an Iranian citizen who has voted for you twice, I ask you to address your promise regarding the implementation of civil rights, particularly concerning the actions of several interrogators from the Ministry of Intelligence in sacrificing my husband and playing with his life and the fate of our children and family." Vida Mehranian concludes her letter by testifying as a child of the Azerbaijan region that Ahmadreza Jalali "has never been willing to betray our homeland in the slightest and has not engaged in espionage for any foreign country." Ahmadreza Jalali, who has residency in Sweden and has collaborated as a researcher with the University of Piemonto in Italy, was arrested in May 2016 while traveling to Iran at the invitation of the University of Tehran.