Prisoner Exchange Between Iran and Sweden; Activists' Protests Over the Release of Hamid Nouri

The release of Hamid Nouri, a former deputy warden of Gohardasht Prison who was imprisoned in Sweden, has sparked widespread reactions following a prisoner exchange between Iran and Sweden on Saturday, June 16. Nouri, who was released in exchange for Johan Flodros and Saeed Azizi, stated upon his arrival in Tehran that he is "Hamid Abasi," a pseudonym he used as a deputy warden during the executions of political prisoners in 1988. Political activists and human rights defenders have strongly criticized the Swedish government's approach during the exchange, deeming it "shameful." In this context, Vida Mehran-Nia, the wife of Ahmadreza Jalali, a jailed researcher in Iran, announced that she would protest this "shameful exchange" in front of the Swedish Foreign Ministry with her children on Sunday afternoon. The exchange of Hamid Nouri with two Swedish prisoners occurred while Ahmadreza Jalali, an Iranian-Swedish doctor and researcher, remains imprisoned in Iran. He was arrested by intelligence agents during a trip to Iran for a scientific conference in May 2016. Shirin Ebadi, a lawyer and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, stated, "This morning, the Swedish government, by handing over a 'criminal' to the Islamic Republic, which had been sentenced to life imprisonment after a nine-month trial in Sweden, has tarnished the image of justice that exists in the world." She added, "This disgrace and scandal will never be forgotten. If Europe knows that there is no way to free its citizens other than handing over 'criminals,' it must clearly tell its citizens that Iran is a dangerous destination and that every European citizen on Iranian soil is a potential hostage for the Islamic Republic." Reza Pahlavi, the former crown prince of Iran, also wrote on social media: "The release of Hamid Nouri, a war criminal, by the Swedish government is an insult to the rule of law, human rights, and minimal dignity." He added, "This irresponsible appeasement with the criminal regime ruling Iran has not even managed to save all hostages and will lead to more hostage-taking and extortion." Nazanin Boniadi, an actress and political activist opposing the Islamic Republic, wrote on social media on Tuesday, June 18, "This cycle continues. The Islamic Republic will take more innocent and dual-national citizens hostage, suppress people inside, and instill fear outside." Boniadi further stated, "The international community needs a new approach. Something that provides deterrence, not appeasement." Ghazaleh Sharmard, daughter of Jamshid Sharmard, a dual-national Iranian-German citizen facing execution in the Islamic Republic's prison, sarcastically wrote on social media: "We should congratulate the Swedish Foreign Minister and Prime Minister, Josep Borrell, and other EU leaders who tirelessly worked for the release of a mass murderer of the Islamic regime, Hamid Nouri." She further congratulated these European political figures for "respecting the trauma and pain of the families of 30,000 executed Iranians who had to travel to Sweden for over 90 court sessions and repeatedly confront their torturer, Hamid Nouri," stating that today the "legal claims" and "justice" of these families have been stolen. Mohammad Habibi, spokesperson for the teachers' union, wrote on social media on Saturday that "the value of Johan for the European Union is equivalent to the value of Hamid Nouri for the Islamic Republic." He mentioned that he had shared a room with him for a week and that Nouri was fluent in several languages, including Middle Eastern languages. Alireza Akhundi, a member of the Swedish Parliament, also deemed the exchange of Hamid Nouri by the Swedish government to Iran as "an insult to the Swedish judicial system and all Swedish-Iranian citizens" who have lost loved ones to the crimes of the Islamic Republic. Akhundi wrote on social media: "This is a ruthless blow to the wife and children of Ahmadreza Jalali, who have not seen their father for years. The irresponsible Swedish government has abandoned a Swedish citizen to his fate." Hamed Ismailioun, a political activist and member of the families seeking justice for the downed Ukrainian plane, wrote on social media: "The exchange of Nouri, Asadi, and other criminals with the hostage-taking government of the Islamic Republic is not unexpected. The hypocrites and deceivers have relied on hostage-taking since their emergence and will continue to kidnap and bargain for the release of their terrorists in the future." Reza Moieni, one of the founders of the "Kahravan Campaign," also reacted to this prisoner exchange between Iran and Sweden, stating: "Hamid Nouri was not acquitted in a fair and just trial with the benefit of a lawyer and the right to defense, nor was his punishment reduced in the appeals court. The exchange of Hamid Nouri with foreign hostages is not that significant." He added: "The Stockholm court condemned Hamid Nouri for the mass killing of political prisoners in 1988 based on the principles of universal justice, and this judicial process in the world is an important document for seeking justice and for truth and justice." Abdullah Mohammadi, Secretary-General of the Komala Party, also stated that "no dirty deal with murderers and hostage-takers" can "take back the great achievement" of Mr. Nouri's trial for the justice-seeking movement. Mohammadi continued: "European governments must know that their appeasement of the Iranian regime can only encourage this regime for more hostage-taking, kidnapping, extortion, and terrorism." The spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry also described the release of Hamid Nouri as a manifestation of the Islamic Republic's "power diplomacy." Nasser Kanani stated that the release of Hamid Nouri is "another manifestation of the Islamic Republic of Iran's power diplomacy in achieving and securing national interests and also firmly supporting the rights of Iranians." The spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry also thanked Oman for its role in facilitating the prisoner exchange between Iran and Sweden. Hamid Nouri, 62, was arrested by Swedish police on November 9, 2019, upon his arrival at Stockholm Airport on a direct flight from Iran, based on complaints from human rights activists and opponents of the Iranian government. The Swedish prosecution's case against Hamid Nouri was based on evidence related to the secret execution of several thousand political prisoners in the summer of 1988 in the prisons of the Islamic Republic. At the time of the summer executions of 1988, Hamid Nouri was the deputy warden of Gohardasht Prison under the pseudonym "Hamid Abasi." Although he and his lawyers made various statements in court regarding this matter, the Swedish prosecution filed charges against Hamid Nouri based on the principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows for the prosecution of crimes regardless of where they were committed. Swedish judicial authorities also tried him on this basis. In a case that lasted for 93 sessions in the Swedish judiciary, at least 60 plaintiffs and witnesses and 12 experts in Islamic jurisprudence and international law spoke about Hamid Nouri's case. At the end of a lengthy trial, a court in Sweden sentenced him to life imprisonment for "gross violations of international humanitarian law and murder" in July 2022. An appeals court also confirmed the life sentence for Mr. Nouri on December 19. In March 2023, the Swedish Supreme Court announced that it would not review Mr. Nouri's appeal against the life sentence he received for participating in the mass execution of political prisoners in the summer of 1988, thus upholding his life sentence.