Solidarity Network for Human Rights in Iran: Democracy Will Be Established with the End of the Islamic Republic

"The Solidarity Network for Human Rights in Iran" welcomed the confirmation of Hamid Nouri's conviction in the Swedish appeals court, stating that "the Khavaran victims are alive, and the prerequisite for achieving democracy in Iran is the end of the repressive regime of the Islamic Republic." The statement noted that "the impact of Hamid Nouri's arrest and trial on the leaders of the Islamic government is such that Raisi, a key member of the death committee, dared not come to Geneva and participate in the Human Rights Council meeting." The network pointed out that "unfortunately, judges like Salavati and Mogheiseh, as well as torturers, do not learn from Hamid Nouri's fate and continue to torture prisoners and carry out executions." The network also referred to the revelations by Toumaj Salehi regarding torture in prison and emphasized that the Iranian regime will attempt to pressure the Swedish government with innocent hostages it holds to secure Hamid Nouri's release, similar to the release of Assadollah Assadi in Belgium. Over the years, the Islamic Republic's government has arrested several citizens and dual nationals on security charges in Iran. Some of them, like Ahmadreza Jalali, have been sentenced to heavy penalties such as death. The Solidarity Network for Human Rights in Iran described the outcome of the appeals court in Stockholm as "a great victory for grieving mothers, justice seekers, the families of prisoners and victims, human rights activists, environmentalists, and democratic political forces." The signatories of the statement, along with organizations affiliated with this network, echoed Narges Mohammadi's sentiment: "The prerequisite for achieving democracy in Iran is the end of the repressive regime of the Islamic Republic." The statement also called on all Iranians, regardless of their affiliations, to unite for "the freedom of all political and ideological prisoners and to achieve the implementation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Iran without the oppressive Islamic government." The Republican Associations of Germany and the Netherlands, the Ismail Khoei Foundation, the Kurdish Human Rights Defenders Association, the Human Rights Campaign for Iran, and 21 other organizations in Europe, America, and Canada have signed this statement. The Swedish appeals court confirmed Hamid Nouri's life sentence on Tuesday, December 19, for his involvement in the mass execution of political prisoners in the 1980s. Hamid Nouri, who was known by the alias Hamid Abbasi, a former deputy prosecutor in the Islamic Republic's judiciary, was arrested in November 2019 by a Swedish court. He was sentenced to life imprisonment and ordered to pay compensation to the families of the executed after 93 hearings in the Stockholm District Court for his complicity in the massacre of prisoners in 1988. He and his family, along with the Islamic Republic, have protested this ruling. Ladan Bazargan stated that the confirmation of Hamid Nouri's sentence signifies the end of the era of impunity for the officials of the Islamic Republic. The confirmation of the life sentence for Hamid Nouri has brought joy to the demonstrators outside the court. Iraj Mesdaghi remarked that the confirmation of Hamid Nouri's sentence is a significant defeat for the Islamic Republic. One day after Nouri's sentence was confirmed in Sweden, the judiciary announced the holding of the third session of the Floodros trial on charges of "corruption on earth." The life sentence for Hamid Nouri was confirmed in Sweden; the Islamic Republic condemned it; opponents expressed their satisfaction.