Sweden Pursues Ahmadreza Jalali's Case as Its Citizen

The Swedish Foreign Ministry confirmed that the government has granted citizenship to Ahmadreza Jalali, an Iranian researcher residing in Stockholm, who is currently sentenced to death in Iran. Jalali, a physician and professor at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, was arrested in May 2016 in Iran. He has been accused of espionage and transferring information regarding Iran's nuclear scientists to Israel. He was sentenced to death by the Iranian Revolutionary Court, and this sentence has also been upheld by the Supreme Court of Iran. Meanwhile, Reuters reported on Saturday, February 17, the statements of a spokesperson for the Swedish Foreign Ministry, indicating Stockholm's involvement in the case. The spokesperson stated, "We are aware that the immigration office has granted him [Ahmadreza Jalali] citizenship. We are still working on this matter through our consulate and are asking our consulates to maintain contact with our citizens." He added, "We are in regular contact with Iranian representatives and have requested that they facilitate communication with Jalali. We have conveyed Sweden's stance on the death penalty to them and stated that we condemn the death penalty in any form. Our request is that the death penalty not be carried out." Previously, activists and human rights groups, including Amnesty International, have repeatedly called for the cancellation of Ahmadreza Jalali's death sentence. Amnesty International also stated that it received a letter from Mr. Jalali, in which he wrote that he was arrested and tried because he refused to spy for Iran. Mahmoud Sadeghi, a reformist member of the Iranian Parliament, also stated that Jalali was not given sufficient opportunity to defend himself during the proceedings. Sadeghi also added that the confession video of Jalali aired on Iranian television was obtained under duress. In this context, UN experts have called on Iran to revoke Ahmadreza Jalali's death sentence. A letter from Ahmadreza Jalali's wife to Rouhani's deputy: My children have been threatened with abuse. Ahmadreza Jalali's lawyer has requested a review of his client's death sentence. The head of the National Security Commission of Parliament: Ahmadreza Jalali was involved in the assassination of nuclear scientists.