Wife of Ahmadreza Jalali, dual-national prisoner sentenced to death, describes meeting with Swedish Foreign Minister as 'very disappointing'

Vida Mehran-Nia, the wife of Ahmadreza Jalali, a dual-national Iranian-Swedish prisoner facing execution in Iran, met with Sweden's Foreign Minister on Tuesday, July 3. She described the meeting, aimed at pressuring the Swedish Foreign Minister to advocate for her husband's release, as 'very disappointing.' Ahmadreza Jalali, who has been sentenced to death on charges of 'espionage' by the Iranian judiciary, has been on hunger strike since last week in protest of not being included in the exchange of two Swedish prisoners in Iran for Hamid Nouri. Following the meeting with Tobias Billström, the Swedish Foreign Minister, Mehran-Nia stated that Swedish officials informed her they were following up on her husband's case. However, she expressed that the officials did not provide any 'specific' explanations and she is 'very disappointed.' Mehran-Nia told reporters that Ahmadreza Jalali's health condition is 'concerning' after his hunger strike and he suffers from various illnesses. Stockholm claims it has made every effort to secure Ahmadreza Jalali's release in the recent prisoner exchange, but Tehran refuses to discuss his case as the Islamic Republic does not recognize dual nationality. The Swedish Foreign Minister expressed 'deep sympathy' without referring to the details of his meeting with the Mehran-Nia family. Vida Mehran-Nia committed to continuing her efforts for her husband's release and hopes to receive support from the Swedish government. The Islamic Republic recently executed another Iranian-Swedish individual, Habib Asiyoud, on terrorism-related charges, which faced severe condemnation from Sweden. According to human rights groups, including Amnesty International, the Islamic Republic executes more individuals annually than any country except China. Ahmadreza Jalali, an Iranian-Swedish doctor, traveled to Tehran in spring 2016 at the invitation of the University of Tehran for a lecture and was arrested. The Iranian judiciary has sentenced Ahmadreza Jalali to death on charges of 'espionage,' which he and his wife have repeatedly denied. Recently, Ahmadreza Jalali criticized Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in an audio message for leaving him behind during the prisoner exchange in Iran. He emphasized that his continued detention in Iran is a clear discrimination, referring to the release of Johan Flodros, a Swedish citizen, and Saeed Azizi, a dual-national Iranian-Swedish citizen, who were exchanged for Hamid Nouri. Hamid Nouri, a former deputy warden of Gohardasht Prison, was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Swedish Supreme Court for his involvement in the execution of thousands of political prisoners in the 1980s. Nouri's release and return to Iran sparked a wave of protests and public outrage among Iranians and widespread reactions from political and human rights figures.