The German-Iranian and regime critic Jamshid Sharmahd was abducted by the Iranian secret service in Dubai on 28 July 2020 and then brought to Iran via Oman. For three years, he was held in solitary confinement in a secret location without due process, where he was severely physically abused. After a mock trial, he was sentenced to death in January 2023. His sentence was carried out today.
“Today’s execution of Jamshid Sharmahd is shocking and shows once again how ruthlessly the Iranian regime treats opposition, freedom of expression, and human rights. It is another sign of weakness in state leadership, which denies all forms of justice, as Jamshid Sharmahd was denied a proper trial with independent counsel,” says Wolfgang Kaleck, ECCHR General Secretary.
In June 2023, Jamshid Sharmahd’s daughter Gazelle Sharmahd, with the support of ECCHR, filed a criminal complaint with the Federal Public Prosecutor (GBA) in Karlsruhe against eight high-ranking members of the judiciary and the intelligence service in Iran, including Abdolghassem Salavati and Mahmoud Alavi. “We will continue to pursue legal action with full force. The unlawful abduction of Sharmahd, his subsequent torture in custody, the unfair show trial, and today’s execution are prime examples of the countless crimes committed by the Iranian regime. In addition to the Sharmahd case, the criminal complaint is intended to initiate structural proceedings and further investigations into Iran by the GBA. The principle of universal jurisdiction enables the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office to initiate investigations into structures of injustice and repression at the state level in cases of crimes against humanity,” says Kaleck.
