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LONDON: The UN and Amnesty International have called on Tehran to halt its imminent execution of Swedish-Iranian academic Ahmadreza Djalali, saying he was subjected to an unfair trial involving torture.
Djalali was sentenced to death for espionage in 2017. His sentence has been upheld despite evidence that his conviction involved forced confessions extracted using torture, including threats to execute him and his family.
The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention revealed in 2017 that he was arbitrarily detained and denied access to a lawyer throughout his trial.
The group called for his immediate release. During lengthy periods in solitary confinement since then, he has been denied medical treatment despite likely suffering from leukaemia.
In a letter written from Evin prison in 2017, Djalali said he was detained because he refused to use his connections in European academia to spy for Iran.
Later that year, an Iranian state-run TV channel aired his “confession” that included commentary referring to him as a foreign spy.
Djalali phoned his wife on Tuesday saying it would be his “last farewell,” sparking fears that he faces imminent execution.
He reportedly told her that he would be sent to solitary confinement in Raja’i Shahr prison in Karaj, a notorious facility used by Tehran to execute political prisoners.
UN human rights experts said: “We are horrified by the reports that Djalali is soon to be executed by Iran. His torture, arbitrary detention, death sentence and now reported imminent execution are unconscionable acts that should be condemned by the international community in the strongest terms. We urge the Iranian authorities to take immediate action to reverse this decision before it is too late.”
They added: “The decision to execute Djalali is completely reprehensible. On several counts, this would be a clear and serious violation of Iran’s obligations under international human rights law, especially the right to life. We urge Iran to stop this execution immediately.”
Diana Eltahawy, Amnesty’s deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa, said: “We were horrified to learn that the authorities have instructed the office in charge of implementing sentences to transfer Ahmadreza Djalali to solitary confinement and implement his death sentence no later than a week from Nov. 24.”
She added: “It is appalling that despite repeated calls from UN human rights experts to quash his death sentence and release him, Iranian authorities have instead decided to push for this irreversible injustice. They must immediately halt any plans to execute Djalali and end their shocking assault on his right to life.
“We call on members of the international community to immediately intervene, including through their embassies in Tehran, to save Ahmadreza Djalali’s life before it is too late.”