In a statement, Amnesty International described the “shocking release” of Hamid Nouri, a former deputy prosecutor of Gohardasht Prison, who was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Supreme Court of Sweden for his involvement in the execution of thousands of political prisoners in Iran in 1988, as a “staggering blow” to the survivors and families of the victims.
In this statement, released on Tuesday, June 18, Amnesty International warned that the prisoner exchange between the Iranian regime and Sweden would fuel a “crisis of impunity” in the Iranian regime.
According to this human rights organization, the decision of the Swedish government not only emboldens Iranian regime officials to commit more crimes under international law, including “hostage-taking, without fear of consequences,” but also undermines the “right to justice” and raises concerns about the Swedish government’s commitment to international law.
Amnesty International emphasized that the conditions of Hamid Nouri’s pardon by the Swedish government and his return to Iran are evidence of the organization’s previous concerns that Iranian regime officials take Swedish citizens hostage for prisoner-swap deals.
Amnesty International also pointed to the danger of the execution of Ahmadreza Djalali, a Swedish-Iranian citizen who remains arbitrarily detained by the Iranian regime, especially given the ongoing and worrying executions in Iran, and has called on Swedish authorities to immediately take all actions for his release and return home.
Ahmadreza Djalali went to Tehran in the spring of 2016 at the invitation of Tehran University for a lecture and was arrested. Iranian regime judicial authorities have sentenced him to death on spying charges.
In an audio file, this Iranian-Swedish doctor told the Swedish Prime Minister that “you left me with the great danger of execution in Evin Prison. You did not fight either for my situation or for the annulment of my death sentence.”
In its statement, Amnesty International also reiterated its calls on Swedish authorities to “criminally investigate all Iranian officials suspected of criminal responsibility for the crimes under international law and human rights violations committed against Ahmadreza Djalali, including torture, on the basis of the principles of universal jurisdiction and passive personality jurisdiction.”
In part of its statement, Amnesty International pointed to the continuation of the “systemic impunity” crisis concerning the commission of crimes and serious human rights violations by Iranian regime officials and the lack of criminal prosecution of them according to international standards.
According to this human rights organization, as a result of this crisis, not even a single Iranian regime official has been investigated concerning the massacre of political prisoners in 1988, let alone tried and punished.
Amnesty International stated that the verdict against Hamid Nouri in Sweden, issued after three decades of efforts by survivors and the families of victims, was the first time that an Iranian regime official was held accountable in this regard.
The organization added that those seeking justice and truth are now “horrified” by the message that the prisoner exchange sends to Iranian regime officials that their crimes will go unpunished.
In continuation of its statement, Amnesty International has called on all governments to prosecute all former and current Iranian regime officials involved in crimes against humanity and other crimes under international law.
Hamid Nouri, a former deputy prosecutor of Gohardasht Prison, was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Supreme Court of Sweden for his involvement in the execution of thousands of political prisoners in the 1980s. This is the highest punishment under Swedish law. This verdict was issued after more than 90 court sessions with the presence of plaintiffs and witnesses, including members and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), who constitute the main victims of the 1988 massacre of more than 30,000 political prisoners in Iran.
The release of Hamid Nouri and his return to Iran sparked a wave of public outrage from Iranian resistance and widespread reactions from political and human rights figures.
Mrs. Maryam Rajavi the president-elect of the NCRI said: All prisoners, torture survivors, plaintiffs, families of the massacre victims, and the entire Iranian nation strongly condemn the release of Hamid Noury. They neither forgive nor forget.
