The announcement of the execution of Jamshid Sharmahd, an Iranian-German political prisoner under the Iranian regime, on Monday, October 28, has sparked widespread domestic and international reactions.
A few hours after Germany summoned its ambassador from Tehran in protest of Jamshid Sharmahd’s execution, the European Union also issued a strongly worded statement condemning the killing of this Iranian-German citizen and announced plans to pursue targeted and significant actions against the Iranian regime.
In its statement, the EU did not specify details of these actions but called on the Iranian regime to end its “troubling” practice of detaining foreign and dual nationals to gain political leverage.
The statement described capital punishment as a “cruel and inhumane” punishment and, noting the significant increase in executions in Iran over the past and current year, urged the Iranian regime to end the use of the death penalty.
Abbas Araghchi, the Iranian regime’s Foreign Minister, responded to Germany’s protest over Sharmahd’s execution by calling him a “terrorist” and stated that no terrorist is immune in Iran, even if supported by Germany. He added that a German passport does not grant immunity to anyone.
Amnesty International declared that Sharmahd’s arbitrary execution by Iranian authorities is yet another egregious and blatant violation of the right to life. Amnesty noted that the use of the death penalty is appalling under any circumstance and wrote that the arbitrary execution of Sharmahd following a grossly unfair trial, coupled with the relentless oppression inflicted on him and his family by Iranian officials, is even more horrific.
Sharmahd, 67, who had previously resided in the United States, was kidnapped by Iranian regime agents on August 1, 2020, during a trip from Germany to India after a three-day layover in Dubai. He was subsequently transferred to Iran and sentenced to death.
Many citizens, political and civil activists, and families seeking justice have also described the execution of Jamshid Sharmahd as a state-sponsored murder and have condemned it in the strongest terms. Additionally, they have referred to Sharmahd’s killing as yet another instance of the Iranian regime’s retaliation against its people following recent attacks by Israel.
