Iran condemned for sentencing researcher to death for ‘working with Israel’
Amnesty International decries 'torture, false confession and a grossly unfair trial' of Ahmadreza Djalali
Amnesty International has decried the death sentence handed down to a Swedish medical academic in Iran for allegedly “working with Israel”.
The human rights charity said Ahmadreza Djalali, a researcher in disaster medicine, had been found guilty by Iranian authorities “after psychological torture, false confessions and a grossly unfair trial”.
Djalali was arrested in April last year and an Iranian judge has now ruled that he was working with the Israeli government, which it said had subsequently arranged for his Swedish residency permit.
His wife this week explained that her husband was accused of obtaining money, academic positions and research projects in exchange for spying on Iran for Israel. Djalali’s colleagues, meanwhile, say he believes he was convicted for refusing to spy for Iran.
On Saturday, he was found guilty of “corruption on earth,” but Amnesty said Djalali’s lawyers have documented how he was kept in solitary confinement for months, and how all his lawyers were rejected by the court.
In a recording of Djalali, who helps hospitals improve their emergency response to armed terrorism and radiological, chemical, biological and nuclear threats, he is heard explaining how he was forced to confess that he spied for Israel after threats to arrest his children.
“No evidence has ever been presented to show that he is anything other than an academic peacefully pursuing his profession,” said Amnesty’s Middle East director Philip Luther.
“If he has been convicted and sentenced for peacefully exercising his rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly, including through his academic work, the authorities must immediately and unconditionally release him and drop all charges against him.”
Iran carried out 567 executions last year, the second highest number in the world, including two juveniles.
Prominent Iranian academic and doctor Ahmadreza Djalali has been sentenced to death after a grossly unfair trial https://t.co/mjF9Ji7BvO pic.twitter.com/0jLyO1eJhQ
— AmnestyInternational (@amnesty) October 23, 2017
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
