Iran executes Iranian-German dissident Jamshid Sharmahd

Iranian authorities on Monday executed naturalized German Iranian dissident Jamshid Sharmahd, who was arrested then imprisoned in 2020, the press organ of the judiciary announced.

Jamshid Sharmahd, 69, was sentenced to death last year by a court in Tehran for his alleged involvement in an attack on a mosque in Shiraz, in southern Iran, which left 14 dead in April 2008.

Germany, which at the time deemed the sentence “absolutely unacceptable”, expelled two Iranian diplomats stationed in Berlin in retaliation.

Iran had taken a similar measure against two German diplomats stationed in Tehran.

Iran does not recognize dual citizenship for its nationals.

“After the judicial process and the final approval of the decision by the Supreme Court, Jamshid Sharmahd was executed this morning,” said Mizan, the press organ of the Iranian judiciary.

Iran had announced in August 2020 the arrest of the dissident who was then residing in the United States, during a “complex operation”, without specifying where, how or when he was arrested.

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According to his family, he was abducted by Iranian security services while in transit in Dubai (United Arab Emirates) and forcibly returned to Iran.

Born in Tehran, Jamshid Sharmahd emigrated to Germany in the 1980s and lived in the United States from 2003. He had notably distinguished himself by making hostile statements against the Islamic Republic on Persian-language satellite channels.

Jamshid Sharmahd was also accused of leading the Tondar group, which Iran has described as a “terrorist” organization.

The Tondar group (“Thunder” in Persian), also known as the Monarchist Association of Iran, claims to want to overthrow the Islamic Republic.

The Iranian justice system also accused Jamshid Sharmahd of having established contacts with “FBI and CIA officers” and of having “attempted to contact agents of the Israeli Mossad”.

In recent years, Iran has executed several dual nationals.

This is the case in May 2023 for the Iranian-Swedish dissident Habib Chaab.

He had been sentenced to death for “terrorism”, found guilty of having led an Arab separatist group.

Habib Chaab disappeared in October 2020 after traveling to Istanbul (Turkey). He reappeared a month later in prison in Iran.

Just last year, Tehran sparked international outrage by executing a former defense official, Iranian-British Alireza Akbari, who was found guilty of espionage.

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