an Iranian-German sentenced to death for “terrorism”, Berlin denounces an “absolutely unacceptable” decision

An Iranian-German dissident, Jamshid Sharmahd, whose arrest was announced in August 2020, was sentenced to death for his alleged involvement in an attack, Tehran reported on Tuesday (February 21st). “Jamshid Sharmahd, the leader of the Tondar terrorist group, has been sentenced to death” for planning and directing “terrorist actions”, announced Mizan Online, the agency of the Iranian Judicial Authority.

66-year-old Jamshid Sharmahd was brought before a court in Tehran in February 2022 accused of having participated in an attack against a mosque in Shiraz, in the south of the country, which killed 14 people in April 2008. The justice also accused him of having established contacts with “FBI and CIA officers” and to have “attempted to contact Israeli Mossad agents”.

A sentence that “will lead to a significant reaction”, warns Berlin

Born in Tehran, Jamshid Sharmahd had lived in the United States since 2003, where he notably distinguished himself by statements hostile to the Islamic Republic on satellite channels in Persian. Iran announced in August 2020 his arrest, during a “complex operation”, without specifying where or how or when he was arrested.

This condemnation is “absolutely unacceptable”said the German Foreign Minister on Tuesday. “The application of the death penalty (…) will cause a significant reaction”, warns Annalena Baerbock in a press release.

Tehran provoked a wave of international indignation after in January executing a former defense official, the Iranian-Briton Alireza Akbari, convicted of espionage. Iran has already sentenced 67-year-old German-Iranian human rights activist Nahid Taghavi to 10 years and 8 months in prison after her arrest in October 2020, including for membership in an illegal group.