Friday08 November 2024
glasno.com.ua

Could Berlin have saved Jamshid Sharmahd from execution in Iran?

Following the execution of Jamshid Sharmahd, an Iranian national residing in Germany, the German government faced a wave of accusations.
Мог ли Берлин спасти Джамшида Шармахда от смертной казни в Иране?

After the execution of Jamshid Sharmahdi, a German-Iranian citizen, in Iran on Monday, following four years of imprisonment on terrorism charges, many were horrified. In Berlin, people gathered for a demonstration outside the German Foreign Office to honor the 69-year-old Jamshid, who was born in Tehran but spent his childhood and youth in Germany.

His daughter, Gazelle Sharmahdi, who lives in the United States, has repeatedly advocated for her father, including addressing the German government.

In 2003, Jamshid Sharmahdi, who campaigned for Iranian opposition for many years, moved to Los Angeles. During a stop in Dubai in 2020, he was abducted by agents of the Iranian regime.

Sharmahdi spent several months in solitary confinement in Iran, was found guilty of terrorist activities, and sentenced to death in 2023.

Criticism of the German Government

Journalist Hilda Sahebi writes in an article for taz that the German government left Gazelle Sharmahdi alone in her fight for her father's release.

In relation to the Iranian regime, the German government is a proponent of "quiet diplomacy" - probably the worst way to deal with a dictatorial state like the Islamic Republic.
Hilda Sahebi Journalist

Gazelle Sharmahdi waited in vain for clear statements directed at the Iranian regime. The German government did not even dare to label Jamshid Sharmahdi a political hostage, which he evidently was. In contrast, countries such as France, Denmark, and Austria spoke of "state hostages" and largely managed to secure the release of their citizens.

Baerbock: "We have worked tirelessly"

The German Foreign Minister Annalen Baerbock wrote on X that she condemns the murder committed by the Iranian regime "in the strongest terms." She continued, "I express my condolences to his family for this terrible loss. We have worked tirelessly on behalf of Jamshid Sharmahdi and have repeatedly sent a high-level delegation to Tehran. We have made it clear to Tehran multiple times that the execution of a German citizen will have serious consequences."

I express my condolences to his family for this terrible loss. We have worked tirelessly on behalf of Jamshid Sharmahdi and have repeatedly sent a high-level delegation to Tehran. We have made it clear to Tehran multiple times that the execution of a German citizen will have serious consequences.
Annalen Baerbock German Foreign Minister

CDU leader Friedrich Merz took on the political sponsorship of Sharmahdi several years ago. He condemned the execution as a "monstrous crime" and urged the German government to expel the Iranian ambassador from Berlin.

According to human rights groups, over 500 people have already been sentenced to death and executed in Iran in the first 10 months of 2024.