Iran Carries Out Execution of German-Iranian Dissident

Iran has put to death Jamshid Sharmahd, a German-Iranian dissident, following his conviction for “leading terror operations,” according to reports from state media. Sharmahd received a death sentence last year for “corruption on Earth,” stemming from accusations that he headed a pro-monarchist group based in the United States. He had denied these allegations, with his family asserting he served solely as a spokesman. Germany’s foreign minister stated that Berlin had repeatedly cautioned Tehran that the execution of a German citizen would “have serious consequences.” Annalena Baerbock conveyed on X, “The killing of Jamshid Sharmahd shows what kind of inhumane regime rules (in Iran).” The German Foreign Office reported that the German ambassador met with the Iranian foreign minister in Tehran on Tuesday and “protested most strongly” against the execution. Additionally, the Iranian chargé d’affaires was summoned regarding the matter. Human rights organizations have denounced the execution of Sharmahd, who resided in the US. Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, director of the Norway-based Iran Human Rights group, declared, “The entire process, including his arrest, conviction, and execution, constitutes a serious violation of international law.” Sharmahd is believed to have been abducted by Iranian agents in Dubai in 2020 and subsequently transported forcibly to Iran via Oman. In August 2020, Iran’s intelligence ministry announced his apprehension after a “complex operation,” without disclosing any specific details. Amnesty International, another human rights organization, has alleged that Sharmahd was compelled to confess and that he had informed his family of being subjected to torture during his detention. The organization stated that Sharmahd had established a website to disseminate statements from the Kingdom Assembly of Iran, which included claims of explosions within Iran. The US-based group, which is not widely known and is also called Tondar (Persian for Thunder), aims to reinstate the monarchy that was overthrown during the 1979 Islamic Revolution. However, Iranian authorities asserted that he was Tondar’s leader and had “planned 23 terror attacks,” of which “five were successful,” including the 2008 bombing of a mosque in Shiraz that resulted in 14 fatalities. They released a video showing him blindfolded and confessing to various offenses. Sharmahd was condemned to death in February of the previous year. His daughter, Gazelle, subsequently urged German prosecutors to investigate the Iranian judiciary’s alleged mistreatment of her father. “They’re killing him softly in solitary confinement in this death cell,” she informed the BBC in July 2023, after he had been granted permission to contact his family for the first time in two years. She further added, “They want a public execution for my dad, to send out this message of terror: that anybody who speaks out against the regime, we can do this to you.” He was executed on Sunday, following approval from the Supreme Court, as reported by the Iranian judiciary’s Mizan website on Monday. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz labeled the execution a “scandal” and stated that “Jamshid Sharmahd did not even receive the opportunity to defend himself against the charges at the trial.”