For the past three years, the German-Iranian family of Jamshid Sharmehd has been living in constant fear, with rare phone calls separating them for months, frustration over not including his name in recent prisoner release deals, and the looming threat of execution.
The family hopes for a glimmer of hope for the 68-year-old dissident, allowing him to escape the hangman's noose after the Iranian judiciary issued a death sentence in February 2023, which was upheld by the Supreme Court in Tehran in April.
The sentence came at the end of Sharmehd's trial, who fell into the hands of Iranian security forces in late July 2020 through an operation that Tehran has kept shrouded in mystery, merely stating it was "complex."
Sharmehd was convicted of involvement in an attack on a mosque in Shiraz, southern Iran, in April 2008, which resulted in the death of 14 people.
Human rights activists and opponents consider Sharmehd a pawn in the geopolitical game between Iran and major world powers, similar to other foreigners detained by the Islamic Republic to extract concessions or secure the release of its citizens held abroad.
The family of Sharmehd claims that he, a software developer who emigrated to Germany in the 1980s before moving to the United States, was abducted by Iranian security forces while crossing the United Arab Emirates in July 2020 and was later transported by land through Oman to Iran.
While Iran's official narrative is absent, Amnesty International asserts that Sharmehd suffered "enforced disappearance" followed by an "unfair trial" and torture.
The family remains unaware of the prison where Sharmehd is being held and urges Germany and Western governments to take stronger actions to secure his release. On Monday, they organized a demonstration outside the German Foreign Ministry building in Berlin to mark the three-year anniversary of Iran announcing his arrest.
Berlin claims to be making every effort to rescue him. A German Foreign Ministry spokesperson told Agence France-Presse, "We continue to intensify efforts in favor of Jamshid Sharmehd and against the implementation of the death sentence," adding, "Our goal is to prevent the execution. We are using all available channels to achieve this," and emphasizing that his family "is experiencing unimaginable and unbearable circumstances. We have been in constant contact with them since the beginning, and we continue to do everything in our power to prevent things from escalating to the extreme."
However, Sharmehd's daughter, Ghazaleh, residing in the United States, believes that this is not enough. She said to Agence France-Presse, "There is no pressure (from the West on Iran). A German citizen was kidnapped, and nothing happened."
She adds, "It's a game. They apply pressure, and you apply pressure. Their pressure is hanging my father."
In July of this year, Iranian authorities allowed Sharmehd to make a phone call to his wife, residing in the United States, which was the first call in five months. He also contacted his daughter for the first time in two years.
Nevertheless, Ghazaleh confirms that her father appeared "tired" during the call and spoke with a "broken" voice, causing her more concern than comfort, even though the call lasted for a whole hour.
She explains, "Phone calls are great, but they are also a source of worry," considering that they "always have an ulterior motive."
She continues, "Was this (call) to silence us before they execute him? Was it a farewell? I tried not to be emotional during it."
In February of last year, the judiciary announced that Sharmehd was the "leader of the Tondar (Kingdom Assembly) terrorist group and has been sentenced to death for corruption on Earth through planning and leading terrorist acts," including an attack on a Shiraz mosque that resulted in the death of 14 people in April 2008.
His family denies all charges against him.
Ghazaleh points out that during the call, Sharmehd explained that he is not authorized to disclose his place of detention. While most foreign detainees are held at Evin Prison in northern Tehran, there have been no reports from other prisoners or human rights organizations regarding his presence there.
Fears of Sharmehd's execution have escalated since Iran executed the Iranian-Swedish national Habib Chaab in May of this year, who was convicted of "corruption on Earth" and forming a rebel group and planning and carrying out numerous terrorist acts.
According to Amnesty International, Iranian security forces arrested Chaab in Turkey in October 2020 and transported him to the Islamic Republic.
Similarly, the Iranian-Swedish national Ahmadreza Jalali, who was arrested in the previous year, was sentenced to death by the Iranian judiciary for "corruption on Earth" and dealing with Israeli intelligence, providing them with information about scientists in Iran's nuclear program.
In recent weeks, Iran released four foreign citizens who were previously detained, notably the Belgian aid worker Olivier Vandecasteele, in exchange for the release of the Iranian diplomat Assadollah Assadi, who had been convicted of "terrorism," as part of a deal mediated by Oman.
While Ghazaleh expressed joy for Vandecasteele's family, his release left a bitter taste in her mouth.
She clarifies, "The release of some hostages, but not all, is a profitable trade for Iran."
She emphasizes that the "release of everyone" should have happened, criticizing the lack of coordination among European countries in this matter.
She asks, "How inhumane is it to abandon people sentenced to death?"
AFP