{"id":2855,"date":"2019-04-25T19:04:08","date_gmt":"2019-04-25T17:04:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.ki.se\/rektor\/?p=2855"},"modified":"2019-04-25T19:07:18","modified_gmt":"2019-04-25T17:07:18","slug":"three-years-in-prison-for-ahmadreza-djalali-now-we-must-increase-our-pressure-on-iran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.ki.se\/rektor\/2019\/04\/25\/three-years-in-prison-for-ahmadreza-djalali-now-we-must-increase-our-pressure-on-iran\/","title":{"rendered":"Three years in prison for Ahmadreza Djalali \u2013 now we must increase our pressure on Iran"},"content":{"rendered":"

Swedish version below<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Three years ago – on April 26, 2016 – KI alumnus and researcher Ahmadreza Djalali was arrested in Iran, accused of espionage and “enmity with God”. \u00a0About a year later, October 21, 2017, he was sentenced to death in a trial that will go into the history as a legal scandal. He was convicted for \u00a0“spreading corruption on earth” and it was claimed that Djalali had had a deal with the Israeli regime.<\/p>\n

There is hardly any doubt that Ahmadreza Djalai was sentenced to death on fabricated claims and that he was denied proper access to legal counsel and due process.<\/p>\n

In short, we are witnesses to one of the most serious offences ever committed against a researcher in modern times. \u00a0A full three years have now elapsed since the arrest of Ahmadreza Djalali. He has endured these years in utmost uncertainty in the Evin prison in Tehran. His contacts with the outside world are limited, and it is obvious that his health has deteriorated in his harsh prison environment. Accounts from his family and colleagues tell us with frightening clarity that he urgently needs proper medical care.<\/p>\n

The support for Ahmadreza Djalali has increased in strength over time. There has been engagement on the part of Nobel laureates, Amnesty International, individual politicians, academics, the European Parliament. This list could be made much longer.<\/p>\n

Now, in conjunction with this sad milestone, Ahmadreza Djalali’s case will once again engage and engender sympathy and support world wide. There is an urgent need for an increased pressure on the Iranian regime. The Swedish government and the UN have important roles to play, along with the academic community.<\/p>\n

Djalali was arrested while on a lecture tour in Iran on disaster medicine. Yet he is now imprisoned and threatened with the death penalty. We are confronted with a situation that is utterly absurd. \u00a0Once more we must join forces in our demand for justice and freedom for Ahmadreza Djalali.<\/p>\n

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Links:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n