Swedish-Iranian scientist may face imminent execution, say rights groups

Swedish-Iranian scientist Ahmadreza Djalali, sentenced to death in Iran on espionage charges, may face imminent execution, rights groups said on Tuesday.

“On 1 December, a judge said Ahmadreza was to be transferred to Rajai Shahr prison TODAY to proceed with his imminent execution,” Amnesty International said on Twitter.

“His lawyer was informed that Ahmadreza would be transferred to Rajai Shahr Prison … today (Tuesday, December 1),” Iran Human Rights said in a statement, quoting his wife Vida Mehrannia.

There was no official Iranian reaction to the reports.

Sweden’s foreign minister said last week she had spoken to her Iranian counterpart after reports Iran may soon carry out Djalali’s death sentence.

READ: Sweden grants citizenship to Iran scientist accused of espionage

Djalali, a medical doctor and lecturer at the Karolinska Institute in the Swedish capital Stockholm, was arrested in Iran in 2016 and later convicted of espionage, having been accused of providing information to Israel to help it assassinate several senior nuclear scientists. Iran’s Supreme Court in 2017 upheld the death sentence.

Rights activists have accused Iran of arresting a number of dual nationals to try to win concessions from other countries. Tehran has regularly dismissed the accusation.