Tehran / Los Angeles / Frankfurt am Main, July 25, 2022 – Tomorrow, Tuesday, Jamshid Sharmahd, a German-Iranian journalist and political activist kidnapped by the Iranian secret service, is to be sentenced by the Revolutionary Court in Tehran. This is reported by the International Society for Human Rights (IGFM). There are many indications that the death sentence against Sharmahd, who is standing before the Revolutionary Court without his own defense lawyer, has already been decided.

If this happens, this day will not only go down in history as a tragedy for all critics of a dictatorial regime, it will furthermore be a black day for the press and freedom of expression worldwide, IGFM said.

“The accused journalist Jamshid Sharmahd has already been publicly prejudged, there is no rule of law for him at all. Iranian prosecutors and the Revolutionary Court are using each of the five trial days so far to create a mood against the defendant with the help of media loyal to the regime reporting from the courtroom. In contrast, no observers from the German embassy have been allowed to attend any day of the trial against the German citizen. The Iranian side shifts the responsibility for it to the German diplomats, who would have it so far neglected to place appropriate requests with the Iranian foreign ministry”, criticized Martin Lessenthin, executive committee speaker of the IGFM.

Gazelle Sharmahd, the daughter of the accused explains:

“Any citizen who cares about human rights should be deeply appalled that a regime is breaking international laws to kidnap journalists from abroad, torture them, and silence them through propaganda and shameless lies in a medieval show trial by state murder.

My father has had no contact with the outside world for two years, he has lost 40 pounds in weight, almost all his teeth have fallen out, and he can barely walk properly. No human being deserves to be used as leverage in a political game. There is no law, no justice and no truth in Iran under the regime’s propaganda apparatus. The regime has been trying to silence activists and portray them as criminals through false accusations for 43 years.

A critical voice is the biggest thorn in the side of those in power. Not many are willing to risk their lives to publicize the massive human rights violations of the Islamist regime. My father is now being punished for this because he has used his right to freedom of speech and press for years to do so. I ask all freedom-loving people to join us and stand together against the persecution and terrorization of political activists, against international kidnapping, against brutal sham trials, against hostage diplomacy, and above all against the death penalty. My father should die! If we don’t fight against this today, we will lose him forever!”

So far, more than 75,000 people have supported IGFM’s petition to save Jamshid Sharmahd. Please help too – and sign the petition to Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock!