“Sweden denounces the death penalty and is working to not have the sentence against Djalali carried out,” Linde wrote on Twitter. Djalali, formerly based in Stockholm where he worked at the Karolinska Institute, a medical university, was arrested during a visit to Iran in April 2016. While imprisoned he was granted Swedish citizenship in February 2018, only months after his death sentence was confirmed by Iran’s Supreme Court. Djalali has claimed he is being punished for refusing to spy for Iran while working in Europe. Djalali’s death sentence has been widely condemned by rights groups and by UN rights experts, with Amnesty International repeating its call for Djalali to be freed on Tuesday.

Source: Manila Times November 25, 2020 13:30 UTC