Statement Alliance #SaveSharmahd:
Jamshid Sharmahd about to be executed?
Berlin/Cologne/Los Angeles, July 29, 2023.
Jamshid Sharmahd, a German engineer and journalist who has been tortured with incommunicado detention by the regime in Iran since his abduction three years ago, only extremely rarely receives permission from regime henchmen to contact his family. These calls are the only contact he has ever been allowed. After months of not being allowed to contact him, the family did not know if their father, husband, son, and grandfather was still alive because the regime decided to kill Jamshid Sharmahd in a mock trial in February 2023.
Now Jamshid Sharmahd could speak to his wife and daughter for the first time after five months. According to his daughter Gazelle Sharmahd, her father appeared disoriented and in an extremely worrying physical state - and he was unaware of the death sentence imposed on him.
The fact that the "accused" is not informed of his own trial shows once again that no trial under the rule of law is possible under the regime. The "sentence" against Mr. Sharmahd was confirmed by the Supreme Court in Iran, a process that is only possible with the permission of the convicted. Mr. Sharmahd could not have given this permission, since he did not even know about the "verdict." Nevertheless, the German government continues to demand a trial under the rule of law for Jamshid Sharmahd instead of his release. In doing so, it legitimizes the abduction of a German citizen from a foreign country in violation of international law, the subsequent sham trial, torture, and the act of political hostage-taking.
The German government's inadequate response to date can at best be described as a failure to provide assistance. Instead of a fair trial, which is not possible under a regime of terror, the German government must work for the immediate release of its citizen!
Jimmy, as he is called by his family, went on to tell his daughter, "I'm tired, I'm devastated, it's been almost three years, get me out of here!" His hopes, he said, are the German chancellor, Europe and the United States.
But only the federal government is legally responsible for its national.
This call after so long and after the announcement of a state assassination of Jamshid Sharmahd could have been the farewell call to his family - or a public message from the regime to the federal government. In recent weeks, the regime has released several hostages from EU countries. It is apparently willing to negotiate.
Even though under normal circumstances any contact with a terror regime should be rejected, this is about saving a human life. A terror regime does not take words seriously, because it regularly breaks them itself. What counts are deeds. The federal government must finally do its duty, and act credibly to save the life of its citizen, implement tough measures if Jamshid Sharmahd is not released immediately.
It is not too late to save Jamshid Sharmahd and other hostages like German Nahid Taghavi. One of the simplest methods would be to stop any payment from Germany to Iran until Jamshid Sharmahd is safely with his family and the nightmare for the Sharmahd family is over.
