- Daughter Files Criminal Complaint Against Iranian Officials for Human Rights Violations
- Jamshid Sharmahd’s Health Deteriorates in Iranian Prison
- Iranian-Germans Express Frustration Over Lack of Political Support
The phone call arrived in the middle of the night.
Gazelle Sharmahd was awoken by her mother, who informed her that her imprisoned father, Jamshid, was calling from Iran. Gazelle was not permitted to communicate with her Iranian-German industrialist father for two years.
A few days later, she told me from her residence in Los Angeles, “We didn’t even know if he’d been executed yet because they hadn’t told us.
Last February, Iran sentenced Jamshid Sharmahd to death for “corruption on Earth” – a catch-all phrase used by the Iranian regime to refer to any expression of opposition. Amnesty International criticized his trial for being a farce.
His daughter was ecstatic to speak with her father again, but she is tormented by the notion that this phone call was permitted so that she could say farewell to him before his execution.
The 68-year-old has been in solitary confinement in an Iranian prison for almost three years. During the hour-long phone call, his daughter realized he had never been informed of his death sentence.
Because of how her father has been treated, Gazelle Sharmahd filed a criminal complaint in Germany earlier this month, requesting that eight high-ranking members of the Iranian judiciary and intelligence service be investigated for offenses against humanity.
Her father is unable to consume due to tooth loss caused by malnutrition or violence. Parkinson’s disease prevents him from walking and speaking normally, and he is not receiving the correct medication.
“They are murdering him gently in isolation in this death cell. “But even if he survives that, they will kill him by publicly suspending him from a crane,” she said. “They desire a public execution for my father to send a message of terror: if you speak out against the regime, we can do this to you – just look at this person hanging there.”
Jamshid Sharmahd was born in Iran and raised in Germany; he holds dual citizenship. Before founding his US technology company in the early 2000s, he was a Siemens engineer.
After an Iranian cyberattack, he publicly opposed the Iranian regime.
He was kidnapped and imprisoned in Iran three years ago during a business trip to Dubai. From US, UK, and German espionage to terrorist strikes, the charges were endless. German and EU politicians assert that the accusations are false.
“Even in Iran, you cannot sentence someone to death without proof of terrorism,” said Gazelle Sharmahd, explaining why the death penalty is for “corruption on Earth.”
Gazelle, who grew up in Germany and is now an intensive care nurse in the United States, has long advocated for her father’s release but claims that the German government provided her with little assistance.
She filed a universal jurisdiction criminal case against senior Iranian judiciary and intelligence officers.
This allows crimes against humanity or war crimes to be prosecuted in any country, regardless of where they were committed.
Patrick Kroker of the European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights, the German attorney for Gazelle Sharmahd, used this principle to prosecute a former official of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for torture and murder committed in Syria last year. In Germany, he was sentenced to life in prison.
Mr. Kroker believes that such cases can serve as a deterrent and prevent violations of human rights. Because perpetrators cannot be certain that they will not be apprehended as soon as they travel.
“High-ranking government officials are accustomed to a lifestyle that allows them to visit their niece in Paris or to go skiing in Sweden. This is no longer feasible, or at least they cannot be certain of it,” he said.
However, it is unclear how the Iranian government will respond, and Gazelle Sharmahd continues to fear that her father may be executed at any moment.
The greatest Iranian diaspora in Europe is located in Germany. However, Iranian Germans report feeling ignored by the German government.
I met Alina, an Iranian-German, at a protest at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate. She was impressed by Gazelle Sharmahd’s determination to liberate her father. Alina stated, “I get goosebumps and tears in my eyes when I consider how hard Gazelle is fighting for her father.”
She, like many others with whom I spoke, did not want her full identity or photograph to be made public out of concern that she or her family will be targeted by Iran.
However, her fury at the lack of political support for Jamshid Sharmahd made her vulnerable.
Alina, a German citizen, believes the government would not help her or her family in the same circumstances.
“I am aware that my nation does not have my back. I’m alone.”
Iranian Germans ask if Mr. Sharmahd is not a “real” German citizen despite growing up in the country. Others allege that Berlin prioritizes commerce over human rights.
The German Foreign Office responded that Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock had stated repeatedly that the death penalty was “absolutely unacceptable”
The statement read, “The German government views the death penalty as a massive violation of the rights of a German citizen.”
Iran regards Mr. Sharmahd exclusively as an Iranian citizen and denies Germany diplomatic access, the statement added.
“We will continue to advocate vigorously for Mr. Sharmahd at the highest level, through all available channels, and at every opportunity. Executing the death sentence would have grave repercussions.”
However, the Iranian-German community continues to be frustrated.
Iran threatens and persecutes numerous individuals. But also not necessarily safeguarded by Germany. Just neglected.
