Iran has executed Jamshid Sharmahd, a German-Iranian dissident, following his conviction for “leading terror operations,” according to reports from state media. Sharmahd was sentenced to death last year for “corruption on Earth,” with allegations that he led a US-based pro-monarchist group. He consistently denied these charges, with his family asserting that he was merely a spokesman.
Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock emphasized that Berlin had repeatedly warned Tehran that executing a German citizen would result in “serious consequences.” She stated on X, “The killing of Jamshid Sharmahd shows what kind of inhumane regime rules in Iran.”
Human rights organizations have condemned Sharmahd’s execution, asserting that the entire process—including his arrest, conviction, and execution—represents a severe violation of international law. Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, director of the Norway-based Iran Human Rights group, condemned the actions taken against him.
Sharmahd was believed to have been kidnapped by Iranian agents in Dubai in 2020 before being forcibly taken to Iran via Oman. Iran’s intelligence ministry announced his arrest in August 2020, claiming it was part of a “complex operation,” although no further details were provided.
Amnesty International reported that Sharmahd was coerced into confessing, claiming he had informed his family that he was tortured during his detention. It noted that he had created a website to publish statements from the Kingdom Assembly of Iran, a group advocating for the restoration of the monarchy that was overthrown in the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Iranian authorities, however, alleged that Sharmahd was the leader of this group and had planned 23 terror attacks, five of which were deemed successful, including a 2008 bombing of a mosque in Shiraz that killed 14 people. A video released by the authorities showed him blindfolded, confessing to various crimes.
Sharmahd was sentenced to death in February of last year. His daughter, Gazelle, later urged German prosecutors to investigate the alleged mistreatment by the Iranian judiciary. She stated, “They’re killing him softly in solitary confinement in this death cell,” adding that the regime aimed for a public execution to send a “message of terror” to those who oppose it.
The execution took place on Sunday, following approval from the Supreme Court, as reported by the Iranian judiciary’s Mizan website. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called the execution a “scandal,” highlighting that “Jamshid Sharmahd did not even receive the opportunity to defend himself against the charges at the trial.”
