EU calls for death sentence against German-Iranian to be revoked

The European Union said it "strongly condemns" the Iranian judiciary's decision to impose the death sentence on jailed German-Iranian citizen Jamshid Sharmahd.

The Iranian Supreme Court confirmed Sharmahd's pending execution on Wednesday. It is unclear when the death penalty, typically done by hanging in Iran, will be carried out.

The EU called upon Iran "to refrain from executing the death penalty on Mr Sharmahd, repeal his sentence and ensure Mr Sharmahd be provided the basic rights to which he is entitled under International Law without delay," in a statement released late Friday.

In February, a court had held the 68-year-old responsible for a terrorist attack, among other things. He has been detained since 2020.

Family members, human rights activists and an array of German politicians described the allegations as unfounded and criticized the trial as grossly unfair.

Sharmahd came to Germany with his parents as a child and has a German passport. However, he was born in Tehran and thus automatically has Iranian citizenship.

Sharmahd had been living in the United States for years until he was reportedly arrested in Dubai in 2020 by Iranian intelligence. He was then brought to Iran and has been imprisoned in Tehran since.

In the US, Sharmahd was involved with the exile monarchist opposition group Tondar, which seeks to overthrow the Islamic Republic and restore Iranian monarchy.

Iran's judiciary holds the group responsible for an attack back in 2008 in a mosque in the city of Shiraz that left several people dead.