A German national of Iranian decent will reportedly face public trial in Iran Sunday, according to news posted in an Iran media outlet.
Jamshid Sharmahd, 66, a political activist and outspoken critic of Iran’s regime, will be facing trial on what his family called trumped up “terrorist” charges, according to Mizan News Agency.
According to the news update, Sharmahd’s trial will be presided over by Judge Salavati, who is infamous for “violating the human rights of defendants and sentencing them to death or long prison terms on trumped-up charges,” according to United Against Nuclear Iran.
Sharmahd’s daughter, who has been advocating for her father’s release from Germany spoke exclusively with The Foreign Desk about this latest update on her father’s case.
“I am scared! As far as I know it’s a civil court and then there will be another criminal court. They did not notify us they didn’t let him have access to his lawyer, they did not even let us see the charges or his file nor let the Germans or U.S. through to him,” said Gazelle Sharmahd.
According to the family, they were pressured to pay $250,000 for a court-appointed lawyer to review Sharmahd’s case, but they fear the regime’s lawyers are “a scam” that will only work with the government “to trap their client” making for the worst possible outcome in court.
On the other hand, Gazelle talks about the upside of hearing that her father will have a public court hearing.
“I will have the chance to see my dad’s face tonight through the media after 555 days in solitary confinement and more than six months of no calls or signs of life from him,” she said to The Foreign Desk.
Sharmahd was arrested by Iran’s intelligence services in 2020 for alleged involvement in the 2009 bombing that targeted the Hosseynieh Seyed al-Shohada Mosque in Shiraz. He is accused of leading up the “Thunder” (Tondar) political group which advocates for a return to Iran’s monarchy.
At the time of his arrest, the regime accused Sharmahd of planning more attacks on Iranian soil.
He also suffers from Parkinson’s disease, which has been rapidly advancing, along with other health conditions that require medication, according to his daughter.
“There are fears that he is not receiving adequate health care for his serious medical conditions,” according to Amnesty International.
Iranian authorities have refused to tell the family of Sharmahd’s exact location or health status. They have also denied to give him access to the German consulate.
State TV broadcast what Amenesty International calls “forced confessions”, in breach of his right to a fair trial.
Iran says it does not recognize dual nationality in order to honor any of Sharmahd’s rights, but according to Sharmahd’s daughter, he does not have an active Iranian passport and could not have entered the country that way.
According to his daughter Gazelle Sharmahd, her father was abducted by Iran regime intelligence agents in Dubai and forced to go to Iran with them.
