Washington D.C. – McCain Institute, Nov. 06, 2025
Ahmadreza Djalali is a Swedish-Iranian physician and academic working extensively on disaster medicine. He has been detained by the Iranian government since 2016 and faces execution.
Ahmadreza has studied medicine across Europe and Iran, focusing on emergency preparedness in hospitals. In April 2016, he returned to Iran by invitation from the University of Tehran and Shiraz University to attend academic workshops.
During this visit, as Ahmadreza was driving from Tehran to Karaj, the Ministry of Intelligence and Security arrested him without a warrant. He was accused of “collaborating with hostile governments” and “endangering national security,” although authorities did not reveal his charges until two weeks after his arrest. He was sent to Iran’s notorious Evin Prison, where he was held for seven months before being allowed legal representation. During this period, he spent three months in solitary confinement—a practice the international community considers a form of torture when it exceeds 15 days. Ahmadreza was subjected to cruel psychological abuse, including threats that he would be executed and his children arrested.
In 2017, Ahmadreza was tried and convicted for “corruption on earth,” with authorities claiming he had shared intelligence with the Israeli government regarding Iran’s nuclear program. His lawyer was barred from the court room and denied access to Ahmadreza’s case files. Ahmadreza was formally sentenced to death in October 2017. Under threat of execution, he was coerced into reading a written script admitting to his crimes. This forced confession was then aired across state-sponsored news channels. His lawyer has tried to appeal for judicial review, but his requests have continuously been denied.
