Sweden – Expressen, June 23, 2025
The doctor and Swedish citizen Ahmadreza Djalali was arrested in Iran in 2016 and sentenced to death.
Now the government must bring him home—before it’s too late, writes Amnesty Sweden.
DEBATE. Ahmadreza Djalali is a Swedish citizen, a doctor, and a researcher in disaster medicine. He was arrested in Iran in 2016 during a lecture tour and sentenced to death in a trial that large parts of the international community have condemned as legally flawed. He has spent much of his time in solitary confinement, been denied necessary medical care, and subjected to both psychological and physical torture. This spring, he suffered a heart attack—yet was still denied the urgent care he needed. His condition is serious. And his anxiety is growing.
Since his detention, hundreds of thousands of people around the world have advocated for Ahmadreza Djalali’s release. Through Amnesty International’s campaigns, he has received support from over 650,000 signatures, countless letters, and actions from members and human rights defenders in more than 40 countries. The global engagement shows that the world is watching—but seeing is not enough. Action is needed.
Executions Are Increasing
Earlier this week, Iran’s chief justice issued a statement declaring that sentences against individuals convicted of “collaboration with the Zionist regime” should be carried out more swiftly. Since then, one prisoner has been executed. We do not know exactly what this means for Djalali—but in conversations with his family, he has expressed deep fear about what might now happen.
Ahmadreza Djalali was convicted on charges of espionage for Israel—an accusation he has consistently denied and which has not been supported by any independent evidence. In light of the recent escalation between Iran and Israel, the new statement from Iran’s judiciary is therefore deeply concerning. We cannot say with certainty what will happen—but we have every reason to fear the worst.
Several UN experts have previously stated that Ahmadreza Djalali’s detention may constitute a case of “arbitrarily detention with elements of hostage-taking”—that is, an arbitrary deprivation of liberty with aspects of hostage-taking.
