Sweden – Sydsvenskan, March 20, 2025
After years of neglect and lack of engagement from the Swedish side, it is as welcome as it is necessary for the Ministry for Foreign Affairs (MFA) to act on behalf of the Swedish-Iranian Ahmadreza Djalali. This is written by Lars Adaktusson, member of the Christian Democrats.
The situation is urgent for the imprisoned Swedish-Iranian doctor and researcher at the Karolinska Institute, Ahmadreza Djalali. Deeply troubling reports of deteriorating health and significant weight loss suggest that the Iranian regime’s physical and mental abuses are about to claim yet another victim.
In light of this, the message was necessarily sharp when the Ministry for Foreign Affairs recently summoned the Ambassador of the Islamic Republic to Stockholm. Demands were made for Djalali’s immediate release on humanitarian grounds, and for him to be reunited with his family in Sweden.
After years of neglect and lack of engagement from the Swedish side, it is as welcome as it is necessary for the MFA to take action for the imprisoned father of two, Ahmadreza Djalali. For an unimaginable nine years, he has been held in captivity and forced to eat and sleep on the floor in the notorious Evin Prison. Furthermore, the death-sentenced Djalali was abandoned and excluded from the prisoner exchange that took place in June last year.
No time or effort should now be wasted in diplomatic efforts for his immediate release. The government’s message to the Iranian regime must be followed by decisive action and increased political pressure. Three actions are particularly urgent:
1. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (M) must contact French President Emmanuel Macron. Macron has personally engaged on behalf of French citizens imprisoned in Evin Prison. Direct talks for a release are currently underway, and earlier this week, one of the imprisoned French citizens was released.
Given this situation, it would be a mistake not to investigate the possibilities for consular coordination with France at the highest political level, and to include Ahmadreza Djalali in the negotiations. The fact that the Iranian regime can be influenced is evidenced by the release of French citizens in 2023 and 2024 following active diplomacy.
