On the case of Ahmadreza Jalali

B100286/2025

Motion for a European Parliament resolution on the case of Ahmadreza Jalali

(2025/2753(RSP))

The European Parliament,

having regard to previous resolutions on Iran,

having regard to Rule 150 of its Rules of Procedure,

whereas Dr. Ahmadreza Djalali, a Swedish-Iranian lecturer and researcher at the Vrije Universiteit in Brussels (VUB) Belgium and Universita degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale in Italy, was arrested on 25 April 2016 in Tehran while attending academic workshops on disaster medicine in Tehran, Iran; whereas Ahmadreza Djalali was accused for spying for Israel and after a mock trial, was sentenced to death; whereas Ahmadreza Djalali has been arbitrarily detained in the notorious Evin prison and pressured into false confessions under torture;

whereas his situation has been described as inhumane; whereas he suffered a heart attack in May 2025, leading to increased international calls for his release given that his health has sharply deteriorated and described as life-threatening;

whereas the human rights situation in Iran is increasingly deteriorating, and experts have pointed to a well-documented pattern of unlawful and arbitrary detentions in Iran of dual and foreign nationals or residents, including citizens of EU Member States; whereas European-Iranian dual nationals continue to be arrested, receive unfair trials, are placed in solitary confinement and sentenced on the basis of false and vague espionage charges; whereas Iran routinely uses hostage diplomacy as a foreign policy tool, including in the cases of European citizens, notably Dr Ahmedreza Djalali;

whereas Iranian courts, particularly revolutionary courts, regularly fail to provide fair trials and accept confessions obtained under torture as evidence in court; whereas the authorities also routinely restrict detainees’ access to legal counsel, particularly during the investigation period; whereas the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is included in the US sanctions list for their involvement in grave human rights violations;

Calls on Iran to immediately and unconditionally release Ahmadreza Djalali;

Strongly condemns Iran’s policy of hostage diplomacy; expresses grave concern about Ahmadreza Djalali’s situation and firmly calls on the Iranian authorities to ensure that his rights are protected at all times, including access to adequate medical care and full access to his family and lawyers of his own choice;

Reminds the Iranian authorities of their obligation to treat Ahmadreza Djalali in line with human rights standards and that they are ultimately responsible for providing humane conditions of detention and healthcare;

Strongly condemns the ongoing deterioration of human rights in Iran and condemns the Iranian regime’s use of the death penalty as a means of political repression;

Reiterates its call on the Council to expand the EU sanctions list to all those responsible for human rights violations in Iran;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the relevant parties.