On case of Ahmadreza Jalali in Iran

on case of Ahmadreza Jalali in Iran

B100300/2025

Motion for a European Parliament resolution on case of Ahmadreza Jalali in Iran

(2025/2753(RSP))

The European Parliament,

having regard to its 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 in April 2016 after he visited Iran to attend workshops on disaster medicine and sentenced to death in October 2017 on false charges of espionage, after being severely pressured into false confessions under torture;

whereas Djalali has been detained in the Evin prison since 2016 in violation of international law; whereas his health situation has further deteriorated and resulted in a heart attack last month; whereas his case remains under an active death sentence, with no execution date set, and execution threats continue to loom amid political back-and-forth;

whereas Iranian courts, and particularly revolutionary courts, regularly fall short of providing fair trials and use confessions obtained under torture as evidence in court; whereas authorities also restrict detainees’ access to legal counsel, particularly during the investigation period;

whereas European-Iranian dual nationals continue to be arrested, receive unfair trials, are placed in solitary confinement and sentenced based on false and vague espionage charges;

whereas Iran uses arbitrary detentions of dual and foreign nationals or residents as bargaining tools to put pressure on foreign Governments and in prisoner exchanges;

Calls on Iran to immediately and unconditionally release Ahmadreza Djalali and all others imprisoned on false charges or for solely exercising their rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly and human rights activities;

Expresses grave concern about the situation of Ahmadreza Djalali and all others unlawfully imprisoned in Iran; firmly calls on the Iranian authorities to ensure that the rights of prisoners are protected at all times, including access to proper medical care, family visits, and chosen legal representation;

Condemns Iran’s hostage diplomacy; calls on Iran to immediately and unconditionally release all detained EU and dual EU nationals; urges the EU and its Member States to develop a comprehensive strategy to counter hostage diplomacy, including with a dedicated task force on Iran to better assist detainees’ families and effectively prevent further hostage-taking;

Firmly denounces the Iranian authorities' weaponization of the death penalty as a tool of intimidation against the population, aimed at silencing dissent and disproportionately targeting women, political opponents, and persecuted ethnic and religious groups;

Is deeply concerned by the increasing and systematic repression of ethnic and religious minorities, women and dissidents in Iran - that face arbitrary arrest and detention, unfair trials and lengthy imprisonment - through laws and regulations that severely restrict their freedoms and rights;

Reiterates its call on the Council to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation, noting that the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court’s ruling on the 2022 Bochum synagogue attack provides the necessary legal grounds;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Parliament and Government of Iran.