URGENT: Scholar sentenced to death in Iran for international collaboration
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Message from Scholars at Risk
Dr. Ahmadreza Djalali's life is in immediate danger, and he needs your help. On Saturday, Dr. Djalali was sentenced to death by Iran's revolutionary court. His only crime? Peaceful international scientific collaboration.
An Iranian-born resident of Sweden who teaches disaster medicine at universities in Italy and Belgium, Dr. Djalali was arrested in April 2016 while visiting Iran to participate in a series of workshops. He was subsequently detained in Evin Prison, forced to sign a confession relating to crimes against the national security of Iran, and threatened with the charge of “enmity against God” (moharebeh), which carries the death sentence. During his long imprisonment, Dr. Djalali has been held intermittently in solitary confinement, denied a lawyer of his choosing, and allegedly subjected to psychological torture.
On October 21, 2017, Dr. Djalali was convicted and sentenced to death on a charge of “corruption on earth” (ifsad fil-arz). The government has not publicly disclosed any evidence to support the allegations against Dr. Djalali, which appear to stem from his ties to the international academic community. Dr. Djalali has 20 days to appeal the sentence.
Scholars at Risk urgently calls for e-mails, letters, and faxes urging Iranian authorities to reverse Dr. Djalali’s capital sentence immediately, to ensure his unconditional release from prison, and to drop all charges against him.