Ex-Iranian official sentenced by Swedish court for executions in prison
Swedish prosecutors prosecuted the case against the civil servant, Hamid Noury, for crimes in his native country, and he was sentenced to life for his role in the 1988 death of thousands of opposition members.
A Swedish court on Thursday found a former Iranian justice official guilty of war crimes and murder, and sentenced him to life in prison for his role in the mass execution and torture of thousands of prisoners in Iran decades ago.
The official, Hamid Noury, a former assistant deputy prosecutor at Gohardasht prison, west of Tehran, was lured to Sweden in 2019 and was quickly arrested. He was indicted two years later for his role in the deaths of nearly 5,000 prisoners in the summer of 1988, in one of the Islamic Republic's most brutal crackdowns on its opponents.
The historic ruling, the first time an Iranian official has been prosecuted by a foreign country for crimes committed inside Iran and convicted, has offered a victory to human rights and Iranian opposition groups and the families of the victims.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi sat on a three-person committee that interviewed prisoners at the time and ultimately decided who among them would be sent to their deaths.
The trial was prosecuted under the principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows any national court to prosecute atrocities, regardless of where they are committed. In January, a German court convicted a Syrian intelligence official of crimes against humanity under the same law.
Families of victims and activists of human rights gathered outside the courthouse on Thursday and when the verdict was announced they cried, clapped and hugged, according to those present. Some said they hadn't slept the night before in anticipation of the ruling.
36-year-old BBC Persian reporter Omid Montazeri was 2 when his father was executed. Standing outside the courthouse when the verdict was announced, he called his mother.
“I cried, she cried. The first word I said to him was "forever", which means he has life. All the stories we carried and told were ultimately validated and accepted as the truth,” Montazeri said in a phone interview.
Families then held a "celebration of justice" party.
"Everyone was in tears, tears of joy. We looked at each other in disbelief, hugging and lots of smiles. It was the Islamic Republic that was on trial, not just Noury,” said Roya Boroumand, executive director of the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center, a Washington-based Iran human rights group.
Iran denounced the verdict, calling it a political decision, and said it would damage relations with Sweden.< /p>
"The Islamic Republic of Iran strongly condemns this political statement based on fabricated and baseless accusations against the Islamic Republic and our judicial system", said Nasser Kanani, door -says the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement shortly after the verdict. was announced...
Swedish prosecutors prosecuted the case against the civil servant, Hamid Noury, for crimes in his native country, and he was sentenced to life for his role in the 1988 death of thousands of opposition members.
A Swedish court on Thursday found a former Iranian justice official guilty of war crimes and murder, and sentenced him to life in prison for his role in the mass execution and torture of thousands of prisoners in Iran decades ago.
The official, Hamid Noury, a former assistant deputy prosecutor at Gohardasht prison, west of Tehran, was lured to Sweden in 2019 and was quickly arrested. He was indicted two years later for his role in the deaths of nearly 5,000 prisoners in the summer of 1988, in one of the Islamic Republic's most brutal crackdowns on its opponents.
The historic ruling, the first time an Iranian official has been prosecuted by a foreign country for crimes committed inside Iran and convicted, has offered a victory to human rights and Iranian opposition groups and the families of the victims.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi sat on a three-person committee that interviewed prisoners at the time and ultimately decided who among them would be sent to their deaths.
The trial was prosecuted under the principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows any national court to prosecute atrocities, regardless of where they are committed. In January, a German court convicted a Syrian intelligence official of crimes against humanity under the same law.
Families of victims and activists of human rights gathered outside the courthouse on Thursday and when the verdict was announced they cried, clapped and hugged, according to those present. Some said they hadn't slept the night before in anticipation of the ruling.
36-year-old BBC Persian reporter Omid Montazeri was 2 when his father was executed. Standing outside the courthouse when the verdict was announced, he called his mother.
“I cried, she cried. The first word I said to him was "forever", which means he has life. All the stories we carried and told were ultimately validated and accepted as the truth,” Montazeri said in a phone interview.
Families then held a "celebration of justice" party.
"Everyone was in tears, tears of joy. We looked at each other in disbelief, hugging and lots of smiles. It was the Islamic Republic that was on trial, not just Noury,” said Roya Boroumand, executive director of the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center, a Washington-based Iran human rights group.
Iran denounced the verdict, calling it a political decision, and said it would damage relations with Sweden.< /p>
"The Islamic Republic of Iran strongly condemns this political statement based on fabricated and baseless accusations against the Islamic Republic and our judicial system", said Nasser Kanani, door -says the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement shortly after the verdict. was announced...
What's Your Reaction?
![Three of ID's top PR executives quit ad firm Powerhouse [EXCLUSIVE]](https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/ID-PR-Logo.jpg?#){kind=logo}
