Swedish court sentences ex-Iran official to life imprisonment for war crimes
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A Swedish court on Thursday sentenced an Iranian national to life in prison after convicting him of murder and violations of international law for his participation in the 1988 Iran political prisoners’ massacre.
The Stockholm District Court found Hamid Noury, 61, guilty on accounts of murder and aggravated assault relating to the 1988 mass executions in Iran. This is the first time a sentence has been issued against perpetrators of the massacre, Swedish state media reported.
“It is a historic day for me, I am very happy and grateful. I cannot describe how I feel, I am crying,” Swedish state media cited Laleh, whose brother was executed in 1988, as saying following the announcement of the verdict.
Thomas Soderqvist, Noury’s lawyer, told AFP that they were “disappointed” and that they will appeal the sentence.
Sweden has the right to try foreigners suspected of serious international crimes, as it applies the universal jurisdiction principle.
The spokesperson for Iran’s foreign ministry Nasser Kanaani later in the day responded to the decision from the Stockholm court, stating that Iran strongly condemns and rejects the “illegal” ruling.
“It is absolutely certain for the Islamic Republic of Iran that Mr. Hamid Noury's case was only an excuse for a political action without any real citations and legal validity,” Kanaani added.
The spokesperson claimed that Noury was subjected to “systematic mistreatment” during his 30-month detention, and that he was not allowed to introduce his witnesses to the court.
At the beginning of the month, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian spoke to his Swedish counterpart Anne Linde, demanding Noury’s “immediate release.”
Noury served as the assistant to the deputy governor of Gohardasht prison in Karaj when an estimated 5,000 prisoners were killed across Iran following an order from then Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
In the backdrop of the Iran-Iraq war, on July 26, 1988, thousands of members of the Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK), an Iranian opposition group crossed the border into Iran with the support of Iraqi air force, the last major offensive before a United Nations ceasefire came into effect.
The Iranian government placed the country’s prisons on lockdown and rumors soon emerged that the prisoners had been killed and their bodies had been dumped into mass graves. Those killed had been incarcerated for their opposition to the Iranian regime, including followers of MEK.
The Swedish court wrapped up its proceedings in May. Iran has criticized the trial and has taken action to pressure Sweden.
Ahmadreza Djalali, a Swedish-Iranian national and an expert in emergency medicine, was arrested during an academic visit to Iran in October 2016 and subsequently sentenced to death the next year on spying charges.