Iran condemns Swedish verdict against Nouri as ‘fundamentally unacceptable’

Iran’s Foreign Ministry has vehemently condemned as “fundamentally unacceptable” a Swedish court’s verdict against Hamid Nouri, a former Iranian judiciary official who has been illegally incarcerated in Sweden.

The Stockholm Court of Appeals on Tuesday upheld a controversial life sentence for 62-year-old Nouri, who was arrested in 2019 under unfounded allegations of rights abuse and for what was claimed to be his alleged role in the death of prisoners in Iran in the 1980s.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran regards the primary and appeals court’s verdict concerning Iranian citizen Hamid Nouri to be fundamentally unacceptable and strongly condemns it,” said Nasser Kan’ani, the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s spokesman.

“It is regrettable that the Swedish court, disregarding the standards of a fair trial, has moved to issue such a destructive verdict.”

Kan’ani underlined that Sweden had sided with anti-Iran terrorist groups by such a ruling and has jeopardized Tehran- Stockholm relations.

“Unfortunately, Sweden’s judicial system, by siding with the terrorist groups that have been engaged in the most heinous terrorist and inhumane acts against the people of Iran, Iraq, and even Europe for decades, has endangered the interests of the two nations as well as the old, historical and deep-rooted relations between the two countries,” Kan’ani said.

“In light of its inherent duties in defending the rights of its citizens, the Islamic Republic of Iran has used all legal capacities and facilities to free the said citizen from the grips of injustice and will continue its efforts until the full fulfillment of the rights of its citizens,” he added.

The Foreign Ministry’s spokesman also stressed that the Islamic Republic reserves the right to take “appropriate” steps in that regard.

Nouri was arrested upon arrival at Stockholm Airport in November 2019 and was immediately imprisoned.

He was put on trial on unfounded allegations staged against him by elements representing the Mujahedin-e-Khalq Organization (MKO) terrorist group that has openly boasted about carrying out terrorist operations against Iranian officials and civilians perceived to be supporters of the government.

The terrorist group had falsely claimed that Nouri was involved in the execution and torture of MKO members in 1988, baseless charges he has vehemently rejected.

In July last year, a Swedish court sentenced Nouri to life imprisonment. The court, which was described by Iran as illegitimate in the first place, convicted Nouri of “war crimes and crimes against humanity” entirely based on claims made by MKO terrorists living in exile across Europe.

The former Iranian judiciary official has been placed in solitary confinement since his illegal arrest.