European Parliament demands immediate release of Ahmadreza Djalali
On Thursday, 8 July 2021, the European Parliament debated and voted on an awaited resolution to demand that Ahmadreza Djalali – a Swedish-Iranian doctor and researcher sentenced to death – be released from prison in Iran. Passed by a substantial majority of votes, the resolution now calls for the release of Djalali.
"We are most definitely in support of the resolution. The situation for Ahmadreza Djalali is critical – particularly due to his state of health. It is literally a matter of saving his life", explains Ole Petter Ottersen, President of Karolinska Institutet.
Ahmadreza Djalali, a Karolinska Institutet alumni member and researcher, was arrested by Iranian police in April 2016. He was on a lecture-tour of the country at the time, to speak about his field of research, Disaster Medicine. In connection with his arrest, he was accused of crimes such as espionage and ‘enmity with God’. He was sentenced to death in the following year, on 21 October 2017. In accordance with the European Parliament, he should be allowed to return to Sweden.