Tuesday is probably the last day of the trial against the German-Iranian Jamshid Sharmahd in Iran. The man, who worked as a journalist for a long time, has been in solitary confinement for almost 900 days. He faces the death penalty. Now he gets support from German politics.
The German-Iranian Jamshid Sharmahd faces the death penalty in Iran. He is accused of “corruption on earth”. According to the information, a verdict could already be reached in the process this Tuesday. “He says it doesn’t look good,” his daughter wrote on Twitter.
Meanwhile Sharmahd gets prominent support. Union faction leader Friedrich Merz (CDU) has taken on a political sponsorship for the German-Iranian imprisoned in Iran. “With my sponsorship, I want to set an example for all men and women who are fighting for a free, self-determined life in Iran,” said Merz on Monday in Berlin.
The CDU politician called for “clarification from the Iranian authorities and courts about the state of health, the prison conditions and the circumstances that led to the arrest of Jamshid Sharmahd”.
According to the Union faction, Sharmahd is an Iranian citizen and since 1995 a German citizen, he has lived in Germany for a long time. He was therefore active as a journalist, operated a large online platform and a radio station. Iran’s judiciary accuses him of planning a bomb attack. According to the information, Sharmahd was kidnapped by Iran from the United Arab Emirates in 2020 and has been in solitary confinement for almost 900 days.
“It is a personal concern of mine to take on the political sponsorship of Jamshid Sharmahd,” explained Merz. “Mr. Sharmahd has the right to a fair trial – based on my knowledge of the situation, I don’t see that as the case at the moment.” He would “demand the Iranian ambassador to clarify the case.”
More and more German politicians have taken on political sponsorships for people imprisoned in Iran in recent months – such as Bundestag Vice President Katrin Göring-Eckardt (Greens) and Greens leader Ricarda Lang.
The movement is also gaining momentum internationally. There are now also political sponsorships for imprisoned Iranians from Austria and other countries.
