Following the dismissal of Dr. Ahmadreza Djalali’s attorney and the appointment of a defense attorney at the instruction of the Court, Dr. Djalali was sentenced to death. At that time, he was given 20 days to appeal his sentence. His family was informed that the appeal had been submitted to the Court in a timely manner.
Two days ago, the attorney informed the family that Dr. Djalali’s execution would proceed. They, however, later found, that at the instructions of the judge on the case, the attorney was instructed not to submit an appeal. As a result, no appeal was ever submitted. The 20 days have passed and the sentence stands.
CCS REQUESTS ALL SCIENTISTS AND ACADEMICS TO PROTEST – REQUEST IS URGENT!
CCS previously reported that on October 21, 2017, the Iranian Revolutionary Court of Judge Abolqasem Salavati had sentenced to death a medical doctor, Ahmadreza Djalali, Iranian born resident of Sweden, Director of European Projects on Disaster Medicine. Dr. Djalali was arrested on a scheduled visit to Tehran University in 2016 and accused of “collaborating with the enemy state”. He has been tortured, and asked to spy for Iran – which he refused. He was given 20 days to appeal his death sentence.
On December 9, 2017, Dr. Djalali’s lawyer (appointed by the court after the first lawyer was dismissed by the judge) informed the family that the death sentence was re-confirmed by the court and that Dr. Djalali would now be executed. After making inquiries, Dr. Djalali’s family learned that the lawyer, Mr. Daryabeighi, at the direction of Judge Salavati, never submitted the case for appeal.
We ask scientists and scholars worldwide to immediately protest this egregious violation of accepted judicial norms and Dr. Djalali’s rights. There can be nothing more sinister than a death sentence imposed on a medical doctor who devoted his life to saving the lives of others.
