Iran Summons Swedish Envoy over Prison Term for Former Official
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Sweden’s ambassador to Tehran in protest at the continued imprisonment of former Iranian official Hamid Nouri in the European country over alleged human rights abuses.
Following the continuation of the political detention of Hamid Nouri by Sweden and the reading of a summary of the Swedish prosecutor’s indictment in his recent court sessions in Stockholm, Mattias Lentz, Swedish ambassador to Tehran, was summoned on Sunday by the Iranian deputy foreign minister and the Foreign Ministry’s director general for West European affairs to convey Tehran’s strong protest at the baseless and false allegations levelled by the Swedish prosecutor against Iran during his comments.
The Foreign Ministry’s director general for West European affairs described the court proceedings and detention of Nouri as completely illegal and under the influence of baseless and false moves and claims of the terrorist group of MKO and also condemned the hostile propaganda against Iran, the Foreign Ministry’s website reported.
He also called for an end to the political show trial at the Swedish court and demanded the release of Nouri, the Iranian citizen incarcerated in the European country.
The Swedish ambassador said he will convey Iran’s protest to his country’s Foreign Ministry officials.
Swedish prosecutors have requested the maximum penalty of life imprisonment for Hamid Nouri, accusing the former Iranian judiciary official of prisoner abuse in 1988.
The charges against Nouri stem from accusations leveled against him by members of anti-Iran terrorist Mujahedin-e-Khalq Organization (MKO).
He was arrested upon arrival in Sweden at Stockholm Airport in 2019 and was immediately imprisoned. Nouri, now 61, has been held in solitary confinement for over two years and his family has not been allowed to visit him in prison.
His accusers allege that Nouri was involved in the execution and torture of MKO members in 1988. Nouri vehemently rejects the allegations, Press TV reported.
During the 89th session of his trial on Friday, Swedish prosecutors read a summary of Nouri’s indictment in court, a day after submitting a request for life imprisonment for him.