German-Iranian engineer with US residency executed in Tehran
Iran has executed a German-Iranian engineer with permanent US residency after convicting him of “leading terror operations”.
Jamshid Sharmahd, 69, was hanged before prayers on Monday morning after being sentenced to death in 2023.
In a statement, the Iranian judiciary said Mr Sharmahd planned several terror attacks “at the behest of his masters in Western and American spy agencies”.
It also alleged that he was responsible for the 2008 bombing of a mosque in Shiraz that killed 14 people.
The judiciary said he was the leader of a group known as Tondar (Farsi for thunder), which aims to restore the monarchy overthrown during Iran’s 1979 Islamic revolution.
He was also accused of leading the US-based pro-monarchist group Kingdom Assembly of Iran (KAI).
It comes three days after more than 100 Israeli military aircraft struck targets across Iran in retaliation for an Iranian missile barrage of the Jewish state on Oct 1. The US said Israel informed Washington of its plans in advance.
Mr Sharmahd was abducted by Iranian agents in 2020 while visiting the United Arab Emirates and was forcibly taken to Iran.
His family has denied the allegations and said that he was only a spokesperson for the KAI and that his activities had no connection to attacks in Iran.
Human rights organisations have repeatedly warned about the lack of evidence of fair trial standards, the abduction of Mr Sharmahd and the risk of his execution.
“Since July 2020, the Iranian authorities have been subjecting him to enforced disappearance, torture and other ill-treatment including through prolonged solitary confinement and denial of adequate healthcare,” Amnesty International said.
Mr Sharmahd was the second member of the KAI to be kidnapped and transferred to Iran by Iranian intelligence after the 2007 abduction of Frood Fouladvand, who has never been seen again.
The Iranian government has designated the KAI as a terrorist group. It has stated aims to “overthrow the Islamic Republic”.
Tehran has executed a record number of prisoners while global attention has been focused on the potential for all-out war between Iran and Israel.
Human rights observers say the Islamic Republic is using international tensions as cover while it cracks down on dissent at home.