Ahmad Reza Jalali

Ahmadreza Djalali or Ahmad Reza Jalali, (born 15 September 1971), is an Iranian-Swedish disaster medicine doctor, lecturer and researcher. He was accused of espionage and collaboration with Israel and sentenced to death.[1] He has worked in several universities in Europe, among which Karolinska University of Sweden, where he had also attended his PhD program, Università degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale (Italy), Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Belgium).[2] He also cooperated with universities in Iran and is in contact with universities worldwide, including in Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United States.[3]

Dr.Ahmadreza Djalali
Born (1971-09-15) 15 September 1971
NationalitySwedish-Iranian
OccupationDoctor, Lecturer, Researcher

Academic work

Dr. Jalali's academic work in the field of disaster medicine has looked at issues related to emergency medicine in a range of contexts, such as Italy, Denmark, Sweden and Iran and has over 700 citations.[4] He was a key figure in establishing the Università del Piemonte Orientale (CRIMEDIM) Research Center in Emergency and Disaster in Italy and has been part of important studies on the level of preparedness of hospitals for disasters. Published studies he co-authored have also looked at hospital preparedness for earthquakes,[5] man-made conflicts,[6] Chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) emergencies[7] and massive influxes of emergency patients.[8] A 2016 study looked at the preparedness level of Emergency Departments of Italian hospitals by assessing the knowledge-base of emergency physicians on basic disaster planning and procedures.[8] The study found a need to enhance staff disaster preparedness education, training and follow-up to ensure understanding and awareness of Emergency Plans. He has also contributed to the development of curricula for post-graduate courses on disaster medicine for undergraduates [9] and postgraduates.[10]

Arrest and imprisonment

In April 2016, when he was visiting Iran, following an invitation from the University of Tehran and Shiraz University, he was arrested upon order of the Ministry of Intelligence and Security, without a valid warrant or reason for arrest.[1] Two weeks later he was faced with charges of espionage and collaboration with Israel, the proof being an alleged letter from his spouse, which allegedly contained evidence of the accusations. His family was not informed on his whereabouts for ten days,[3] though they knew he had been arrested. After being held at an unknown location for approx. 7 days, he was transferred to section 209 of Evin prison, where he was held for 7 months. During the calls made to his family, Dr. Djalali said he had been held in solitary confinement for 3 months, and the following months in partial isolation.[1]

Sentence

On the 31 January 2017, after nine months of detention, Dr. Djalali was taken to branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court in Teheran where he was formally charged with espionage, despite the lack of evidence, and he was told that he could face a death penalty. Reportedly, his lawyer was not allowed to be present at the hearing and he was denied access to the case files.[11]

After more months of unjustified detention, he was sentenced to death on the 21 October 2017 on the charge of “corruption on earth” (ifsad fil-arz).[1] He was then incarcerated at Evin prison. In November 2017, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention formally requested the Iranian Government to provide detailed information about his detention, but it did not receive a response. In late 2018, an Iranian state TV presented him as a spy and showed his alleged confession which, according to Dr. Djalali, was a pre-written text that he was forced to say under threats of execution, and even of harming his loved ones. Attempts by his lawyer to submit appeals for judicial review of the sentence have been rejected, and the last one is apparently still pending.[12]

On July 29, 2019, Dr. Djalali was transferred again from Evin Prison to an unknown location. There, he was severely tortured and threatened with the execution of the death sentence in order to gain more confessions from him.[1]

Health condition

Dr. Djalali's health conditions have been deteriorating since his arrest. In particular, blood tests run in 2018 indicated a low white blood cell count. Subsequently, he was examined by a medical doctor in early 2019 at Evin Prison; he was recommended to be seen by a specialist in haematology in hospital, but this request was denied. The recommended follow-up examinations have not been done. Reportedly, furthermore, Dr. Djalali has lost 24 kg since the time of his arrest.[13] The World Medical Association has taken up his case and its president, Ketan Desai, has written to the Iranian authorities saying that the conditions under which Dr. Djalali is being held contravene medical ethics and human rights law.[14]

International pressure

United Nations

In November 2017, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention formally requested the Iranian Government to provide detailed information about his detention and it did not receive a response.[11] On 9 February 2018, United Nations human rights experts urgently called on Iran to lift the death sentence against Ahmadreza Djalali.[15]

United Nations human rights experts appealed to Iran to annul the death sentence against Djalali for the first time during 2017. The experts were Mr. José Antonio Guevara Bermúdez, Chair-Rapporteur of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention; Mr. Nils Melzer, Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; Ms. Agnes Callamard, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions; and Ms. Asma Jahangir, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran.[11]

They adopted the opinion No. 92/2017.[16] On 18 September 2017, the Working Group transmitted allegations to the Government under its regular communications procedure but did not receive a response from the Iranian Government. This document explains why the deprivation of liberty of Ahmadreza Djalali is in contravention of articles 3, 5, 8, 9, 10 and 11 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and of articles 7, 9, 10 and 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and it clearly states that the appropriate remedy would be to release Mr. Djalali immediately and accord him an enforceable right to compensation and other reparations, in accordance with international law.[17]

United Nations human rights experts repeated their urgent call in 2018.[18]

In the 2020 Annual report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and reports of the Office of the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General, it is stated that "There are persistent concerns about the situation of dual and foreign nationals who remain imprisoned in the Islamic Republic of Iran [...]. Iranian-Swedish citizen Ahmadreza Djalali, sentenced to death in October 2017 on espionage charges, was reportedly transferred on 29 July 2019 to an unknown location for approximately 10 days before being returned to Evin Prison. During that time, he was reportedly pressured to confess to further allegations. Mr. Djalali, along with other dual and foreign nationals, including Mr. Ghaderi, have been denied medical treatment, notably for life-threatening conditions."[19]

In the Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran 2020, it is underlined that "the security and intelligence officials, including the Ministry of Intelligence and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, have in many cases prevented access to medical care for detainees and prisoners, or made medical attention or transfers to hospital conditional upon confession." [20] In addition, the Special Rapporteur is concerned about the practice of publicizing forced confession: "Ahmadreza Djalali, a Swedish-Iranian academic, had his confession to spying on the Islamic Republic of Iran broadcast on State television in December 2017, five days after the Supreme Court had upheld his death sentence through a hastily convened and secret process during which no submissions from the defence had been allowed".[20] It is reported Mr. Djalali recorded the confession under duress, after his interrogators had said that he would be released from solitary confinement only if he recorded the confession.[20]

Nobel Laureates

In December 2018, 121 Nobel Laureates wrote an open letter to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to provide medical assistance for professor Djalali and ask for his release.[21]

Amnesty International

Amnesty International has been closely following and collecting the information about Djalali’s living conditions and health status, especially the inhuman conditions Djalali has experienced during his imprisonment.[22]

Since 2017, Amnesty International has launched the campaign to encourage public audiences to write a petition letter and submit to Iranian Supreme Leader Office, President of Iran, and Chief Justice of Iran (head of the Judiciary), to ask for an immediate release of Djalali, and a proper health medication, to ensure Djalali’s safety, and his accessibility to lawyer and family, including the Swedish consular to meet him.[23]

The 2020 Nowruz Action is a campaign to support prisoners of conscience in Iran on the occasion of Iranian traditional new year festival. Amnesty encourages public audiences to send supporting messages to the prisoners and their families. This year Amnesty International selected seven cases of political prisoners and academic prisoners, among which was Djalali’s case, to represent the Amnesty’s Nowruz campaign.[24]

Scholars at Risk Network (SAR)

Scholars at Risk (SAR) is an international network of institutions and individuals to promote academic freedom and protect scholars from academic freedom threats.[25] SAR has been engaging and pushing public campaigns to support Dr. Djalali, for example, by releasing letters to public authorities in Iran and conducting online activities via social networks. In January 2018, SAR published the campaign ‘#SaveAhmad’ through social media to exert pressures to public institutions to support Dr. Djalali’s release.[26] In March 2020, in response to COVID-19 pandemic, SAR has issued the letter to Iranian authorities to unconditionally release Dr. Djalali because of his health conditions.[27]

European universities

In November 2017, European University Association (EUA) put pressure on Iranian authorities for a reversal of Djalali’s capital sentence and an instant release of Djalali.[28] The EUA wrote a letter to Iranian Supreme Leader, and expressed grave concerns about the ongoing harm to Djalali and his family.[29]

In April 2018, Flemish University Council (VLIR) decided to postpone all academic cooperation with Iranian universities and institutions in response to Iranian authorities’ decision to imprison and lay down death sentences over Dr. Djalali, one of the professors of Brussel Free University. On this occasion, the Council expressed deep concerns about the professor's imprisonment and requested the Iranian authorities to provide him medical care. The University Council posited that the Flemish universities’ cooperation with Iranian institutions would not be continued if the Iranian government did not take any actions to support Dr. Djalali.[30]

On 31 October, the Università degli studi del Piemonte, the Karolinska University and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel sent a letter to the head of the judiciary of Iran, Sadegh Larijani asking for Dr. Djalali immediate release. In the letter the universities recalled the excellent reputation of Dr. Djalali recalled the right to freedom of expression.[31]

Case update

2020
  • After the widespread of the COVID-19 pandemic, in March 2020, Iranian authorities have released 85,000 individuals from prisons, including political prisoners.[32] Among this number, Dr. Djalali was not in the list.[27][33]

2018
  • The Human Rights Council Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UN) repeated their urgent call for Dr. Djalali’s release[34]
  • On February 5, FIDU (Federazione Italiana Diritti umani), Iran Human Rights, ECPM – Ensemble Contre la Peine de Mort and Nessuno tocchi caino (Hands off Caino) sent a letter to the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini in order to ask to take urgent action and to obtain an immediate suspension of the death sentence.[35]
  • On May 3, the Scholars at risk network wrote a letter to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.[36]

2017
  • A petition was started for the release of Dr. Djalali on change.org and it succeeded in obtaining more than 320.000 signatures. The petition was directed to Iranian Authorities and to the former President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani, among others.[37]
  • On 31 October, the Università degli studi del Piemonte, the Karolinska University and the Vrije Universitet Brussel sent a letter to the head of the judiciary of Iran, Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani asking for Dr. Djalali immediate release. In the letter the universities recalled the excellent reputation of Dr. Djalali and recalled the right to the freedom of expression.[38]
  • On November 13, the European University Association sent a letter to Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei[39]
  • The Human Rights Council Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UN) adopted opinion No. 92/2017 at its eightieth session, 20–24 November. The Working Group transmitted the source’s allegations to the Iranian Government and requested the Government to provide, by 17 November, detailed information about the current situation of Dr. Djalali and any comments on the source’s allegations. The opinion received no feedback.[29]
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See also

References
  1. "Ahmadreza Djalali, Iran". Scholars at Risk. 24 April 2019. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  2. Burkle, Frederick M. (July 2020). "Ahmadreza Djalali, MD, PhD is Dying". Prehospital and Disaster Medicine: 1–2. doi:10.1017/S1049023X20000874. ISSN 1049-023X.
  3. "Urgent action, Iranian academic could be sentenced to death". www.amnestyusa.org. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  4. "Ahmadreza Djalali OR Ahmadreza Jalali - Google Scholar". scholar.google.it. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  5. Djalali, Ahmadreza; Khankeh, Hamidreza; Öhlén, Gunnar; Castrén, Maaret; Kurland, Lisa (16 May 2011). "Facilitators and obstacles in pre-hospital medical response to earthquakes: a qualitative study". Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine. 19 (1): 30. doi:10.1186/1757-7241-19-30. ISSN 1757-7241. PMC 3114771. PMID 21575233.
  6. Aladhrai, Saleem Ahmed; Djalali, Ahmadreza; Corte, Francesco Della; Alsabri, Mohammed; El-Bakri, Nahid Karrar; Ingrassia, Pier Luigi (August 2015). "Impact of the 2011 Revolution on Hospital Disaster Preparedness in Yemen". Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness. 9 (4): 396–402. doi:10.1017/dmp.2015.30. ISSN 1935-7893.
  7. Olivieri, Carlo; Ingrassia, Pier L.; Della Corte, Francesco; Carenzo, Luca; Sapori, Jean-Marc; Gabilly, Laurent; Segond, Fredrique; Grieger, Fiene; Arnod-Prin, Philippe; Larrucea, Xabier; Violi, Chrisitan (2017). "Hospital preparedness and response in CBRN emergencies: TIER assessment tool". European Journal of Emergency Medicine. 24 (5): 366–370. doi:10.1097/MEJ.0000000000000399. ISSN 0969-9546.
  8. Paganini, Matteo; Borrelli, Francesco; Cattani, Jonathan; Ragazzoni, Luca; Djalali, Ahmadreza; Carenzo, Luca; Della Corte, Francesco; Burkle, Frederick M.; Ingrassia, Pier Luigi (December 2016). "Assessment of disaster preparedness among emergency departments in Italian hospitals: a cautious warning for disaster risk reduction and management capacity". Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine. 24 (1): 101. doi:10.1186/s13049-016-0292-6. ISSN 1757-7241. PMC 4986169. PMID 27526719.
  9. Bajow, MD, MSc DM, Nidaa; Djalali, MD, MSc DM, PhD, Ahmadreza; Ingrassia, MD, MSc DM, PhD, Pier Luigi; Ageely, MD, Hussein; Bani, MD, PhD, Ibrahim; Della Corte, MD, Francesco (1 April 2015). "Proposal for a community-based disaster management curriculum for medical school undergraduates in Saudi Arabia". American Journal of Disaster Medicine. 10 (2): 145–152. doi:10.5055/ajdm.2015.0197.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. Algaali, Khalid Yousif Ahmed; Djalali, Ahmadreza; Della Corte, Francesco; Ismail, Mohamed Ahmed; Ingrassia, Pier Lugi (2015). "Postgraduate Education in Disaster Health and Medicine". Frontiers in Public Health. 3. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2015.00185. ISSN 2296-2565. PMC 4530259. PMID 26322298.
  11. "OHCHR | UN rights experts call on Iran to annul death sentence against academic and free him". www.ohchr.org. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  12. "Iran's State TV Aired Forced Confession of Ahmadreza Djalali Because He Refused to Spy for Iran". Center for Human Rights in Iran. 20 December 2017. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  13. "AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL, Urgent Actions. IRANIAN-SWEDISH ACADEMIC FORCIBLY DISAPPEARED".
  14. "WMA - The World Medical Association-World Medical Association Takes Up Case of Jailed Iranian Doctor". Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  15. "OHCHR | UN rights experts urge Iran to annul death sentence against Ahmadreza Djalali". www.ohchr.org. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  16. Human Rights Council Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (24 November 2017). "Opinion No. 92/2017 concerning Ahmadreza Djalali (Islamic Republic of Iran)" (PDF). OHCHR. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  17. "OPINION N. 92/2017" (PDF).
  18. "OHCHR | UN rights experts urge Iran to annul death sentence against Ahmadreza Djalali". www.ohchr.org. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  19. "Report of the United Nations Secretary-General on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran – Zagros Human Rights Center". Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  20. "Report of the Special Rapporteur". www.ohchr.org. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  21. "121 Nobel Laureates Urge Khamenei to Free Imprisoned Dual National Ahmadreza Djalali". www.iranhumanrights.org. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  22. "IRAN: FURTHER INFORMATION: IRANIAN-SWEDISH ACADEMIC FORCIBLY DISAPPEARED: AHMADREZA DJALALI". www.amnesty.org. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  23. "Urgent Action Iranian academic could be sentenced to death: Dr Ahmadreza Djalali" (PDF). www.amnesty.org. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  24. "Nowruz Action" (PDF). www.amnesty.org. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  25. "About SAR". www.scholarsatrisk.org. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  26. "Take Action to #SaveAhmad". www.scholarsatrisk.org. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  27. "Release Dr. Ahmadreza Djalali amidst concerns of COVID-19". www.scholarsatrisk.org. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  28. "President of EUA, Professor Rolf Tarrach, calls on Iranian authorities to reverse the death sentence against Dr. Ahmadreza Djalali". eua.eu. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  29. "European University Association calls on Iran to release Swedish resident scholar sentenced to death". www.scholarsatrisk.org. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  30. "Flemish universities suspend cooperation with Iranian institutions". www.brusselstimes.com. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  31. "Letter of concern over the detention of Dr. Ahmadreza Djalali | President's blog". Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  32. "Iran temporarily frees 85,000 from jail including political prisoners". www.reuters.com. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  33. "Iran frees more than 1,000 foreign prisoners, but not VUB professor Djalali". The Brussels Times. 23 April 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  34. "OHCHR | UN rights experts urge Iran to annul death sentence against Ahmadreza Djalali". www.ohchr.org. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  35. "SAVE AHMAD | FIDU" (in Italian). 7 December 2017. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  36. "Iran: Release Dr. Ahmadreza Djalali". Scholars at Risk. 5 September 2019. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  37. "Iran, migliaia di firme per chiedere la liberazione di un medico condannato a morte". rainews (in Italian). Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  38. "Ahmadreza Djalali, lo scienziato condannato a morte con l'accusa di aver collaborato con Israele". Progetto Dreyfus (in Italian). 12 November 2017. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  39. "European University Association calls on Iran to release Swedish resident scholar sentenced to death". Scholars at Risk. 13 November 2017. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
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