Hamid Nouri slams Swedish 'sham' court of appeal, calls it 'unjust'

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
12 Jan 2023 15:53
1 Shares

Former Iranian judiciary official Hamid Nouri protests his unfair trial and treatment in Sweden.

A boy holding a banner that says "Sweden, a haven for spies" during a demonstration in front of the Swedish embassy in Tehran on July 19, 2022 (Fars)

Hamid Nouri, a former Iranian judiciary official who has been illegally incarcerated in Sweden, underscored on Wednesday that his trial has not been fair, prompting the judge to order his microphone to be turned off.

Upon his arrival at the Stockholm Airport in November 2019, Swedish authorities illegally detained Nouri over false accusations of being involved in the execution and torture of the members of the Mujahedin-e-Khalq (MKO) terrorist organization in 1988. In July, a Swedish court sentenced the former Iranian official to life imprisonment.

In response, the Iranian Foreign Ministry described the sentence as "illegal and contrary to the principles of international law."

During the first session of the court of appeal at the Svea Court of Appeal in Stockholm, Nouri, who has been put in solitary confinement since his illegal incarceration, protested his unfair trial and treatment in Sweden.

"I consider this court unjust and will not attend the court as long as my problems are not addressed," IRNA quoted Nouri as saying after the court refused to allow him to consult with his lawyers before the start of the session.

"Mr Judge! Let justice be established in your court! I have been counting down the seconds for this day so as to talk to you. Don’t hold a sham trial!" he shouted.

The objection prompted the judge to order that Nouri’s microphone be turned off. However, Nouri went on with his remarks, saying, "I do not have access to an ophthalmologist; therefore, I do not have the ability to read the documents in my dossier."

"I’ve been in solitary confinement for three years and two months. The judge has declared that the restrictions have ended for me, but my contacts are still blocked," he indicated.

In late December 2022, Heibatollah Nazhandi-Manesh, a legal advisor to Nouri’s family, noted that the court of appeal would last until the end of 2023 when the case is finalized.

Earlier, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kanani expressed regret over the unexpected measures taken by the Swedish Court of Appeals against Nouri.

Kanaani affirmed that Iran will not fail to protect the rights of its citizens across the world, calling on the Swedish government to take note of the human, legal and consular rights of Nouri.

Nouri’s torture in Swedish jail bears traces of Israeli tactics

In late December, Nouri's son, Majid, revealed that his father was subjected to torture since his arrest more than three years ago in Sweden, indicating that the systematic torture inflicted on Nouri has Israeli fingerprints all over it.

Majid told IRNA that his father has spent more than three years in solitary confinement in a small cell under the pretense that the Swedish government is "protecting him", noting that "under European countries’ laws, solitary confinement for more than 10 days amounts to torture."

Witnesses rejected by court

Nouri's son recounted the problems his father faced while trying to defend himself during his trial, including the fact that he was not able to have a lawyer of his choosing and was constantly interrupted and given much less time to defend himself against the accusations.

"My father knows neither English nor Swedish, so he needs to talk to someone in this country who can give advice," he said.

"We even had witnesses who wanted to come to the court and testify, but neither the public defenders allowed them to come nor the Swedish judicial system accepted the request," Majid indicated.

Lawyers threatened by MKO elements

Majid said that the MKO faction's propaganda offensive, which began after his father's incarceration, scared many witnesses away from the case, revealing that "we talked to more than ten lawyers, many of whom were later threatened by the MKO."

He added that the plot against Hamid Nouri was orchestrated by forces much more powerful than the MKO.

In late November, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian held a phone call with his Swedish counterpart Tobias Billstrom, during which he urged the immediate release of Hamid Nouri, warning of the illegal detention's consequences on bilateral relations.

It is worth noting that the MKO has been responsible for numerous assassinations and bombings of top-ranking Iranian officials since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Out of the nearly 17,000 Iranians killed in terrorist attacks over the past four decades, about 12,000 have fallen victim to the group's acts of terror.