Hamid Nouri's Lawyers call for appeal over Swedish court life sentence

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
6 Nov 2022 23:50

The lawyers of Iranian detainee in Sweden Hamid Nouri reject the verdict of the Swedish court that sentenced him to life over alleged human rights violations and call for an appeal citing possible illegitimacy of the court's sentence

Hamid Nouri

A Swedish court found former Iranian official Hamid Nouri on October 24 and sentenced him to life in prison over alleged war crimes and murder, which was rejected by his lawyers who requested a court of appeal.

Nouri's lawyers stated that the Swedish court did not consider the limitations imposed by the international law on Swedish law, in other terms questioning the court's legitimacy in dealing with the matter.

In 2019, Nouri was arrested upon his arrival in Sweden over alleged human rights abuses. During a recent court session, Swedish prosecutors called for his life imprisonment, IRNA mentioned.

Both International and Swedish law realize that the application of international legitimacy of internal courts is subject to conditions and limits.

According to Swedish laws, a foreign individual can't be tried in internal courts under international legitimacy if they (the foreigner) are present in the country against their will, which is the defense the lawyers of Nouri claimed that their client arrived in Sweden against his own will.

The lawyers further stated that, in contradiction to Swedish law, an arrest warrant was issued against Nouri before his arrival in Sweden, arguing that the Swedish government must have an interest in executing international legitimacy, while no interest for the government was offered by the court in its first ruling.

Earlier in May, Iran's Secretay of the High Council for Human Rights Kazem Gharibabadi described Sweden’s trial of former Iranian official Hamid Nouri as “unlawful and unfair" and a sham that violates the principles of justice and human rights.

Gharibabadi noted that Nouri's family was denied meeting him for two years and that the detained former official was kept in solitary confinement, stressing that the Swedish government should be held accountable for medical negligence, torture, and the long solitary confinement of Nouri.