IR to Germany: We don't need permission to bring terrorist to justice

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
27 Apr 2023 14:30

Iran rebuffs demands made by Germany regarding the sentencing of the leader of a terror ring based in the United States, saying it does not accept intervention in its internal affairs

Jamshid Sharmahd during his trial in Tehran, Iran on Feb. 6, 2023 (AFP)

After Iran’s Supreme Court upheld the death sentence for US-based terrorist ringleader Jamshid Sharmahd, it rejected Germany's request to reverse the sentence on the basis of finding "no reason or evidence" to do so, adding that it would never request permission from anyone to bring terrorists to justice.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called the sentence "completely unacceptable", given that Sharmahd is part German, to which Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani responded by saying that Iran did not tolerate intervention and that it "will never seek permission from anyone in the path of confronting terrorism and implementing justice in dealing with terrorists".

"Iran believes that the meddlesome and authoritarian statements by some German officials about the verdict issued by an Iranian court against a known terrorist is a clear example of supporting terrorism and interfering in Iran’s internal affairs," he added, warning that such an approach hinders the process of justice and "encourage[s] terrorists" and "promote[s] terrorism".

"... immediately end the operation to encourage terrorists and promote the sinister scourge of terrorism," said Kanaani.

He further asked those claiming to fight terrorism not to expect a reward for the "child-killing terrorists" if they do not cooperate with Iran in implementing justice, as attempts to block that is an example of a human rights violation.

The German government was advised to observe the principle of sovereign equality and abide by mutual respect.

The Iran-born German national and US resident was the ringleader of the Tondar (Thunder) terrorist group convicted of attacks such as the 2008 attack against a religious congregation center in Shiraz, which killed 14 people and wounded hundreds, in addition to the 2010 terrorist bombing at Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini’s mausoleum in Tehran.

He has been convicted of being in cahoots with US intelligence and of espionage against Iran’s ballistic missile program. Iranian authorities arrested him in August 2020, and he is also accused of having made contact with FBI and CIA officers, as well as attempting to contact Israeli Mossad agents.