Iran and Sweden exchanged prisoners on Saturday, breaking a deadlock that brought relief to families but also raised concerns about Sweden’s decision to release the first convicted Iranian official. crimes against humanity.
The Swedish prime minister said Iran had released Johan Floderus, 33, a European Union diplomat and Swedish national, who was arrested in April 2022 in Tehran, as well as Saeed Azizi, a dual citizen. nationality captured in 2023.
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said: “I am delighted to announce that Johan Floderus and Saeed Azizi are now on the plane returning to Sweden and will soon be reunited with their families.” speak on social media.
Mr. Floderus has been charged with espionage and corruption, and Mr. Azizi has been charged with “assembly and collusion against national security,” charges they have always denied and which human rights advocates call fabricated. put.
In return, Sweden released Hamid Nouri, an Iranian judicial official who had been sentenced to life in prison in a Swedish court for torture, war crimes and the mass execution of 5,000 dissidents in 1988, who were sent to the gallows without trial.
According to a statement published by the state-run Oman news agency, the exchange was coordinated with the help of Oman. Prisoners on both sides were taken there before returning to their homeland.
Upon landing in Tehran on Saturday, Mr. Nouri is welcome on the tarmac by several officials, a cleric and a wreath, state television showed. After several brief comments on the incident, he suddenly spoke up saying he had a message for terrorists, opposition dissidents and Israel.
“I’m Hamid Nouri, I’m in Iran, I’m with my family,” he shouted. “Where are you people being so vile? You said even God couldn’t release Hamid Nouri, and look he did.”
Iran regularly exchanges prisoners with other countries, exchanging dual nationals or foreigners for Iranians detained for crimes in those countries. But Mr. Nouri’s case is notable in that it is the first time an Iranian official has been convicted abroad for crimes committed in Iran.
His verdict was also hailed at the time as a landmark legal case for cross-border justice, in which war criminals could be arrested and sentenced outside their borders based on general jurisdiction principle. Human rights lawyers say his case has paved the way for charges against officials from places like Syria, Sudan and Russia who are accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
News of the exchange was welcomed by the families of the two Swedes as well as senior officials closely following the case.
“Delighted by the news that our Swedish colleague Johan Floderus and his compatriot Saeed Azizi have been released from unjust detention by Iran,” speak European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
But the swap, especially Sweden’s release of Mr. Nouri, also sparked anger and concerns about rewarding Iran for systematically detaining foreign nationals on trumped-up charges. , often for espionage or other political crimes, aimed at gaining concessions from Western countries.
“This is an affront to justice,” said Gissou Nia, president of the Iran Human Rights Documentation Center in New Haven, Conn. There has been a standing request for countries with general jurisdiction to open investigations into Iranian officials, including Iranian officials.” protests led by women.” She is referring Massive protests in 2022 That started with the death of a young woman in the custody of the morality police following allegations that she had violated mandatory hijab rules.
“In general, it is terrible for the victims of atrocity crimes,” Ms. Nia added, adding that it is common for other countries to conduct complex and often expensive cases under their jurisdiction. The general agreement also discourages other countries.
On Saturday, family members, both of those victims and dozens of others around the world still in Iranian custody, were also outraged by the exchange, many taking to social media to express their disappointment. Some people still in detention, including Ahmadreza Djalali, a scientist executed for spying and helping Israel assassinate nuclear scientists, are Swedish citizens. Mr Djalali has denied the allegations against him.
Mr. Djalili’s wife, Vida Mehrannia, said in a telephone interview that she was shocked to hear from the media about this morning’s exchange and was heartbroken to learn that her husband had been left behind.
“The Swedish government abandoned my husband,” she said. “If you are going to release a murderer with the blood of 5,000 people on his hands, you must demand the release of all Swedish citizens and all European citizens.” She said her husband called her from prison today saying he had heard the news in the Iranian media and was disappointed that Sweden had abandoned him.
Richard Ratcliffe, whose wife Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian charity worker, spent six years in prison in Iran on charges of political wrongdoing, has highlighted the complexity of such swaps. So.
“I’m really happy for Johan and his family, but also for Saeed,” he said. “They don’t deserve any of this. But I grieve for Ahmadreza and all the others left behind. Nothing about hostage diplomacy is fair.”
Olivier Vandecasteele, a Belgian humanitarian worker, spent some time in prison in Tehran with Mr. Floderus before he has been released last year during another prisoner exchange, said this was a sad moment that he himself knew very well.
“When hostages are freed, there is always joy mixed with pain,” he said. “When some people are released, that means others are not. We know that families still waiting for their loved ones are experiencing a bittersweet moment today.”
A prisoner exchange would also do nothing to help the thousands of Iranians who are unjustly and often brutally detained by the government.
For Iran, bringing Mr. Nouri back from Sweden is a major coup.
Mr. Nouri was a judicial official at Gohardasht prison near Tehran, where 5,000 people were executed in the 1988 purge. He prepared a list of names for the so-called death penalty commission of three officials, in That included the future president, Ebrahim Raisi. He then escorted the blindfolded prisoners from their cells to the commission room for sentencing, and then to the gallows.
He was lured to Sweden by his former son-in-law in 2019, coordinating with international law experts and the victims’ families. He was arrested upon landing in Stockholm under the doctrine of universal jurisdiction And after that convicted of war crimes. He was sentenced to life in prison by a Swedish court in 2022 and was appealing the sentence at the time of his release.
Christina AndersonContributor reported from Stockholm. Vivian Nereim Report contributions.
