A former Iranian official who has been incarcerated in Sweden since 2019 on false charges leveled against him by an anti-Iran terrorist organization has strongly objected to his detention conditions, 53 days after the end of his court hearings.
In a short phone call with his family, Hamid Nouri said despite a judicial order to lift restrictions on him, he is still being held in solitary confinement.
Iranian Judiciary’s public relations department said on Friday that additional illegal restrictions have been imposed on Nouri after more than 50 days since his last trial session in Sweden. He is waiting for the announcement of a verdict.
Nouri was arrested upon arrival in Sweden at Stockholm Airport in November 2019 and was immediately imprisoned. He has been held in solitary confinement for over two years. Swedish prosecutors have requested the maximum penalty of life imprisonment for Nouri, accusing the former Iranian judiciary official of prisoner abuse in 1988.
The charges against Nouri stem from accusations leveled against him by members of the terrorist Mujahedin-e-Khalq Organization (MKO). His accusers allege Nouri was involved in the execution and torture of MKO members in 1988. Nouri vehemently rejects the allegation.
According to the latest reports, judicial officials in Sweden have changed his cell, but his conditions have not improved and he is still kept in a solitary cell despite grave concerns about his health.
In his short phone contact on Friday, Nouri told his family that he is not allowed to have any access to an ophthalmologist despite his worsening vision problems. He says, “In the last court session, the judge said that my restrictions have been lifted but after the end of the trial, my contact with my family was almost cut off.”
The former Iranian official said he has had only two short calls with his family over the past 53 days under strict control and in the presence of an interpreter.
For the first time, Nouri also gave details of his physical torture by Swedish police. “Three Swedish policemen inflicted severe blows on my head and ears due to which I still feel pain and problems in my ears.”
He said “no human rights organization has come to me or is following up on my case” despite his long-running solitary confinement.
In May, Secretary of Iran’s High Council for Human Rights Kazem Gharibabadi censured as “unlawful and unfair” the trial of Nouri in Sweden over alleged rights abuses.
Gharibabadi said Nouri’s trial was a “sham” and in violation of justice and human rights principles, adding that he had been arrested based on false accusations and that his detention was regarded as “forced disappearance” since his family had been kept unaware of the arrest.
Source: Press TV
