Sweden’s verdict on Nouri ‘unfair’, only acquittal acceptable: Iran

Iran’s Judiciary says a Swedish court’s verdict against Hamid Nouri, a former Iranian Judiciary official who has been illegally imprisoned in Sweden, is unfair and that no ruling but the exoneration of the 62-year-old will be acceptable.

Massoud Setayeshi, the Judiciary spokesman, made the remarks at a press conference on Wednesday after the Stockholm Court of Appeals upheld a controversial life sentence for Nouri, who was arrested in 2019 under unfounded allegations of human rights violations.

“The verdict against Hamid Nouri was unfair but predictable,” Setayeshi was quoted as saying by ISNA. “We will not recognize any verdict except the acquittal verdict regarding Hamid Nouri’s innocence.”

Nouri was arrested upon arrival at Stockholm Airport in November 2019 and was immediately imprisoned.

He was put on trial on unfounded allegations staged against him by elements representing the Mujahedin-e-Khalq Organization (MKO) terrorist group that has openly boasted about carrying out terrorist operations against Iranian officials and civilians perceived to be supporters of the government.

Swedish national’s case under investigation

Setayeshi also said that the case of Johan Floderus, a Swedish citizen detained in Iran on espionage charges, was being investigated at an official court.

“The legal proceedings for the case are underway in a court. The third session of hearings was held on December 18. He has been in temporary detention since last year,” the Judiciary spokesman said.

Iran’s Intelligence Ministry announced in March last year that it had arrested the Swedish national who had been visiting the country on espionage charges after having him under surveillance for some time.

The Intelligence Ministry stressed that the Swedish suspect had re-entered Iran several months earlier following the arrest of “another European spy” in order to acquire information about the identity of the detained European person and how he had been arrested by the Ministry.

The suspect had had a history of traveling to the Israeli-occupied territories before leaving for Iran.

SS