The Swedish-Iranian doctor Ahmadreza Djalali constantly lives under the threat of execution, and his health has significantly deteriorated recently.
In a voice message to the public service channel VRT, he explains how the inhumane conditions in the notorious Evin prison in Tehran have led to heart failure, gastritis, intestinal problems, and severe weight loss. “I am truly at my breaking point,” he says.
He urges the Swedish government and the EU to do everything in their power to secure his release. “Otherwise, I will die here, either through execution or illness,” he states. “An end to the torture of me requires real and collective actions from the EU and the Swedish government. Otherwise, these governments will be partially responsible for my death.”
Ahmadreza Djalali was arrested during a lecture trip to Iran in April 2016, accused of espionage. He has consistently denied the charges, saying he was forced to confess under torture. Since then, his family has waged a long battle to secure his release from the feared Evin prison. When Johan Floderus and Saeed Azizi were released in a prisoner exchange in the summer of 2024, the family questioned why he was not included.
Now, Djalali’s wife, Vida Mehrania, is desperate. “Every day, I fear the phone call where someone tells me they have executed him,” she says to VRT.
The Swedish government has stated that Iran does not recognize Djalali’s Swedish citizenship, as he became a Swedish citizen only after being imprisoned for two years. As a result, they have refused to discuss a prisoner exchange involving Djalali.
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