Iranian Hamid Noury sentenced to life imprisonment in Sweden for war crimes

A Stockholm court has sentenced Hamid Noury, a former Iranian official accused of murder, torture and war crimes, to life imprisonment. According to the sentence, Noury participated in the mass execution of Iranian political prisoners when he worked as a guard and assistant deputy prosecutor at Gohardasht prison, near the city of Karaj, in 1988.

It should be noted, however, that life imprisonment in Sweden generally means a minimum of 20 to 25 years in prison, although the sentence could be extended. If Noury is released, he will be expelled from Sweden, according to the Associated Press.

The 61-year-old Iranian was arrested in 2019 by Swedish authorities at Stockholm airport after several Iranian exiles filed complaints against him. According to Swedish media, Noury moved to Sweden believing he would go sightseeing, meet women and attend parties. 

The regime in Tehran, meanwhile, has urged Sweden to release Noury "as soon as possible" and called the trial "illegal". Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde responded to her Iranian counterparts by assuring them that the government could do nothing because the country's courts are "completely independent". Swedish courts can try Swedish citizens and citizens of other nationalities if they have been arrested on Swedish soil for crimes against international law, AP reports.

After the verdict was announced, the Iranian news agency Mizan called the verdict "illegal, unjust and without solid evidence". On the other hand, it described the Nordic country as "a haven for terrorists".

Noury has denied the accusations since the trial began in August 2021. For this reason, as the news agency reports, his defence will appeal the court's verdict. Thomas Söderqvist and Daniel Marcus, Noury's lawyers, have admitted to Swedish news agency TT that they are "disappointed".

However, for Balkees Jarrah, acting director of the International Justice Program at Human Rights Watch, the verdict is relevant "for the survivors and families of those who were summarily executed by the Iranian authorities in the summer of 1998".

"The ruling sends a message to the highest Iranian officials implicated in these crimes that they cannot remain beyond the reach of justice forever," Jarrah said in a statement.

The Iranian diaspora in Sweden also welcomed the Stockholm court's ruling. "It is a historic day for me, I am very happy and grateful. I can't describe how I feel," Laleh, sister of one of the executed men, sobbed to SVT, the Swedish public broadcaster. 

Iran experienced one of the darkest episodes in its modern history between July and September 1988. During that summer, 5,000 political dissidents were killed following a fatwa by Ayatollah Khomeini, according to Amnesty International. However, the organisation points out that the actual number could be higher. The National Council of Resistance of Iran, the opposition to the regime in Tehran, puts the number of those killed at 30,000. 

The mass executions focused mainly on supporters of the People's Mujahedin of Iran (MEK), although members of other left-wing political parties were also killed.

Activists have accused several senior officials of the current government of involvement in the massacres. Even the president himself, Ebrahim Raisi, has been accused of involvement in the so-called 'death commissions', although he has denied this.