Members of the Parliamentary Assembly ask Iran not to carry out the death penalty of Ahmadeza Djalali

Written declaration No. 656 | Doc. 14549 | 26 April 2018

Signatories:

Ms Petra De SUTTER, Belgium, SOC ; Ms Petra BAYR, Austria, SOC ; Ms Maryvonne BLONDIN, France, SOC ; Mr Piet De BRUYN, Belgium, NR ; Ms Klotilda BUSHKA, Albania, SOC ; Mr Vernon COAKER, United Kingdom, SOC ; Mr Titus CORLĂŢEAN, Romania, SOC ; Ms Yolaine de COURSON, France, NR ; Mr Yves CRUCHTEN, Luxembourg, SOC ; Ms Vanessa D'AMBROSIO, San Marino, SOC ; Mr Hendrik DAEMS, Belgium, ALDE ; Mr Constantinos EFSTATHIOU, Cyprus, SOC ; Mr Valeriu GHILETCHI, Republic of Moldova, EPP/CD ; Ms Sabina GLASOVAC, Croatia, SOC ; Ms Maria GUZENINA, Finland, SOC ; Mr Domagoj HAJDUKOVIĆ, Croatia, SOC ; Mr Andrej HUNKO, Germany, UEL ; Ms Susan Elan JONES, United Kingdom, SOC ; Mr Josip JURATOVIC, Germany, SOC ; Ms Ioanneta KAVVADIA, Greece, UEL ; Mr Tiny KOX, Netherlands, UEL ; Mr Florian KRONBICHLER, Italy, SOC ; Mr Christophe LACROIX, Belgium, SOC ; Mr Filippo LOMBARDI, Switzerland, EPP/CD ; Baroness Doreen MASSEY, United Kingdom, SOC ; Ms Liliane MAURY PASQUIER, Switzerland, SOC ; Ms Martine MERGEN, Luxembourg, EPP/CD ; Mr Rónán MULLEN, Ireland, EPP/CD ; Mr Víctor NAUDI ZAMORA, Andorra, SOC ; Mr Axel SCHÄFER, Germany, SOC ; Mr Frank SCHWABE, Germany, SOC ; Ms Angela SMITH, United Kingdom, SOC ; Ms Tineke STRIK, Netherlands, SOC ; Ms Marie-Christine VERDIER-JOUCLAS, France, NR ; Mr Martin WHITFIELD, United Kingdom, SOC ; Mr Phil WILSON, United Kingdom, SOC ; Ms Almira XHEMBULLA, Albania, SOC

This written declaration does not reflect the position of the Assembly; only of those members that have signed it. It will not be considered further by the Assembly.

Ahmadeza Djalali, Iranian scientist and guest lecturer at the Belgian Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), was sentenced to death. According to the Iranian government, he would have gathered information about two nuclear scientists on behalf of the Israeli secret service. Iran claims that this espionage is part of Israel's plans to sabotage the Iranian nuclear program.

Djalali has declared on multiple occasions that he is innocent. He is a scientist, and certainly not a secret agent. The Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Didier Reynders, also asked Iran not to carry out the death penalty for humanitarian reasons.

A few weeks ago, the death penalty was temporarily suspended because Djalali had appealed. The Supreme Court in Tehran, however, refused to review the case. Due to this refusal, the death penalty is now enforceable. The Iranian judge must still set a date on which it will be executed. Only the Ayatollah could intervene to stop the execution now.

The Parliamentary Assembly is seriously concerned about Iran’s plan to carry out the death penalty of Ahmadeza Djalali, and demands the protection of the scientist.