Appeal verdict looms in trial of former Iranian official in Sweden

A Swedish appeals court has set to unveil its verdict on Tuesday in the trial of Hamid Noury, a former Iranian prison official who was previously sentenced to life imprisonment by a lower court for his role in crimes committed during a 1988 purge of dissidents.

The outcome of this verdict holds potential ramifications for Swedish citizens detained in Iran, notably EU diplomat Johan Floderus, who has been held captive for over 600 days. Noury, 62, was apprehended at a Stockholm airport in November 2019 following police complaints from Iranian dissidents in Sweden.

Convicted in July 2022 by a Stockholm district court of “serious crime against international law” and “murder,” Noury’s case is linked to the alleged orders from supreme leader Ayatollah Khomeini to execute at least 5,000 prisoners across Iran. These orders were reportedly in retaliation for attacks by the exiled opposition group, the People’s Mujahedin of Iran (MEK), at the conclusion of the Iran-Iraq war in 1988.

Sweden, under the principle of universal jurisdiction, has tried Noury, allowing it to prosecute irrespective of where the offenses occurred. The district court found Noury complicit as an assistant prosecutor in a Tehran prison, retrieving and escorting prisoners to execution sites.

Defense lawyers seek Noury’s acquittal or a reduced sentence. The Svea Court of Appeal is scheduled to announce its verdict at 2:00 pm (1300 GMT) on Tuesday.

The lower court trial marked the first related to mass executions in Iran during the 1980s, a sensitive issue as activists accuse current Iranian officials, including President Ebrahim Raisi, of involvement in the death sentences.

Noury’s arrest and sentencing strained relations between Sweden and Iran, leading to the arrest of Johan Floderus, a Swedish EU diplomat, by Iranian authorities. As Floderus faces trial in Iran, there is speculation about a potential prisoner swap between Sweden and Iran, although legal experts emphasize that any deal would likely hinge on a final ruling from Sweden’s Supreme Court.

Mark Klamberg, an international law professor, suggests two potential scenarios for a swap, involving either a pardon for Noury or an agreement for him to serve the remainder of his sentence in Iran.

However, Klamberg underscores the political complexities and the impact on Iran’s policy of using detained foreign nationals as bargaining chips. Additionally, the importance of Noury serving his sentence and the Swedish court establishing the events of the 1980s are considerations in any potential deal.

With MEK supporters demonstrating outside Stockholm courthouses throughout Noury’s trials, the impending verdict on Tuesday is expected to draw further attention and protests.