For ten years now Vida Mehrannia, the spouse of Professor Ahmadreza Djalalihas, been pressing Belgian, Swedish and European politicians to keep up the pressure on the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to free her husband. On Wednesday she met with Belgian foreign minister Maxime Prévot (Francophone centrist Les Engagés).
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Belgian foreign minister Prévot tells Ahmadreza Djalali’s wife of efforts to free the Swedish-Iranian academic
Colin Clapson
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Mr Prévot told Vide Mehrannia efforts were being made in Iran itself, engaging the government of the Islamic Republic at the highest level, to facilitate the freeing of her husband and to get his death penalty sentence lifted.
Djalali is a Swedish-Iranian academic, physician and researcher in emergency and disaster medicine, who is a visiting professor at the Flemish Free University of Brussels (VUB). He has been incarcerated in Iran for many years, while his health continues to deteriorate.
Mehrannia shows VRT News a photo of her thin-looking husband taken by a cell mate: “It’s heartbreaking for me” she says. “I can’t show it to my children”.
During the recent attacks there was no contact, but last Friday Mehrannia managed to speak with her husband: “There’s a lack of food and water”.
Djalali is worried about the executions taking place in Iran.
Amnesty International has grave concerns
Wies De Graeve of Amnesty International Flanders says at least 18 people have been executed in recent days: “Given the speed of the executions those detained during the January anti-government protests that where violently repressed can’t have received due judicial process. The death sentence is being used as a tool of repression”.
During the 12 Day War between Israel and Iran, and with US involvement, last year and its aftermath Prof Djalali again feared he would be executed. For 3 months his wife didn’t know whether he was dead or alive.