Germany condemns execution of dual citizen by Iranian authorities

Iran has executed Jamshid Sharmahd, a German-Iranian dissident convicted on multiple terrorism-related charges, Iranian state media reported Monday.

In 2023, Iranian authorities convicted Sharmahd of “corruption on earth” and sentenced him to death for his alleged role in leading a pro-monarchist group accused of orchestrating a 2008 bombing in Iran’s Fars province that killed 14 people and injured over 200.

The announcement triggered widespread condemnation from German officials and international human rights organizations.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, leader of the ruling center-left coalition, called the execution “a scandal” in a social media post on X, stressing that “[Sharmahd] was not even given the opportunity to defend himself in the trial.”

Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock condemned the ruling, calling Iran’s government an “inhumane regime.”

"We made it clear to Tehran time and again that the execution of a German national would have serious consequences," she added.

In August 2020, Iran reported it had captured Sharmahd, a US resident, in a “complex operation” after he went missing in Dubai. Reports suggest Iranian agents kidnapped the 69-year-old and transported him to Iran via Oman.

The terrorist 'ringleader'

Iran’s intelligence ministry described Sharmahd as the “ringleader of the terrorist Tondar group,” which the government accuses of orchestrating attacks from the US.

Sharmahd’s family and rights advocates have consistently argued that his role in the group was as a spokesperson, not a leader.

Los Angeles-based Tondar, also known as the Kingdom Assembly of Iran, advocates reinstating Iran’s monarchy, which was toppled during the 1979 Islamic Revolution.