European Union foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell is under pressure over his stance towards Iran.

Family members of four citizens of EU countries currently detained in Iran have appealed to the EU’s High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy to do more to secure their release from captivity. “Negotiations with Iran on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) have been taking place for months. Meanwhile, several European citizens are being held hostage by the Islamic Republic of Iran”, they wrote to Josep Borrell.

Kidnappings, torture and possibly facing the death sentence

In a letter dated 6 September, which was published on social media, Blandine Brière, sister of Benjamin Brière, Harika Ghaderi, wife of Kamran Ghaderi, Vida Mehrannija, wife of Ahmadreza Djalali, and Gazelle Sharmahd, daughter of Jamshid Sharmahd, expressed outrage “that the European Union seems to be ignoring these crimes.” Three of the four men are dual citizens of Iran and the EU, Brière only holds French citizenship.

Benjamin Brière is a travel blogger who was sentenced to eight years of prison after being arrested near the Iranian border with Turkmenistan and charged with questioning Iranian laws such as the obligation of women to wear a hijab. The Austrian businessman Kamran Ghaderi was arrested in 2016 while arriving for a family visit to Tehran. According to Amnesty International, he was tortured and held in solitary confinement for months. Later, he was sentenced to ten years in jail.

Ahmadreza Djalali, a medicine professor who has Swedish citizenship and worked as a guest lecturer at VUB University in Brussels, was sentenced to death in Iran in 2016 on charges of alleged espionage for Israel. He was also tortured, according to his own words. Djalali was said to be slated for execution earlier this year. Jamshid Sharmahd is a German-Iranian citizen who resided in California. In 2020, he was kidnapped in Dubai and forcibly taken to Iran.

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Brussels, Belgium. 9th December 2019. European High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell gives a press conference at the end of an EU Foreign Affairs Council (FAC). Alexandros Michailidis/Shutterstock

Nuclear talks

“All of them wonder whether EU officials have forgotten them and how much longer they will have to endure this ordeal”, the letter states, adding: “Will their release be prioritised? Will the European Union prioritise the defence of its values, the defence of human rights, over economic and other interests?”, the families asked Borrell. Iran in recent years arrested a number of foreigners, primarily on charges of espionage.

The EU has been a mediator in the talks between Iran, the United States, China, Russia, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom for almost 18 months. Its declared goal is to revive the 2015 JCPOA nuclear deal, which was abandoned by the United States under the Trump administration. Trump’s successor as US president, Joe Biden, has pledged to return to the agreement if the conditions are right. Currently, the talks are stalling again.

A return to the 2015 agreement would provide Iran with far-reaching sanctions relief. In return, Tehran would pledge to reduce uranium enrichment to the maximum levels agreed in 2015 and to let in inspectors of the UN atomic energy agency IAEA.

Priorities

The letter goes on to state: “All EU countries are party to the International Convention Against the Taking of Hostages, yet there has been no clear and loud condemnation of the hostages of EU countries. After having spent years imprisoned in a country where officials have no minimum respect for justice, law and humanity, the hostages’ hopes have vanished, and they suffer in ways unimaginable. Their lives are being wasted every second that passes.”

The letter ends with a plea to Borrell: “We are calling on you to prioritize the observance of human rights and the lives of your citizens.”

Author: Michael Thaidigsmann

Full text of the letter addressed to Josep Borrell from the families of the detainees:

To Mr. Josep Borrell Fontelles
High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy

Europe, September 6th, 2022

Your Excellency,

Negotiations with Iran on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) have been taking place for months. Meanwhile, several European citizens are being held hostage by the Islamic Republic of Iran. We, the families of French, Swedish, German, and Austrian citizens, who have been illegally detained by the Iranian regime, are outraged that the European Union seems to be ignoring these crimes.

Swedish citizen Ahmadreza Djalali has been unjustly detained for 6 years and is living under the constant threat of execution. German citizen Jamshid Sharmahd has been kidnapped and unjustly detained for over 2 years. Mr. Sharmahd has spent more than 760 days in complete isolation and might face a death sentence. Austrian citizen Kamran Ghaderi has been unjustly detained for close to 7 years. Mr.Ghaderi is in danger of developing cancer from an untreated tumor and the lack of medical care. French citizen Benjamin Brière has been unjustly detained for 2 years without any respect for human rights or the chance of due process.

These European citizens have been subjected to torture, grossly unfair trials based on fabricated charges, without access to legal counsel or proper medical care. Some of them have pre-existing medical conditions and their health is deteriorating as we speak. All of them are held hostage by a dictatorial regime that does not even abide by the minimum standard of international legal and human rights.

All of them wonder, whether EU officials have forgotten them and how much longer they will have to endure this ordeal. We sadly want to echo these questions and kindly ask you to clarify your stance on the fate of our beloved ones: Will their release be prioritized? Will the European Union prioritize the defense of its values, the defense of human rights, over economic and other interests?

The importance of fundamental common values such as freedom, democracy, equality and the maintenance of individual human rights is the centerpiece of the European legal system and tradition. Indeed, the European Convention on Human Rights stresses the obligation of European countries to respect human rights and do all within their power to ensure the safety of Europeans no matter where in the world they may be. Iran is no exception. However, the Islamic Republic of Iran has trampled the fundamental rights of our loved ones and families.

All EU countries are party to the International Convention Against the Taking of Hostages, yet there has been no clear and loud condemnation of the hostages of EU countries. After having spent years imprisoned in a country where officials have no minimum respect for justice, law and humanity, the hostages’ hopes have vanished, and they suffer in ways unimaginable. Their lives are being wasted every second that passes.

For hundreds or thousands of days, have we been waiting for our loved ones to return home. We are deeply impacted by the damages created by Iran’s government to our families. We are calling on you, your, to prioritize the observance of human rights and the lives of your citizens.

We are looking forward to your actions and your reply

Blandine Brière, sister of French citizen Benjamin Brière
Harika Ghaderi, wife of Austrian citizen Kamran Ghaderi
Vida Mehrannia, wife of Swedish citizen Ahmadreza Djalali
Gazelle Sharmahd, daughter of German citizen Jamshid Sharmahd