Iran transferred the body of Iranian-German dual national Jamshid Sharmahd back to Germany on Wednesday after he died in custody in Iran, Iranian state broadcaster SNN reported.
The measure was taken as part of “legal and diplomatic proceedings” and at the request of Sharmahd’s family, SNN reported, citing the Iranian judiciary.
It was initially unclear whether Sharmahd’s body had already been flown out of the country, or just handed over to the German diplomatic mission in Tehran.
Iran’s judiciary announced Sharmahd’s execution at the end of October. He had been sentenced to death in early 2023 in a controversial trial following allegations of terrorism, which relatives and human rights activists categorically rejected as baseless.
Iran’s judiciary later declared that Sharmahd had not been executed but had died in custody.
Germany’s Foreign Office said that the German government was working intensively at a high level for the repatriation of Sharmahd’s body, and remains in close contact with the family members.
In response to Sharmahd’s death, the German government summoned the German ambassador to Iran back to Berlin for consultations and closed all three Iranian consulates in Germany.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock justified the move as a response to the “inhumane actions” of the Iranian regime.
