poblete op-ED in SWEden daily, Sydsvenskan: If states fail to protect their citizens, the door opens to more hostage-taking

​Originally published in the Swedish daily newspaper Sydsvenskan on August 14, 2025, this op-ed by Jason Poblete is presented here in English. Sydsvenskan is one of Sweden’s leading newspapers, founded in 1870, with a large national and regional readership. Mr. Poblete is an international human rights lawyer and president of the Global Liberty Alliance, a legal defense fund.

GLA is grateful to Sydsvenskan, the Edelstam Foundation, and the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights for their commitment to keeping the issue of wrongful detention in the public eye. If you can read Swedish, here’s a link to the op-ed.  For friends and colleagues in America, Sydsvenskan is one of Sweden’s leading newspapers, founded in 1870, with a large national and regional readership.  Here is an English language version:

August 14, 2025 – 5:45 am
Sweden must not—like the former USA and Germany—be lulled into believing that the regime in Iran is bluffing about the Swedish-Iranian Ahmadreza Djalali, who has been on death row in Iran since 2017. The Islamic Republic of Iran may be about to execute yet another innocent European citizen.

Doctor Ahmadreza Djalali, a Swedish-Iranian academic, has been on death row in Iran since 2017, convicted in a mock trial on false spying charges. He has been subjected to torture, denied a fair trial, and used as a bargaining chip in the Iranian regime's hostage diplomacy. Despite previous death threats from Iranian authorities, the situation is now more acute than ever.

Time is running out. History has taught us: if we wait too long, it may be too late.

Sweden must not—like the United States and Germany in the past—be lulled into thinking that the regime is bluffing. Swedish authorities have received vague assurances that Djalali “is doing well” but have not been allowed direct contact with him to verify his condition. Promised phone calls have repeatedly been postponed, raising further concern for his fragile health.

In October 2024, the regime executed Jamshid “Jimmy” Sharmahd—a German-Iranian citizen and lawful California resident—despite global appeals for mercy. His family was also told “not to worry.” Neither the U.S. nor Germany acted with the coordinated urgency that might have saved his life.

Even in death, Jimmy, one of my clients, has not been allowed to return to the United States. His mutilated body still lies in a German morgue. The lesson is brutal but clear: silence and division feed Tehran’s worst instincts.

​Sweden, the EU, and the United States must speak now—and speak and act together. Ahmadreza Djalali is not just a Swedish citizen; he is a symbol of everything democratic nations claim to defend: the rule of law, scientific research, and human dignity. If we cannot unite to save him, what is the point of multilateral commitments like the 1979 International Convention Against the Taking of Hostages?

And what about the European and American citizens still held hostage in Iran? French citizens Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, arrested three years ago, or Shahab Dalili from Virginia, imprisoned since 2016 after attending his father’s funeral? Since then, they have been isolated from the outside world, held under horrific conditions, with serious formal charges against Kohler and Paris that could result in the death penalty if convicted. Their cases also demand urgent attention and action.

Words and public statements are not enough. What is needed now is coordinated diplomatic action, clear public messaging, and a united strategy with concrete consequences for Iran if anything happens to our citizens. Quiet diplomacy and disjointed efforts have failed—just ask the families of the hostages. Currently, about twenty European and at least eight American citizens are imprisoned in the Islamic Republic.

Those of us who have worked with hostages and their families know well the anguish caused not only by foreign regimes but also by the non-transparent, overly cautious reactions of our governments. Secrecy may benefit bureaucrats, but it undermines justice. Families need openness—not more processes behind closed doors. They need leadership, not legal jargon.

Deterrence comes later—what is needed now are rescue efforts. Western governments must act as an alliance—a real one. The Canada-led Declaration Against Arbitrary Detention in State-to-State Relations, launched in 2021, was designed to counter abuse of arrests and state hostage-taking. But initiatives like this—and others—are only as strong as the political will behind them. Declarations and frameworks are meaningless if they do not lead to tangible results.

If responsible nations fail to act jointly to protect their citizens, the door opens to more hostage-taking, more shattered families, and more needless deaths. Sweden—speak boldly for your citizens. America—raise your voice, and your weight, in solidarity. Together, the United States, Sweden, and the EU must make it unmistakably clear to Iran: no harm must come to Ahmadreza Djalali or any other person unjustly held by the Iranian regime.