A long-time independent journalist focused on Iran and foreign policy matters related to his ancestral homeland, Mr. Jamshid "Jimmy" Sharmahd is now being held hostage in an unknown location in Iran. He lives is California with his family including his wife, son, and daughter.
Targeted by the Supreme Leader for his political views, Jimmy has been subjected to extreme physical and psychological torture, falsely accused of crimes, and has been subjected to unlawful legal proceedings in Iran's kangaroo court system.
In January 2022, the United Nations Human Rights Council reported that Mr. Sharmahd was one of several "foreign and dual nationals who remain imprisoned under inhumane conditions, including limitations on contact with their families." The UNHRC update, "Situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran," is embedded at the end of this post. The Global Liberty Alliance continues to work with the United Nations, including the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) on Mr. Sharmahd's case.
Background
Mr. Sharmahd was born in Iran but migrated to Germany in the 1980s following the Islamic Regime’s takeover. Jimmy studied electrical engineering, became a naturalized German citizen, and started a computing business. In 2003 he and the family moved to the United States and settled in California, achieving an important goal, starting the path to becoming American citizens and starting a new life in freedom. Despite being so far away from Iran, Jimmy remain engaged in helping his ancestral homeland and became journalist focused on broadcasting news and information about events in Iran.
Jimmy has developed websites that provide news and support to Iranian activists and other civil society leaders. His work speaking out against the Iranian regime on behalf of oppressed people has put him on Iran’s radar, and not in a good way. In 2009, and widely publicized incident in American media, Jimmy was the target of an attempted assassination on American soil by Iranian agents. The regime falsely accused Mr. Sharmahd of a purported 2008 bombing of a religious center in Shiraz. It is typical of Iran to make up facts in national security cases.
The Supreme Leader Has Targeted Mr. Sharmahd, Kidnapping in the U.A.E.
In March 2020, Mr. Sharmahd left California for a 3-week business trip to India and Germany. Due to COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions, Mr. Sharmahd could not return to the United States, and was locked down in a Mumbai hotel for 3 months. This prolonged stay took a serious toll on Mr. Sharmahd’s health and finances. In July 2020, he attempted to return to the United States but due to bureaucratic bungling of travel records, that today we know the U.S. government lost or mishandled, Mr. Sharmahd had to make other arrangements to return to the US. Given this indefinite wait, he and his family decided he should have tried returning to Mumbai, so on July 25, he flew to Dubai and awaited a flight to India. Flights were experiencing cancellations due to the pandemic.
On July 28, Mr. Sharmahd’s wife had her last video chat with him from inside his hotel room. For two days after, his family received no responses from him, but noticed his cell phone location move from Dubai into Oman. (Mr. Sharmahd had shared his location with his wife from Google on his cellphone.) On July 29, his location pin moved from his hotel in Dubai to the city of Al Buraimi, Oman, the site of an Islamic school. On July 30, his location moved to Sohar, Oman, and his wife received a short text stating that he was well and would call her. It is unclear whether this communication was actually from Mr. Sharmahd or from his kidnappers.
After the video was released on August 1, the Iranian Intelligence Minister stated they caught Mr. Sharmahd through a “complex operation.” He claimed that they arrested him in Iran, but other government outlets reported he was arrested in Turkey, and then Tajikistan. The government of Tajikistan quickly denied this, as no flights into Tajikistan were possible due to COVID-19. It is unclear where Mr. Sharmahd is being held in Iran. He has been denied access to the lawyer his family hired, and his lawyer has been denied access to his case files. As a German citizen he is also entitled to consular visits, which have been denied. His family is concerned for his health and wellbeing, because Mr. Sharmahd suffers from Parkinson’s Disease, and it is unclear whether he has access to medication or is receiving proper treatment.
The Global Liberty Alliance is especially concerned that he was kidnapped from the U.A. E. and taken to a third-party country to be arrested. GLA has raised the issue with the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) of the United Nations in a March 3, 2021 filing and will continue to do so. Iran routinely imprisons human rights advocates for their peaceful activism, and Iranian courts often fall short of international legal norms of due process.
The 2020 Human Rights Watch Report specifically noted the Iranian Intelligence Organization continuously arrests Iranian dual and foreign nationals on vague charges, deprives them of due process, and subjects them to smear campaigns. Freedom House’s 2019 Report also notes the Iranian judicial system is routinely used to silence regime critics and that activists are arrested without warrants, held without formal trial, and denied access to legal counsel.
Targeted by the Supreme Leader for his political views, Jimmy has been subjected to extreme physical and psychological torture, falsely accused of crimes, and has been subjected to unlawful legal proceedings in Iran's kangaroo court system.
In January 2022, the United Nations Human Rights Council reported that Mr. Sharmahd was one of several "foreign and dual nationals who remain imprisoned under inhumane conditions, including limitations on contact with their families." The UNHRC update, "Situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran," is embedded at the end of this post. The Global Liberty Alliance continues to work with the United Nations, including the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) on Mr. Sharmahd's case.
Background
Mr. Sharmahd was born in Iran but migrated to Germany in the 1980s following the Islamic Regime’s takeover. Jimmy studied electrical engineering, became a naturalized German citizen, and started a computing business. In 2003 he and the family moved to the United States and settled in California, achieving an important goal, starting the path to becoming American citizens and starting a new life in freedom. Despite being so far away from Iran, Jimmy remain engaged in helping his ancestral homeland and became journalist focused on broadcasting news and information about events in Iran.
Jimmy has developed websites that provide news and support to Iranian activists and other civil society leaders. His work speaking out against the Iranian regime on behalf of oppressed people has put him on Iran’s radar, and not in a good way. In 2009, and widely publicized incident in American media, Jimmy was the target of an attempted assassination on American soil by Iranian agents. The regime falsely accused Mr. Sharmahd of a purported 2008 bombing of a religious center in Shiraz. It is typical of Iran to make up facts in national security cases.
The Supreme Leader Has Targeted Mr. Sharmahd, Kidnapping in the U.A.E.
In March 2020, Mr. Sharmahd left California for a 3-week business trip to India and Germany. Due to COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions, Mr. Sharmahd could not return to the United States, and was locked down in a Mumbai hotel for 3 months. This prolonged stay took a serious toll on Mr. Sharmahd’s health and finances. In July 2020, he attempted to return to the United States but due to bureaucratic bungling of travel records, that today we know the U.S. government lost or mishandled, Mr. Sharmahd had to make other arrangements to return to the US. Given this indefinite wait, he and his family decided he should have tried returning to Mumbai, so on July 25, he flew to Dubai and awaited a flight to India. Flights were experiencing cancellations due to the pandemic.
On July 28, Mr. Sharmahd’s wife had her last video chat with him from inside his hotel room. For two days after, his family received no responses from him, but noticed his cell phone location move from Dubai into Oman. (Mr. Sharmahd had shared his location with his wife from Google on his cellphone.) On July 29, his location pin moved from his hotel in Dubai to the city of Al Buraimi, Oman, the site of an Islamic school. On July 30, his location moved to Sohar, Oman, and his wife received a short text stating that he was well and would call her. It is unclear whether this communication was actually from Mr. Sharmahd or from his kidnappers.
After the video was released on August 1, the Iranian Intelligence Minister stated they caught Mr. Sharmahd through a “complex operation.” He claimed that they arrested him in Iran, but other government outlets reported he was arrested in Turkey, and then Tajikistan. The government of Tajikistan quickly denied this, as no flights into Tajikistan were possible due to COVID-19. It is unclear where Mr. Sharmahd is being held in Iran. He has been denied access to the lawyer his family hired, and his lawyer has been denied access to his case files. As a German citizen he is also entitled to consular visits, which have been denied. His family is concerned for his health and wellbeing, because Mr. Sharmahd suffers from Parkinson’s Disease, and it is unclear whether he has access to medication or is receiving proper treatment.
The Global Liberty Alliance is especially concerned that he was kidnapped from the U.A. E. and taken to a third-party country to be arrested. GLA has raised the issue with the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) of the United Nations in a March 3, 2021 filing and will continue to do so. Iran routinely imprisons human rights advocates for their peaceful activism, and Iranian courts often fall short of international legal norms of due process.
The 2020 Human Rights Watch Report specifically noted the Iranian Intelligence Organization continuously arrests Iranian dual and foreign nationals on vague charges, deprives them of due process, and subjects them to smear campaigns. Freedom House’s 2019 Report also notes the Iranian judicial system is routinely used to silence regime critics and that activists are arrested without warrants, held without formal trial, and denied access to legal counsel.
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