Germany calls on Iran to reverse German dual national's death sentence 'immediately'

GENEVA

Germany on Wednesday urged Iran to "immediately" reverse a confirmed death sentence for a German-Iranian citizen who was tried for the deadly bombing of a mosque in 2008, which seriously strained bilateral relations.

"The confirmation of the death sentence against Jamshid Sharmahd is unacceptable," Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Twitter.

"Jamshid Sharmahd never had a fair trial approach. We call on Iran to reverse this arbitrary judgment immediately," Baerbock said.

Noting that the ministry is doing all it can in Berlin and Tehran for Sharmahd and against the execution of the sentence, she said that Germany's ambassador to Iran cancelled a business trip immediately and is on his way back to Tehran to intervene with Iranian authorities.

Earlier on Wednesday, deputy spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry Christian Wagner told media in Berlin that the ministry was "dismayed to hear the news that a few hours ago the Iranian Supreme Court upheld Mr. Sharmahd's death sentence."

In February this year, Sharmahd was sentenced to death by the Tehran Revolutionary Court after being convicted of involvement in the April 2008 attack in the southern city of Shiraz that killed 14 people.

Germany condemned the sentence as "unacceptable" and declared two staff members at Iran's Embassy in Berlin persona non grata, ordering them to leave the country. Reacting to Berlin’s move, Tehran also expelled two German diplomats last month.