TEHRAN- Nasser Kanaani, the spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, has strongly blasted as unacceptable a Swedish court's decision to sentence former Iranian official Hamid Nouri to life in prison based on unsubstantiated claims made by the terrorist Mujahedin-e-Khalq Organization (MKO).

In a statement released on Thursday, Kanaani vehemently denounced the political statement made by the Swedish court, which made "baseless and fabricated" accusations against the Islamic Republic of Iran, its judicial system, and the life sentence given to Nouri.

The Swedish court made accusations against Iran's judicial system and accused Nouri of taking part in the murders of imprisoned dissidents. 

Nouri is suspected by his opponents of participating in the 1988 murder and torture of MKO members. Nouri has vehemently denied the accusation.
In November 2019, Nouri was detained immediately as he landed in Sweden at the Stockholm Airport.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran basically rejects the provisions of the court’s statement, including the illegal verdict against Mr. Nouri, and considers them to be distorted and unacceptable,” Kanani stated.

The spokesman went on to voice that “what can be read between the lines of today’s announcement of the ruling is that Sweden’s judiciary system is practically supporting and promoting terrorism instead of being accountable to the Iranian people for allowing a terrorist cult to be active in the country and for violating its international responsibility to indiscriminately fight terrorism.”

“It is crystal clear to the Islamic Republic of Iran that the case of Mr. Nouri has just been an excuse for a political measure and is devoid of any genuine proof and lacks any legal basis,” he underlined.

The spokesman expressed deep regret that Sweden, despite having a good history of relations with Iran, had succumbed to the malicious objectives of MKO's propaganda, made its judicial system serve the criminal goals of the group, and effectively engaged in whitewashing terrorism. He was referring to the atrocities committed by the MKO terrorists against the people of Iran and Iraq.

According to Kanaani, the MKO's today's hysteria in Stockholm, along with the anti-Iran media's focus and pressures close to the court where the judgment was given, demonstrate that they were determined to impose their preferred conclusion of the case on the court.

“During his 30-month detention in solitary confinement, Mr. Nouri has been deprived of the most basic human rights,” he added, saying that the unjustly arrested Iranian national has been exposed to systematic maltreatment, including physical attack by the prison guards.

“Furthermore, due to imposed restrictions, including lack of access to a doctor, he had been unable to fully read the text of the indictment issued by the prosecutor.

Therefore, the treatment and imposed restrictions against Mr. Nouri are a blatant example of violating human rights by those who claim to advocate such rights," he noted.

The MKO's falsehoods and perjured witnesses were used as the basis for Nouri's illegitimate trial, according to the spokesperson, who also noted that the terrorist cult had already made public the court's decision and insisted on enforcing the judgment in any way possible.

The spokesman continued by drawing attention to the unfair trial that took place in Sweden, asserting that, in spite of their pretense of independence, Swedish court officials did not even permit Nouri to call witnesses and assert his legal rights because the court, in its 27th session, established a direct video link with the MKO base in Albania after coordination with the Albanian prosecutor's office and provided the group with a significant opportunity.

In comparison to the time given to the plaintiffs for filing the action, he said, the Swedish judicial system only allotted a few days for the defense during the trial, which was insignificant and unjust.

Kanaani concluded that “while vehemently protesting the ruling of the court which lacks any legal jurisdiction and basis, Iran holds Sweden responsible for the damage caused to bilateral ties because of the trial.”

Tehran summoned the Swedish charge d’affaires on Thursday in protest over the verdict. 

In the absence of Sweden's ambassador to the Islamic Republic, the director of the ministry's Western Europe Division summoned the Swedish diplomat after the court found Nouri guilty based on the MKO’s charges.

The Swedish charge d’affaires stated that the Iranian citizen will be given the opportunity to appeal his verdict and promised to convey Iran's objection to his respective government.