Hamid Noury was sentenced to life imprisonment in Sweden for crimes against international law and murder.
On Saturday, he was exchanged in Sweden’s first prisoner exchange and received in Iran’s capital Tehran.
– Where are all the infidels, they are refugees on the run. But where am I? I’m in Iran, I’m in Tehran, Noury says, referring to the opposition in exile.
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (M) described Sweden’s release of life sentence Hamid Noury in exchange for Swedes Johan Floderus and Saeed Azizi as a dilemma, but an obvious decision.
– But at the same time have to accept that an Iranian who has been convicted of serious crimes committed in Iran in the 1980s is released and can return to his homeland, says Kristersson.
Received at the airport
During the afternoon, Noury, sentenced to life, landed in Iran. At the airport in Tehran, he was received, among others, by his son Majid Noury and Kazem Gharibabadi, secretary of Iran’s Supreme Council for Human Rights, who was also the first to announce Noury’s release.
Pictures from the reception show Hamid Noury walking on the runway with flowers in hand and meeting his son Majid, shortly afterwards he receives a large wreath of flowers around his neck.
Noury: “Where are all the infidels”
At a press conference, Noury, wearing a jacket and white shirt, spoke for the first time after the prisoner exchange between Sweden and Iran. Next to him sat Kazem Gharibabad.
– The policy of the Islamic Republic is to defend its citizens outside the country, especially when they are in difficulties, Gharibabadi said before Noury spoke.
– You who said not even God can free me. Look now! God has freed me, says Noury.
Then he spoke condescendingly about opposition Iranians in exile, who he said, among other things, were in Albania and in other countries.
– Where are all the infidels, they are refugees on the run. But where am I? I’m in Iran, I’m in Tehran, Noury says, referring to the opposition in exile.
– They are selling their land, Noury says.
Sentenced after executions of political opponents
Hamid Noury was arrested at Arlanda in 2019 after he was tricked into Sweden. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in Sweden for having participated in the executions of thousands of political prisoners in a prison in Iran in the 80s.
The decision to make a prisoner exchange between Noury and the innocently imprisoned Swedes is the first known to have been carried out on the Swedish side.