Iran’s Supreme Court has upheld the death penalty against Swedish-Iranian Habib Chaab – who was charged with terrorist crimes, reports Reuters. According to court proceedings, Chaab is accused of having acted as the leader of the separatist group Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahvaz, ASMLA, which is labeled a terrorist by Iran. according to Arvin Khoshnood who is a political scientist and Iran expert, the organization has the support of Saudi Arabia and intends to separate the southern part of Iran province and create an Arab state. – The aim then is to have independence, own country, own flag, and that is something that the Islamic regime in Iran is fighting against, he says. In a video clip aired on Iranian television, Habib Chaab admits to the crime. Human rights groups condemn these types of videos, which are common in Iran, because they say the accused confess under intense pressure. According to Arvin Khoshnood, Chaab’s confession is a result of torture. – So this should not be believed in at all in any way. This applies not only to Habib Chaab but to everyone in Iran who admits to a crime. At the same time, Arvin Khoshnood says that the organization ASMLA has a terrorist background, which creates problems for Habib Chaad, who has been the leader of this organization. Habib Chaab is said to have been kidnapped in Turkey in 2020 by Iranian intelligence. How is one to interpret the fact that the regime went to such great lengths to prosecute him? – Just Habib Chaad and his organization have a lot of support from Saudi Arabia. They have received a lot of money and there are court decisions from Denmark where it appears that the organization has carried out terrorist activities and espionage against the regime in Iran where, among other things, the civilian population has been exposed to attacks, says Arvin Khoshnood. Sweden’s Foreign Minister Tobias Billström comments: “The death penalty is an inhumane and irreversible punishment and Sweden, together with the rest of the EU, condemns its application under all circumstances. The government has long been in continuous contact with representatives of Iran. In these contacts, we have requested clarity on Habib Chaab’s situation and we have repeated our request to meet him. We have also expressed our concern about our citizen’s situation and requested to be present at the trial. The Foreign Ministry and the Swedish embassy in Tehran are now working intensively to create further clarity around the data” Watch the Iran expert tell more in the player above.
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This is death row inmate Habib Chaad
