Time is Running Out
Sweden Must Do Everything Possible to Rescue Ahmadreza Djalali
This article appeared originally in Swedish in Göteborgs-Posten
July 31, 2025
For decades now, the Islamic Republic of Iran has weaponized hostage-taking as a political blackmailing tool. Western citizens are detained, convicted in sham trials, and held as useful bargaining chips. Despite a growing international community outcry, the regime appears emboldened rather than concerned—a fact underscored by recent new arrests of European and American nationals and recently revealed plans to kidnap a Belgian parliamentarian with Iranian roots.
India’s NDTV reporting the purported arrest of two alleged Mossad agents by Islamic Republic security forces earlier this month. The Islamic Republic has launched a massive crackdown on dissidents, and anyone suspected of even the most cursory contacts to Israel.
In short, the lackluster efforts by the international community to confront Iran’s hostage diplomacy have proved catastrophic.
Swedish citizen Ahmadreza Djalali—a physician and prominent researcher—has been imprisoned in Iran since 2016. He is one of several foreign hostages now being used as pawns in the Islamic Republic’s increasingly brutal repression of internal opposition, foreign nationals, and Iranians with foreign ties.
Following the twelve‑day war between Israel and the Islamic Republic, over 800 people have been detained on alleged links to Israel, as regime opponents warn of mass executions. Dual nationals like Djalali face especially high risks.
He has been sentenced to death on fabricated espionage charges for Israel after an unfair trial. His health has deteriorated sharply, and concern for his life is acute. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has determined that Djalali’s detention is illegal. So has the UN Special Rapporteur on torture who recommends designating hostage-taking a crime against humanity.
There has been no contact with Dr. Djalali or other proof of life since June 23rd, when he was transferred by himself to an unknown location. Iranian authorities promised he would be allowed to phone his family, but no call has come.
There is reason to fear the worst.
Executions in Iran often occur without prior warning and have dramatically increased in recent weeks. Assurances by the regime that Djalali will not be executed are not enough and too unreliable.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard must now avail themselves of every possible option to secure Dr. Djalali’s release. Stenergard has ignored repeated calls from Djalali’s wife and her representatives for an emergency meeting.
This past May, 22 former hostages imprisoned by the Islamic Republic urged the Swedish government to seek the resumption of deliveries of special medical dressings, produced by the Swedish company Mölnlycke that are required by hundreds of Iranian citizens, mostly children, who suffer from epidermolysis bulliosa (EB), a painful skin conditions. Deliveries were suspended in 2018, due to US sanctions.
There are signs that the EU is finally growing more determined. As recently as July 15, the European Council imposed strict sanctions on eight individuals and one entity linked to the Islamic Republic for their sponsorship of planned assassinations on European soil. Meanwhile, France and Germany have warned they may trigger the so‑called “snap‑back” mechanism – the reimposition of currently suspended UN sanctions – if there is no progress in talks with Tehran on its nuclear program and the release of hostages.
The present ceasefire between Israel and the Islamic Republic has created a vital diplomatic opening. The current US administration prioritizes bringing home American citizens and close allies arbitrarily detained abroad. Since early 2025, it has secured the release of over 50 hostages and detainees.
The recently concluded U.S.–Sweden agreement on technology safeguards, which grants U.S. access to Swedish spaceports for commercial launches, should provide additional diplomatic channels to address shared concerns.
The EU also sees the need for dialogue to avoid a new regional conflict spiral. It is crucial for Sweden’s Prime Minister, in cooperation with various international partners, to make clear to the Islamic Republic: no normalization of diplomatic contacts, no further sanction relief, no resumption of trade relations until all Western political prisoners are freed. Sweden must have the courage to lead and act decisively—this may be Dr. Djalali’s last chance.
Shirin Ebadi Nobel Laureate and one of Iran’s first female judges
Caroline Edelstam President of the Edelstam Foundation
Mona Haghgou Strindberg Attorney specializing in arbitrary detention
Susanne Berger Senior Fellow, Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights