Published August 10, 2021 at 15.03
Domestic. In November 2019, a 60-year-old Iranian was arrested at Arlanda. Today, his trial for complicity in international law offenses and murder during mass executions begins in the Iranian prison Gohardasht in the 80s.
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International crimes committed in Iran during the 1980s have never been tried legally, either nationally or internationally.
In 1988, a large number of political prisoners were captured in Iran. They were subjected to various violations of international law, including torture and mass executions. The man who was arrested at Arlanda is charged with, among other things, selecting which prisoners would be brought before a court-like commission and then executed. The man is also said to have participated in and organized most of the executions.
The investigation has been led by the police group for war crimes. The group has conducted extensive investigative work, where, among other things, more than 100 interrogations have been held. The indictment that is being heard today by the Stockholm District Court includes many plaintiffs who have all been in the Iranian prison Gohardasht but today live in different places in the world.
– Sweden is the first country to legally prosecute the violations of international law committed in Iran in 1988. This means that a large number of plaintiffs can finally have their case tried and that someone is brought to justice, says Patricia Rakic Arle, head of the group for war crimes against the police, in a statement.
Sweden has signed the Geneva Conventions and the Rome Statute, which is the basis of the International Criminal Court in The Hague. This means that Sweden has committed itself to tracing, investigating and contributing to the perpetrators of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. The group for investigating war crimes receives tips from the public and it was through a tip that the group became aware of the man's stay in Sweden.
– Investigating genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes is complicated. The crimes have often been committed many years ago in countries other than Sweden and the state of evidence is often difficult. But thanks to the fact that we have received a large number of testimonies in the case, we have been able to leave the case for prosecution, says Patricia Rakic Arle.