VUB professor receives death penalty in Iran

The Iranian professor associated with the Free University of Brussels (VUB) who was imprisoned last year in Tehran has been sentenced to death, according to his wife. Ahmadreza Djalali, who teaches a course in disaster medicine at VUB, was accused of “collaboration with scientists from foreign enemy states” such as the US and Israel.

Djalali’s wife, Vida Menrannia, told Brussels University Hospital: “Ahmadreza Djalali, who earned his PhD in disaster medicine in Sweden, was informed by his lawyer on Saturday, following 18 months of unjust confinement, that he is guilty of collaboration with an enemy state and that his penalty is death.”

She also said that Djalali – an Iranian national who lives in Sweden – would resume his hunger strike, which he has carried out off and on since his incarceration in April of 2016. He was arrested while attending workshops at universities in Tehran and Shiraz.

A VUB spokesperson said that the university would consult with colleagues in Italy and Sweden, where Djalali also teaches.