14. October 2025 – IRAN

MEMORIAL FOR JAMSHID SHARMAHD BECOMES A POLITICAL APPEAL – AUTOPSY REVEALS CRUELTY OF THE IRANIAN REGIME

In a moving memorial service held in Berlin, Gazelle Sharmahd and her family, HÁWAR.help, Mariam Claren, daughter of recently released political hostage Nahid Taghavi, and numerous supporters, including many who have themselves been directly affected by the Iranian regime’s repression, came together to mourn the loss of Jamshid Sharmahd, journalist, German citizen, and victim of the regime’s brutality.

The farewell gathering became a powerful call for human rights, justice for political prisoners, accountability, and a fundamental realignment of foreign policy toward Iran.

Around 60 invited guests attended the event, including his daughter Gazelle Sharmahd, his son Shayan Sharmahd, Shayan’s wife Jacqueline Sharmahd, and many fellow advocates. Together, they honored Jamshid Sharmahd’s life and his fight for freedom in his beloved homeland, Iran. The regime opponent was murdered by the regime, under still unclear circumstances, after four years of (solitary) imprisonment and torture.

Among the attendees were not only civil society representatives but also political leaders, including Cem Özdemir, Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture and acting Federal Minister of Education and Research; Franziska Giffey, Mayor of Berlin, Senator for Economic Affairs, Energy and Enterprises, and member of the Berlin House of Representatives; and Clara Bünger, Member of the German Bundestag.

Through its sponsorship program for political prisoners in Iran, initiated by HÁWAR.help, the organization has rallied hundreds of prominent voices in support of Iran’s political detainees – including CDU Chairman Friedrich Merz, who assumed sponsorship for Jamshid Sharmahd. His statement was read during the ceremony.

During the memorial, the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), which is providing legal support to the Sharmahd family, shared the findings from the autopsy of Jamshid Sharmahd’s body: The examination revealed that essential organs were missing, preventing any clear determination of potential violence. The cause of death remains unclear.

The case of Jamshid Sharmahd is emblematic of the systematic violence perpetrated by the Iranian regime – and of the international community’s failure when human rights are sacrificed for geopolitical interests.

The memorial in Berlin does not mark an end – it marks a beginning: One led by the tireless advocacy of Gazelle Sharmahd, Mariam Claren, and many others directly affected; by the determination of civil society organizations such as HÁWAR.help and ECCHR; and by the growing pressure on political decision-makers to finally act decisively.