On October 28, 2024, Iranian state media confirmed that Jamshid Sharmahd had been executed by hanging. The announcement provoked international outrage. The German government, where Sharmahd was a citizen, condemned the act as “an inhumane and politically motivated.” Germany’s foreign minister Annalena Baerbock called it a “monstrous violation of human rights,” and expelled two diplomats in protest. The United States, where Sharmahd had lived for nearly two decades, also denounced the execution, urging to halt its campaign against dissidents and foreign nationals.
His family, led by his daughter Gazelle Sharmahd, continues to advocate for international accountability and justice for dissidents targeted abroad. She has become a prominent voice in campaigns against hostage diplomacy and extrajudicial executions. After Jamshid Sharmahd’s abduction in 2020, his family began a relentless campaign to locate him and demand his release. His daughter, Gazelle Sharmahd, based in California, emerged as the family’s primary spokesperson. For months, the family had no official confirmation of his whereabouts. They learned of his detention only when state television aired a forced confession video, showing a visibly frail Sharmahd admitting to crimes that his family said he never committed.
