In response to the execution of the German-Iranian Jamshid Sharmahd in Teheran, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has closed the three Iranian consulates general in Germany. The Minister made the announcement in New York on October 31. The consulates in Frankfurt/Main, Munich and Hamburg are affected. The embassy in Berlin remains open. The German embassy in Teheran will not be closed either. “It will keep a close eye, monitor the human rights situation, issue visas and look after our detention cases,” Baerbock said on the ministry‘s website.
Baerbock sharply criticizes Iran. “The murder of Mr. Sharmahd shows once again the terrible ruthlessness of the unjust regime in Iran. Above all, it knows the language of blackmail, threats and violence,” Baerbock continued. According to the ARD program “Tagesschau”, 32 Iranian consular officials must leave the country if they do not have German citizenship.
The Iranian judiciary announced Sharmahd‘s execution this week. He was sentenced to death last year after a controversial trial on terror charges. The German government and human rights organizations called the trial unfair and rejected the accusations. Baerbock also pointed out that other German citizens are still being held in Iranian prisons.
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