Illinois Wesleyan University, BLOOMINGTON, Ill.— Ahmadreza Djalali, a 45-year-old Iranian-born Swedish resident and specialist in disaster medicine, has been imprisoned and sentenced to death by Iranian officials in what Amnesty International called “a grossly unfair trial.” Illinois Wesleyan University first-year students and members of the Advocacy Risk Seminar, Jonathan Panton ’21 and Tatum Zsorey ’21, advocated for Djalali’s release at the second annual Student Advocacy Day in Washington D.C., March 8-9.

Sponsored by the IWU Center on Human Rights and Social Justice, the Advocacy Seminar is affiliated with Scholars at Risk, a non-profit organization that advocates for academics being held in foreign countries. At the beginning of each academic year, Scholars at Risk sends a list of potential scholars who are prisoners of conscience to university organizations who advocate for academics abroad. Although Zsorey said it was difficult to choose one scholar, members of IWU’s Advocacy Seminar ultimately chose to advocate for Djalali, who was arrested in Iran while attending a business trip.

“I became particularly passionate and thankful that I could advocate for Dr. Djalali when I learned of the horrible conditions he has been facing in prison, the unfair justice system that Iran has used to prosecute him and the unjust sentencing he has received,” said Zsorey, an international studies major and environmental studies minor. “After understanding the complex implications of Dr. Djalali’s case, I became more and more ardent about wanting to help him.”

Arrested by Iranian authorities on April 25, 2016, Djalili was denied access to a lawyer for seven months and held in solitary confinement for three months, according to Amnesty International. Although Amnesty said no evidence has ever been presented to show that Djalili is anything other than “an academic peacefully pursuing his profession,” he has been accused of being a spy and threatened with the death penalty. Amnesty said Iran is using Djalali’s work as a doctor in disaster medicine, his studies and teachings in Europe, and his residency to fabricate these claims.

“Our defense on behalf of Dr. Djalali was that he was simply a professor of disaster medicine who is unlawfully incarcerated in Iran. He was convicted of collaborating with Israel, which does not make any sense considering that he does not have any ties to Israel,” said Panton, a business administration major. “We hope that Dr. Djalali is released because he has a wife and two children back home.”

Working together with seminar participant Emma Cottrell '21, Panton and Zsorey compiled a research case file defending Djalali and presented their findings before staff members in the offices of Congressmen Danny Davis and Rodney Davis in Washington D.C. on Advocacy Day >>>