Swedish-Iranian scientist Ahmadreza Djalali, sentenced to death in Iran on espionage charges, may face imminent execution, rights groups said on Tuesday.
"On 1 December, a judge said Ahmadreza was to be transferred to Rajai Shahr prison today to proceed with his imminent execution," Amnesty International said on Twitter.
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"His lawyer was informed that Ahmadreza would be transferred to Rajai Shahr Prison ... [Tuesday, Dec. 1]," Iran Human Rights said in a statement, quoting his wife Vida Mehrannia.
There was no official Iranian reaction to the reports.
Sweden's foreign minister said last week she had spoken to her Iranian counterpart after reports Iran may soon carry out Djalali's death sentence.
Djalali, a medical doctor and lecturer at the Karolinska Institute in the Swedish capital Stockholm, was arrested in Iran in 2016 and later convicted of espionage, having been accused of providing information to Israel to help it assassinate several senior nuclear scientists.
Djalali had been on a business trip to Iran when he was arrested and sent to Evin Prison. According to Amnesty International, he was held in solitary confinement for three months and tortured. The humanitarian aid group said Djalali wrote a letter from inside prison in August stating he was being held for refusing to spy for Iran.
Seventy-five Nobel prize laureates petitioned Iranian authorities last year to release Djalali so he could "continue his scholarly work for the benefit of mankind."
Iran's Supreme Court in 2017 upheld the death sentence.
Rights activists have accused Iran of arresting a number of dual nationals to try to win concessions from other countries. Tehran has regularly dismissed the accusation.
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