A Swedish court has found a former Iranian official guilty of war crimes in connection with the mass executions of political prisoners in Iran in 1988. Hamid Nouri, 61, was sentenced to life in prison for what prosecutors said was his leading role in the killing of large numbers of opposition supporters. His lawyer said he would appeal, while Iran called the verdict "political". Nouri was arrested after flying to Sweden in 2019 and was tried under the principle of universal jurisdiction. He was the first person to face prosecution for participating in the executions, which Iran's establishment has never formally acknowledged. The trial has strained relations between Sweden and Iran, which has been accused of using an Iranian-Swedish dual national sentenced to death on spying charges as a "hostage" in an attempt to force an exchange with Nouri.
