Karim Mohammedzadeh
Encyclopedia
Karim Mohammedzadeh was an eastern Kurdish
dissident
who was assassinated in Sweden
in 1990.
Karim Mohammedzadeh was born in eastern Kurdistan
and came to Sweden as a political refugee in 1988 and immediately gained the right to asylum. On 1 April 1990 he was assassinated in his apartment in the town of Nynäshamn
south of Stockholm
. The murder remains officially unsolved. However, the Iranian government is widely believed to have ordered the assassination as it had many similarities with other assassinations and assassination attempts on eastern Kurdish dissidents around the world at this time.
In 2003, Sveriges Television
showed a documentary film about the case by filmmaker Oscar Hedin. In the film, titled I nationens intresse ("In the Interest of the Nation"), an Iranian intelligence officer named Reza Taslimi
was identified as the probable assassin. The Swedish Security Service
(SÄPO) was severely criticised for having obstructed the criminal investigation carried out by the local Swedish police
by withholding important information. For example, it was alleged that Taslimi had been identified by a taxi driver, who had driven him from Nynäshamn to Stockholm the day after the murder. However, this information was passed to the local police investigators three years after the assassination and by this time Taslimi had already left Sweden after having been arrested by SÄPO one year earlier on unspecified grounds and secretly deported back to Iran. Arne Nilsson, a retired police officer who was working with the case, said in the film: "It's terrible. One of the most vicious crimes has been committed and we didn't get the opportunity to hear a person of much interest for the investigation [...] When we see what they [SÄPO] have withhold from us, it feels very unsatisfactory".
Iranian Kurdistan
Iranian Kurdistan is an unofficial name for the parts of Iran inhabited by Kurds and has borders with Iraq and Turkey. It includes Kurdistan Province, Kermanshah Province, Ilam Province and parts of West Azerbaijan province....
dissident
Dissident
A dissident, broadly defined, is a person who actively challenges an established doctrine, policy, or institution. When dissidents unite for a common cause they often effect a dissident movement....
who was assassinated in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
in 1990.
Karim Mohammedzadeh was born in eastern Kurdistan
Iranian Kurdistan
Iranian Kurdistan is an unofficial name for the parts of Iran inhabited by Kurds and has borders with Iraq and Turkey. It includes Kurdistan Province, Kermanshah Province, Ilam Province and parts of West Azerbaijan province....
and came to Sweden as a political refugee in 1988 and immediately gained the right to asylum. On 1 April 1990 he was assassinated in his apartment in the town of Nynäshamn
Nynäshamn
- References :...
south of Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
. The murder remains officially unsolved. However, the Iranian government is widely believed to have ordered the assassination as it had many similarities with other assassinations and assassination attempts on eastern Kurdish dissidents around the world at this time.
In 2003, Sveriges Television
Sveriges Television
Sveriges Television AB , Sweden's Television, is a national television broadcaster based in Sweden, funded by a compulsory fee to be paid by all television owners...
showed a documentary film about the case by filmmaker Oscar Hedin. In the film, titled I nationens intresse ("In the Interest of the Nation"), an Iranian intelligence officer named Reza Taslimi
Reza Taslimi
Reza Taslimi is an Iranian intelligence officer who has been involved in a number of state-sponsored assassinations of Iranian political dissidents abroad....
was identified as the probable assassin. The Swedish Security Service
Swedish Security Service
The Swedish Security Service , former name Rikspolisstyrelsens säkerhetsavdelning , is the security service of Sweden, belonging to the Swedish National Police Board....
(SÄPO) was severely criticised for having obstructed the criminal investigation carried out by the local Swedish police
Swedish Police Service
The Swedish Police Service is a collection of Government agencies concerned with police matters in Sweden. The Swedish Police Service consists of 28,500 employees of which 39 per cent are women. The staff consists of 20,000 police officers of which 25 per cent are women and 8,500 civilian staff of...
by withholding important information. For example, it was alleged that Taslimi had been identified by a taxi driver, who had driven him from Nynäshamn to Stockholm the day after the murder. However, this information was passed to the local police investigators three years after the assassination and by this time Taslimi had already left Sweden after having been arrested by SÄPO one year earlier on unspecified grounds and secretly deported back to Iran. Arne Nilsson, a retired police officer who was working with the case, said in the film: "It's terrible. One of the most vicious crimes has been committed and we didn't get the opportunity to hear a person of much interest for the investigation [...] When we see what they [SÄPO] have withhold from us, it feels very unsatisfactory".