Germany deports Iranian convicted of murder

An alleged Iranian secret agent, Kazem Darabi, who was convicted for the 1992 murders of four Kurdish dissidents in Berlin, was deported from Germany on Monday, German officials said, according to Agence France-Presse. Darabi’s accomplice, Abbas Rhayel, was also deported last week after serving 15 years.

Darabi and Rhayel’s trial caused a diplomatic crisis between Europe and Iran after German judges found the killings to be based on orders from Tehran. Relations between Germany and Iran deteriorated after the verdict because Iran was furious about being fingered for sponsoring terrorism.

According to German law, life sentences are reviewed every 15 years, however, the court ruled Darabi would stay in prison longer due to the severity of the crime.

Wolfgang Wieland, a member of Germany’s opposition Greens who handled secondary charges brought against Darabi and Rhayel during their trial, criticized the decision, saying, “It will be interpreted by Iran not as generosity on the part of the West but as weakness.”

For the full story, click here.