A leading German politician has expressed his outrage at reports that an Iranian cleric thought to have sentenced up to 30,000 people to death, is believed to be receiving treatment at a private clinic in Germany.

It is understood that Hossein Ali Naeiri is currently being treated at the International Neuroscience Institute (INI) in Hanover, the state capital of Lower Saxony. 

But Naeiri stands accused of orchestrating mass executions of political prisoners in Iran during 1988, where he acted as a senior cleric and adviser to the Iranian chief of justice, and was officially appointed chairman of the "Death Commission" by Ayatollah Khomeini.

Under his command, thousands of political prisoners were executed, ranging from communists and to members of the People's Mujahideen.  

Though the exact death toll remains uncertain, estimates go up to 30,000 individuals. 

Former chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Dr Norbert Röttgen of the conservative Christian Democrat Union (CDU), is demanding that German authorities take immediate action.

International Neuroscience Institute

International Neuroscience Institute in Hanover, Germany (Photo: Getty)

In a written statement to the JC, he said: “I find it completely incomprehensible that the investigative authorities in Hanover are not willing or able to establish with certainty whether the Iranian death judge and mass murderer Hossein Alo Naeiri is in the city for medical treatment.

“In the meantime, criminal complaints have been filed several times by relatives of people who died in Iran as a result of Naeiri's sentences. If Naeiri stays in Germany and leaves the country again, the federal government can save itself from now on expressions of solidarity or commitments to international criminal prosecution.

“Whether out of incompetence or intent: a well-known mass murderer would then have been let go. For the relatives of his victims, many of whom have found protection in Germany, that would be a slap in the face.”

He added: “The German government has pledged its solidarity to the people of Iran in their fight against the brutal mullahs' regime.

“Now it has the opportunity to take concrete action against one of the regime's henchmen and, to all appearances, it has failed again.

“Because even when the Revolutionary Guards were listed as terrorist, the federal government did not give a good picture. It made promises that were then not implemented on the basis of flimsy legal excuses. It would be a serious blow to the regime if Naeiri's arrest made it clear that none of them are safe from criminal prosecution abroad.

Norbert Röttgen

German politician Norbert Röttgen (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

“If the authorities do not act and the German government continues to look on impassively, the signal to both the Iranian civilian population and the regime would be fatal: while the people in Iran lack everything, the regime representatives can enter the EU unmolested and be treated here - without any consequence, because due to a possible renewal of the nuclear agreement, far too much consideration is still being given to the mullahs.”

The German Israeli Society's Chairman, Volker Beck, filed a criminal complaint against Naeiri on July 7, 2023, demanding justice for the victims of human rights violations in Iranian prisons. 

“While the victims of human rights criminals are being murdered and tortured to death in Iranian prisons, those responsible go in and out of Germany with impunity”, wrote Beck. 

This incident does not appear to be the first-time high-ranking representatives of the Iranian regime have sought treatment in Germany. 

Five years ago, the late death judge Mahmud Hashemi Shahroudi was reported to have received medical attention at the very same clinic. 

Shahroudi, who was accused of serious human rights violations, left the country without facing consequences despite a criminal complaint filed against him.

When contacted by the JC, a spokeswoman for the clinic said: “We are a private clinic, and we are bound by data protection laws, therefore we do not disclose details of our patients and we are not going to do this now.”

In a chilling interview with the "Islamic Revolution Documentary Centre", Naeiri has defended his actions as "decisive judgments".