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Iran rules out prisoner exchange with Sweden

The Alarabyia English reported, citing the AFP, Iran’s judiciary dismissed Tuesday (May 10) the possibility of a prisoner swap that would see a former Iranian official on trial for war crimes in Stockholm released in exchange for a Swedish-Iranian academic on death row.
The spokesman for the judiciary, Zabihollah Khodayian, told a press conference in Tehran that the two cases “have nothing to do with each other... as a result, there is no question of an exchange."
The remarks come as former prison official Hamid Noury, 61, is set to be sentenced in July in a trial in Sweden.
He was arrested in November 2019 and faces charges including crimes against humanity and war crimes for his role in the killing of as many as 5,000 prisoners across Iran in 1988 during the Iran-Iraq war.

As his trial came to a close last week, Iranian media reported that Swedish-Iranian academic Ahmadreza Djalali would be executed by May 21, after he was sentenced to death in 2017 over espionage for Israel.
He was found guilty of passing information about two Iranian nuclear scientists to Israel’s Mossad spy agency that led to their assassinations.
Iran to execute Swedish-Iranian national Ahmadreza Djalali by May 21
The judiciary spokesman said that Noury is “innocent and his trial is illegitimate,” while Djalali was “arrested two years prior” to the former official.
Khodayian added: “A final verdict was issued” against the academic, and the Iranian judiciary will act accordingly.
Noury’s trial has exacerbated existing tensions between Tehran and Stockholm.
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, British-Iranian woman leaves Iran
Sweden’s foreign ministry announced Friday that Iranian authorities had arrested another one of its nationals. Stockholm earlier issued a warning against non-essential travel to Iran.
Source: alarabyiaenglish
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BENEFIT Sponsors BuildHer...
- April 23, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”
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