We are starting to know a little more about the Swiss citizen who died in his prison cell in Iran. According to the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, he is a 64-year-old man who was in Iran as part of a tourist trip. The Swiss embassy in Tehran was informed exactly a month ago, on December 10, that a citizen of the country had been arrested on suspicion of espionage.
“Since Switzerland was informed of the arrest, the embassy in Tehran has been in daily contact with the Iranian authorities to obtain further information on the circumstances of the arrest and to be able to speak to the detained Swiss citizen,” says the DFA Friday. Iran did not grant the Swiss request to be able to meet the detainee. And on January 9, the embassy received information that he had committed suicide in prison.
According to RTS, citing an Iranian official, the man was arrested after taking soil samples in Semnan province, where he was imprisoned. Iran maintains that spies collect soil to analyze it for uranium and find clues to Iran’s nuclear or military program.
The DFA further indicates that the man had not lived in Switzerland for around twenty years. He resided in southern Africa. “Switzerland demands detailed information from the Iranian authorities on the reasons for his arrest as well as a full investigation into the circumstances of his death,” the Department further indicates. The body should be repatriated in the coming days.
