The Confederation is calling for a full investigation into the death of a Swiss man in Iranian prison, suspected of having secretly taken soil samples.
The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) is demanding from the Iranian authorities a full investigation into the circumstances of the death of a Swiss man in a prison in the country. According to Iranian media, the man arrested in October had previously secretly taken soil samples.
According to the DFA, interviewed by the Keystone-ATS agency, the man, aged 64, was staying in Iran as a tourist. The Department of Federal Councilor Ignazio Cassis clarified that he had not resided in Switzerland for almost 20 years. He most recently lived in southern Africa.
Switzerland demands information
Switzerland has demanded detailed information from the Iranian authorities on the reasons for the arrest of its national and a full investigation into the circumstances of his death.
The repatriation of the body to Switzerland is also “an absolute priority” and should take place in the coming days. The FDFA assists the relatives of the deceased within the framework of consular protection. No Swiss national is currently in detention in Iran, says the DFA.
Ignazio Cassis, Swiss Minister of Foreign Affairs.Keystone
The two foreign policy committees of the Federal Parliament will look into the matter at their meetings in January, they wrote in response to a question. It is not yet known whether they will act, as no decision has been made at this stage.
Embassy informed on December 10
The Swiss embassy in Tehran was informed on December 10 by the Iranian authorities that a Swiss national had been arrested on suspicion of espionage, the department said.
Since then, the embassy has been in daily contact with the Iranian authorities in order to obtain more information on the circumstances of the arrest and to gain access to the detainee.
However, due to the charges against him, the requested consular access was not granted during the still ongoing preliminary investigation phase, the DFA added. On Thursday, the embassy was informed that the Swiss had committed suicide in prison.
-Soil samples
According to the Nurnews portal, which maintains good contacts with the Iranian security apparatus, the man was arrested during the Israeli air attack against Iran at the end of October 2024. The secret services allegedly accused him of having taken soil samples in a desert region.
The Swiss would then have been taken to Semnan prison, nearly 200 kilometers east of the Iranian capital Tehran. According to official information, he committed suicide there on Thursday.
According to the Iranian news portal Tabnak, the Iranians not only arrested the Swiss, but also a network of collaborators.
A diplomat died in 2021
This is not the first Swiss to die in Iran. In 2021, a 51-year-old diplomat working for the Swiss embassy in Iran was found dead in front of her building in Tehran. She had fallen from the 17th floor.
The investigation was complicated by the absence of organs after the first autopsy in Iran. At the end of December 2024, the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office closed proceedings on suspicion of homicide. It assumes that the death is most likely a suicide. (jah/ats)
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