The Iranian judicial authority said on Wednesday that the Swiss national who died on January 9 in an Iranian prison had been arrested for taking photos of a prohibited military site. The man also allegedly “collaborated with hostile governments”. According to the DFA, his remains arrived in Switzerland on Wednesday.
The Swiss embassy in Iran coordinated the administrative procedures for the repatriation of the body by airline flight to Switzerland, specifies the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA). “For data protection reasons”, the latter does not provide any further information.
Iran reported in early January the suicide of this man, arrested in October and imprisoned in Semnan prison (east) for espionage.
>> Reread: Swiss man accused of espionage found dead in prison in Iran
“He entered Iran as a tourist in the (Iranian) month of mehr (September-October, editor’s note) with a private car equipped with various equipment with various applications”, announced the spokesperson for Iranian justice in his weekly press conference.
The spokesperson did not reveal information about the man’s identity, but said he “was born in Namibia” and “was a Swiss national.” “He was accused of taking photos of prohibited military zones and collaborating with hostile governments, and was transferred to prison,” he added.
“Complete” investigation requested
The Confederation called for “a full investigation” into the circumstances of the death of its national. She demanded from the Iranian authorities “detailed information on the reasons” for her arrest. It is still awaiting the results of investigations on these two aspects, the DFA said on Wednesday.
-The Confederation had indicated that the 64-year-old man, whose identity was not revealed, “traveled to Iran as a tourist and had not had a home in Switzerland for almost twenty years”. He recently lived in southern Africa, staying in Iran as a tourist.
No video surveillance
“On the day of the incident, after having had breakfast, the video of which is available, he cut off the electricity in his cell in the absence of his fellow inmate,” said the spokesperson.
“He hanged himself in an area where it was not possible to record the image by the camera” and “the body was handed over to the Swiss embassy for repatriation,” he continued. .
Several Europeans or dual nationals are detained in Iran, a country which has carried out prisoner exchanges with Western countries in recent years, often through Oman or Qatar.
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