Iranian justice announced Thursday that a Swiss national accused of espionage had committed suicide in the prison of Semnan, a city in the east of the country. The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) confirms the death.
The FDFA confirms the death of a Swiss citizen in Iran. The Swiss embassy in Tehran is in contact with local authorities to clarify the circumstances of the death in an Iranian prison. The FDFA is assisting relatives with consular protection, the FDFA told Keystone-ATS on Thursday. At present, he cannot provide further information.
‘This morning, a Swiss citizen committed suicide in Semnan prison,’ said Mizan Online, the judiciary’s media outlet, adding that the inmate had been ‘arrested by security agencies for espionage and that his case was under investigation.
The Swiss national, who has not been identified, had asked his cellmate to bring him food from the prison cafeteria and ‘took advantage of this moment when he was alone to commit suicide,’ according to Mizan Online .
The prison authorities ‘immediately intervened to (try to) save his life, but their efforts were in vain,’ added the same source.
Mizan did not provide details on the date of the Swiss’ arrest or how he committed suicide.
-Many Europeans detained
Several European citizens, some of whom have Iranian passports, are detained in Iran. Critics accuse Tehran of holding foreign citizens as political hostages. Iran rejects these accusations and generally justifies the arrests with the accusation of espionage. The exact number of Europeans detained in Iran is not known.
Last June, two Swedes were released from Iran in a prisoner exchange, including a European Union diplomat. In 2023, Oman negotiated the release of six Europeans, including Belgian aid worker Olivier Vandecasteele, who had been convicted of espionage and had spent more than a year in detention.
And just this week, Italian journalist Cecilia Sala, arrested on December 19 in Iran for ‘breaking the laws’ of the Islamic Republic, was released and returned to Italy on Wednesday afternoon.
/ATS
