Exclusive: Switzerland Confirms Death of Its Citizen in Semnan Prison

The Swiss Foreign Ministry confirmed in a correspondence with Voice of America that a citizen of this country has died in Semnan prison. The ministry added that the Swiss embassy in Tehran is in contact with Iranian officials to clarify the circumstances surrounding the death of this citizen in prison. The Semnan judiciary announced on Thursday, January 10, that a Swiss citizen, who they claim was imprisoned in Iran on charges of 'espionage,' has 'committed suicide.' The Swiss Foreign Ministry did not disclose the identity of its deceased citizen and stated that it is providing consular protection to his relatives and cannot provide further details at this stage. In response, the Swiss Foreign Ministry did not even mention the gender of this citizen. Voice of America has sought more details from the Swiss government regarding the identity of the deceased individual, the date of his arrest, the charges against him, and the government's reaction to the death of this citizen; however, no response regarding these details has been received so far. In this context, the Swiss Foreign Ministry's account on the social media platform 'X' stated: 'Iranian officials have informed us of the death of a Swiss citizen in prison' and added: 'We are in contact with officials to clarify the circumstances of the death.' Official Iranian media reported on Thursday morning, January 10, in a uniform news that a Swiss citizen who was imprisoned in the Islamic Republic of Iran on charges of 'espionage' has died. According to Iranian state media, Mohammad Sadegh Akbari, the head of the Semnan judiciary, claimed without mentioning the name of the Swiss citizen that he had 'committed suicide' in prison. Voice of America cannot independently verify the Semnan judiciary's claim regarding the 'suicide' of this Swiss citizen. The head of the Semnan judiciary stated that 'this Swiss citizen was kept in a suite with another inmate in Semnan prison' and claimed that he 'requested his cellmate to procure food from the prison cafeteria' and 'used the time he was left alone in the suite' to 'commit suicide.' This judicial official of the Islamic Republic claimed that 'the efforts of prison officials to save this individual were unsuccessful' and asserted that 'suicide is evident.' The announcement of the death of the Swiss citizen has received widespread coverage in global media. Reuters reported that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has detained dozens of dual nationals and foreigners in recent years, primarily on charges of espionage and security. The news agency noted that Switzerland plays an important mediating role between Washington and Tehran, as it protects U.S. interests in Iran and exchanges messages between the two countries. Previously, Iranian judicial officials have attributed the suspicious deaths of some political prisoners to 'suicide.' In recent months, Iranian officials claimed that Jamshid Sharmard, a dual national political prisoner, 'died of a heart attack' after announcing the execution of his sentence. Annalena Baerbock, the German Foreign Minister, stated to Voice of America after the news of Mr. Sharmard's execution that 'the killing' of a German citizen would have serious consequences for the Islamic Republic. Another case of suspicious death of political prisoners in Iranian prisons was Kavous Seyed Emami, a dual national and Iranian-Canadian university professor, who died two weeks after his arrest in Evin prison, with Iranian officials claiming that he had 'hanged himself.' The family of Mr. Seyed Emami was reportedly under severe pressure from the Revolutionary Guards to accept the official narrative regarding the suspicious death of this dual national prisoner. The Islamic Republic has repeatedly detained foreign and dual citizens, putting their lives at risk, an action observers have deemed 'hostage-taking' for political purposes. The United States and Western governments have repeatedly warned their citizens to avoid traveling to Iran. In the latest case of detentions, Cecilia Sala, an Italian journalist, was arrested by Iranian intelligence forces on December 20 of this year. Ms. Sala, 29, who collaborates with the newspapers 'Il Folio' and 'Chora Media,' had officially traveled to Iran with a journalist visa and had published reports on recent developments in Iran following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria. She was released on Wednesday and returned to Italy. Previously, Johan Flodros, a Swedish citizen working for the European Union's diplomatic service in Brussels, was arrested in Iran during a trip in April 2022 and accused of espionage for Israel and 'corruption on earth,' a crime punishable by death under Iranian law. Mr. Flodros was exchanged on June 16 during a swap with Hamid Nouri, a former deputy prosecutor of Gohardasht prison, who was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Stockholm Supreme Court for his role in the mass execution of political prisoners in the 1980s, in exchange for two of his compatriots who were imprisoned in Iran. The United States has warned its citizens against traveling to dangerous countries, including Iran. Shirin Ebadi stated that the Italian journalist will not be the last hostage of the Islamic Republic. Reports indicate a connection between the arrest of the Italian journalist in Iran and the arrest of Abedini in Italy. The Human Rights Defenders Center has called for the immediate release of Reza Valizadeh, who has been forced to give a televised interview with interrogators. Sixteen countries have issued warnings to avoid traveling to Iran, leading to the closure of three thousand travel agencies.