Judiciary's Claim About the 'Suicide' of a Swiss National Prisoner; 'He Hanged Himself'

Asghar Jahangir, spokesperson for the Judiciary, claimed on Wednesday, January 23, that a Swiss national arrested on charges of 'espionage' in Semnan had 'hanged himself and died' in prison. According to reports from state media, Jahangir detailed the case of the individual who was arrested for espionage in Semnan, with news of his 'suicide' having been published earlier. Jahangir stated that this individual, born in Namibia and a Swiss citizen, entered Iran as a tourist in October of this year with a 'personal vehicle equipped with technical equipment.' After passing through several provinces, he arrived in Semnan and took photographs in a military area where entry is prohibited. Jahangir announced that this individual was arrested and transferred to prison on charges of 'photographing prohibited areas' and 'collaborating with hostile governments.' Regarding the cause of the Swiss national's death, he claimed: 'The individual managed to hang himself using a piece of cloth in a location where there was no camera surveillance and no recording capability, and he died.' Previously, several state media outlets in Iran reported, citing a report from the website 'Khabar Fori' on Thursday, January 20, about the announcement of the suicide and death of a Swiss citizen in Semnan prison, stating that he was arrested while 'collecting information' in one of the cities of Semnan province. According to the 'Tabnak' website, citing Khabar Fori, 'an informed security source' claimed that 'one of the Swiss nationals' was arrested by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' intelligence organization while 'collecting information and sampling soil in central Iran's desert' coinciding with Israeli attacks on several locations in Iran, including Shahroud. Following this, the Swiss Foreign Ministry confirmed the death of a citizen of this country in Semnan prison in a special correspondence with VOA. The ministry added that the Swiss embassy in Tehran is in contact with Iranian government officials to clarify the circumstances of the citizen's death in prison. The Swiss Foreign Ministry did not mention the identity of its deceased citizen and stated that consular protection is being provided to his relatives and that it cannot provide further details at this stage. In response, the Swiss Foreign Ministry did not even mention the gender of this citizen. VOA has inquired from the Swiss government for more details about the identity of the deceased, the date of his arrest, the charges against him, and the government's reaction to the death of this citizen, but has not yet received a response regarding these details. The head of the Semnan judiciary stated that 'this Swiss national was held in a suite with another prisoner in Semnan prison' and claimed that he 'requested his cellmate to procure food for him from the prison cafeteria this morning' and 'used the time he was alone in the suite' for '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.' VOA cannot independently verify the claim of the head of the Semnan judiciary regarding the 'suicide' of this Swiss citizen. The announcement of the death of the Swiss citizen has received widespread coverage in global media.