Swedish Diplomat Exchanged for Hamid Nouri Proposes to Boyfriend

Johan Flodros, the Swedish diplomat who was released during a prisoner exchange between the Islamic Republic and Sweden, proposed to his boyfriend shortly after returning to Stockholm. According to a report by AFP, the Swedish government and Johan Flodros's family announced on Tuesday, June 18, that he proposed to his boyfriend just minutes after arriving back in Sweden and received a 'yes' in response. In a video released by the Swedish government, Johan Flodros is seen kneeling in front of his partner at Stockholm's Arlanda Airport on Saturday. His boyfriend then accepts the marriage proposal, and they kiss and embrace each other while the sound of crying can be heard from those around them. The Prime Minister and several Swedish officials present at the airport applauded the couple and congratulated them on their union. In a statement released by his family on Tuesday, Flodros said, 'After two long years, I am finally a free man, reunited with my family, and engaged to be married.' The 33-year-old EU diplomat also expressed gratitude to everyone who 'made this possible.' He stated, 'A dream that I sometimes dared not imagine has come true, that I return home to my loved ones and live in freedom.' Flodros was arrested about two years ago while trying to return to Sweden from his vacation in Iran. He was accused of espionage and faced the death penalty as a result. Flodros was exchanged along with another Swedish citizen named Saeed Azizi for Hamid Nouri, a former deputy warden of Gohardasht Prison and involved in the mass execution of political prisoners in the 1980s, who had been sentenced to life imprisonment by the Stockholm Supreme Court. A court in Sweden convicted Nouri of 'gross violations of international humanitarian law and murder.' Swedish officials defend their decision to pardon Nouri amid widespread criticism from exiled Iranians in Sweden. Flodros's family stated, 'Our hearts are with the other innocent prisoners who are still suffering in Iranian prisons.' Ahmadreza Jalali, another Iranian-Swedish citizen, is on the brink of execution after being convicted of espionage in Iran. Mr. Jalali's wife has severely criticized the Swedish government for not including him in this prisoner exchange. Swedish officials say the Islamic Republic refuses to discuss this case because it does not recognize dual citizenship.