Swedish Diplomat Recalls His Time in Prison in Iran

Johan Flodros, a Swedish diplomat who was recently released from Evin prison after about 800 days during a prisoner exchange between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Sweden, recounted his darkest moments of imprisonment and how he endured that period in an interview with AFP. When asked about his condition since his release, Flodros smiled and said, "I am well. My family has done everything to give me that soft landing (a calm return to normal life) that I think I really needed after coming back." Flodros was arrested in April 2022 at an airport in Iran while trying to return to Sweden from a holiday with friends; his phone was taken from him, he was blindfolded, and he was not allowed to make contact at that moment. After two or three days of isolation in a cell, he was taken to a place where, according to him, someone present was referred to as a judge. In another part of the interview, he said, "I was relieved to go there because I thought: finally, this mistake will be corrected." However, the opposite happened; this man (the judge) told me that I was accused of spying against the Islamic Republic of Iran, and that was the moment everything turned dark. At that moment, Flodros said he felt weak. It was then that the judge noticed and told him, "Don't worry." Flodros said, "I was only supposed to be their guest for two or three days, but I ended up staying there for two years and two months." Johan Flodros, the Swedish diplomat who was released during the prisoner exchange between the Islamic Republic and Sweden, proposed to his boyfriend shortly after returning to Stockholm. The diplomat spent the first two months in "confusion, anxiety, and despair" in solitary confinement. Then, by being among other prisoners, he was able to talk freely with them for a while. Flodros said, "When I told them about what happened to me, they said, Johan, you are a hostage." This Swedish citizen was transferred back to solitary confinement and spent six months there. During that time, Flodros began to look for ways to survive. Flodros did not believe he would ever be freed until he was transferred to Tehran airport. He said he wanted to experience life before his arrest with his fiancé. According to AFP, the Swedish government and Johan Flodros's family announced on Tuesday, June 29, that he proposed to his boyfriend just minutes after returning to Sweden and received a "yes" in response. The wife of Ahmadreza Jalali, a dual-national prisoner sentenced to death, described her meeting with the Swedish foreign minister as "very disappointing." Siamak Namazi stated that leaving Ahmadreza Jalali in Iran is "against conscience." A former hostage of the Islamic Republic protested to the Swedish government, stating that the neglect of Ahmadreza Jalali in the exchange for Hamid Noury was a "deep deception." The Swedish diplomat exchanged for Hamid Noury proposed to his boyfriend.