Swiss Citizen Dies in Semnan Prison; Judiciary Claims Suicide

A Swiss citizen who was imprisoned in the Islamic Republic of Iran on charges of 'espionage' died under suspicious circumstances in Semnan prison on Thursday morning, January 20. The Swiss Foreign Ministry confirmed the death of one of its citizens in Semnan prison in a special correspondence with the Persian section of Voice of America. According to Iranian state media, the head of the Semnan judiciary claimed without naming the Swiss citizen that he had 'committed suicide' in prison. Voice of America cannot independently verify the claims of the Semnan judiciary. Mohammad Sadegh Akbari, the head of the Semnan judiciary, stated that 'this Swiss citizen was being held in a suite with another prisoner in Semnan prison' and claimed that he 'asked his cellmate this morning to get him food from the prison cafeteria' and used the time he was alone in the suite to 'commit suicide.' This judicial official of the Islamic Republic asserted that 'the efforts of prison officials to save this individual were unsuccessful' and claimed that 'suicide is evident.' The Swiss Foreign Ministry, in its correspondence with the Persian section of Voice of America, confirmed the death of its citizen in Semnan prison and added that the Swiss embassy in Tehran is in contact with Iranian officials to clarify the circumstances of this citizen's death in prison. The Swiss Foreign Ministry did not mention the identity of the 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 refer to the gender of this citizen. The Persian section of Voice of America has also inquired about questions such as the identity of the deceased individual, the date of his arrest, the charges against him, and the Swiss government's reaction to this citizen's death, and will inform its audience as soon as it receives a response. Meanwhile, the announcement of the death of the Swiss citizen has received widespread coverage in the media. Reuters noted that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has detained dozens of dual nationals and foreigners in recent years, primarily on charges of espionage and security. According to this news agency, Switzerland plays an important mediating role between Washington and Tehran as it represents 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 Iranian-German political prisoner, 'had a stroke' in prison after announcing the execution of his sentence. Annalena Baerbock, Germany's foreign minister, stated to Voice of America after the news of Mr. Sharmard's execution that 'killing' a German citizen would have serious consequences for the Islamic Republic. Another case of suspicious death of political prisoners in the Islamic Republic's prisons was that of Kavous Seyed Emami, a dual national Iranian-Canadian and university professor, who died two weeks after his arrest in Evin prison, with Iranian officials claiming he had 'hanged himself.' The New York Times described Kavous Seyed Emami's death in prison as 'a disgrace and scandal for the Islamic Republic.' The Islamic Republic has repeatedly detained foreign and dual citizens, endangering their lives, an action observers have deemed 'hostage-taking' for political purposes. The U.S. 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 in April 2022 while returning from a trip and was accused of spying 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 warden of Gohardasht prison involved in the mass execution of political prisoners in the 1980s, who was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Stockholm Supreme Court, in exchange for two of his fellow citizens who were imprisoned in Iran.