What Do We Know About the Swedish Prisoners Exchanged for Hamid Nouri?

Iranian and Swedish officials announced on Saturday, June 16, the release of two Swedish citizens imprisoned in Iran in exchange for Hamid Nouri, a former Iranian judiciary official sentenced to life imprisonment in Sweden for his role in the execution of political prisoners in 1988. The two individuals released from Iranian prisons, who according to the Swedish Prime Minister are on their way back to Sweden, are Johan Flodros, a former Swedish diplomat, and Saeed Azizi, an Iranian-Swedish citizen. Johan Flodros traveled to Iran in the spring of 2022 for a 'tourist trip' with several friends but was arrested on April 17, 2022, while attempting to return. He was accused by the Iranian judiciary of 'espionage' and 'corruption on earth,' which could have led to a death sentence. In the last court session for this Swedish citizen, held on January 27, the prosecutor accused him of 'transferring information abroad' and having 'connections with Israel,' emphasizing that 'according to the issued indictment, he requests the most severe punishment.' On February 9, Flodros's family expressed concern about the imminent issuance of a 'severe punishment' for him. Ingrid, Flodros's sister, in an interview with The Guardian, expressed concern for his physical and mental condition in prison and urged the Swedish Foreign Ministry to do everything possible for his release. However, the Iranian judiciary did not issue a ruling for Johan Flodros. Although the spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry stated on December 11 last year in response to a question about the reaction of Josep Borrell, the EU's foreign policy chief, to Flodros's arrest: 'The accusations and crimes committed by this Swedish citizen are clear, and there is sufficient evidence regarding the crimes he has committed, and details in this regard have been communicated to the government of this citizen.' Meanwhile, Swedish and EU officials first officially confirmed Flodros's imprisonment in Iran on September 4 last year, about 500 days after his arrest by Iran. They initially did not disclose his identity until American media referred to Johan Flodros, after which Josep Borrell confirmed his identity and background as a diplomat. On the other hand, Radio Farda has obtained information about Saeed Azizi, the Iranian-Swedish citizen who was exchanged with Hamid Nouri along with Johan Flodros. Sources from Radio Farda say that Azizi was arrested in November 2023 at his home in the Gisha area of Tehran during a raid by security forces. According to these sources, he went to Iran after receiving several calls indicating that his house had a pipe burst and was causing problems and discomfort for neighbors, but he was arrested. These sources state that Saeed Azizi was accused of assisting in the arrest of Hamid Nouri in Sweden. Radio Farda sources emphasized that Saeed Azizi was an ordinary, non-political citizen and was unaware of the events surrounding Hamid Nouri's arrest. In his case in Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court, there were two photos obtained from his mobile phone; one photo of his wife taken during the protests in Sweden in 2021 and one photo of his daughter graduating from high school holding the Lion and Sun flag. Saeed Azizi was accused of conspiracy to act against national security and was sentenced to five years in prison by Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court in February last year. Branch 36 of the Court of Appeals upheld this sentence. However, his lawyer had requested a retrial, and it was at this stage that Saeed Azizi was released. Saeed Azizi, born in 1964, suffers from prostate cancer. His condition in prison had deteriorated, and according to information obtained by Radio Farda, one of the reasons for his release was his poor health. Reza Shafakhah, Azizi's lawyer, also announced last February that his client suffers from 'prostate cancer.' The Swedish government announced last December without mentioning Azizi's name that the Islamic Republic of Iran had illegally detained an Iranian-Swedish citizen over 60 years old and called for his immediate release. Stockholm did not disclose the identity of this man but noted that he holds both Iranian and Swedish citizenship and was detained 'without any specific reason' last November. Ahmadreza Jalali, an Iranian-Swedish doctor and researcher, is another prisoner related to Sweden in Iran who was sentenced to death in 2016, but no report has been published regarding his release, and he remains imprisoned.