Swiss authorities have confirmed the death of a Swiss citizen who was imprisoned in Semnan province, Iran, on espionage charges. Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman Pierre-Alain Eltschinger confirmed the news on Thursday, as reported by the Associated Press. He stated that the Swiss Embassy in Tehran is in contact with local authorities to clarify the circumstances surrounding the incident.
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02-06, 2025Semnan Prison is located approximately 180 kilometers (112 miles) east of Iran's capital, Tehran. Iran's judiciary's Mizan news agency reported that the unidentified man had asked a fellow inmate to bring him food and then committed suicide while alone. Mizan quoted Mohammad Sadegh Akbari, head of the provincial judiciary, as saying, "Efforts to save him were unsuccessful."
Switzerland plays a significant intermediary role between Washington and Tehran, representing U.S. interests in Iran since the 1979 U.S. embassy takeover and hostage crisis. In recent years, Iranian security forces have arrested dozens of foreigners and dual nationals, mostly on charges of espionage and endangering national security. Human rights organizations accuse Iran of attempting to extract concessions from other countries through such arrests, a claim that Iran strongly denies.
On Wednesday, Italian journalist Cecilia Sala was released and returned home after being held by Iranian authorities for three weeks. Sala, a journalist for Il Foglio, was detained in Tehran last month while in the country on a regular journalist visa, accused of "violating the laws of the Islamic Republic." Iran has denied speculation that her arrest was linked to Rome's detention of an Iranian businessman accused by the U.S. of involvement in attacks on its forces.
