A man accused of espionage was found dead this Thursday, January 9 in the Iranian prison of Semnan (northern Iran). The detainee committed suicide, according to the chief judge of the province of the same name, quoted by the semi-official Iranian press agency Tasnim. His identity has not yet been revealed. According to the news channel Iran Internationalhe shared his cell with another inmate.
“This morning, a Swiss citizen committed suicide in Semnan prison”said Mohammad Sadeq Akbari, adding that the detainee had been “arrested by security agencies for espionage and his case was under investigation”without giving further details. Efforts to resuscitate the prisoner failed, according to Mizan Online, the judiciary’s media outlet. Switzerland plays an important intermediary role between Washington and Tehran, because it represents American interests in Iran and shares messages between the two countries.
In recent years, Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards have arrested dozens of dual nationals and foreigners, mainly on charges related to espionage and security. On Tuesday, the Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot indicated that since the election of President Pezeshkian in July 2024, the situation of the three French hostages held by the Islamic Republic has deteriorated: “The situation of our compatriots held hostage in Iran is simply unacceptable; they have been unjustly detained for several years, in undignified conditions which, for some, fall within the definition of torture under international law,” declared the minister during the conference of ambassadors, ensuring that Paris did not forget them “for a single second”.
Italian journalist released
A French couple, Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, have been detained in Iran since May 2022 in Evin prison. They are accused by the authorities of“espionage”, which their loved ones deny. A third Frenchman, named Olivier but whose last name has not been made public, has also been detained in Iran since 2022. Paris describes these prisoners as “state hostages”.
On Wednesday, the Italian government announced the release of journalist Cecilia Sala. This 29-year-old woman had been detained in Tehran since December 19, for having “breaks the laws” during his professional stay with a journalistic visa. She was arrested amid potential reprisals. Three days earlier, Mohammad Abedini Najafabadi, a Swiss-Iranian businessman, was arrested at Milan airport on suspicion of being an arms trafficker close to the regime.
Iranian human rights defender and Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi, imprisoned in Tehran since November 2021, was provisionally released for health reasons in December. She has not yet been returned to prison, but her legal status remains uncertain and she is likely to be arrested again “at any time”, according to his family’s lawyer. At 52, she has been convicted many times and imprisoned for twenty-five years for her commitment.
Update at 5:40 p.m., additional inmate cases added.
Source: www.liberation.fr
