Switzerland demands a response from Tehran regarding the death of its citizen in Iran
The Swiss Foreign Ministry says that a month ago, on December 10th, Iranian authorities informed the Swiss embassy in Tehran that a Swiss citizen had been arrested in Semnan on charges of espionage.
In the statement released on Friday, January 11th, it was mentioned that the identity of the individual is a 64-year-old Swiss man who had traveled to Iran as a tourist and had not lived in Switzerland for about 20 years. According to the Swiss Foreign Ministry, this man had been living in South Africa.
The Swiss government states that since being informed of the arrest of this Swiss citizen, embassy officials have been following up on his situation and were in daily contact with Iranian authorities, requesting a consular meeting with him. However, due to the nature of the charge, which was stated to be espionage, they were not granted permission for a meeting or consular access.
On Thursday, January 10th, Iranian media reported, quoting the head of the Semnan province judiciary, that a Swiss citizen who had been imprisoned in Semnan on charges of espionage had committed suicide and died.
