Swiss citizen dies in Iran jail after arrest for spying

A Swiss citizen arrested in Iran and accused of spying has died in prison, according to Iranian state media.

Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency said the man was being held with another prisoner in a prison in the eastern city of Semnan when he “committed suicide” on Thursday.

The judiciary-run Mizan News Agency said prison authorities took immediate action to save the Swiss citizen’s life, but their efforts were unsuccessful.

Mizan did not provide any further information about the man’s identity.

“This morning, a Swiss citizen committed suicide in Semnan prison,” Semnan Chief Justice Mohammad Sadegh Akbari was quoted as saying in a statement on Mizan’s website.

The statement said he was “arrested by Iranian security forces on charges of espionage” and that the matter was “under investigation”.

In recent years, Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards have arrested dozens of dual citizens and foreigners, mostly on espionage and security-related charges.

Switzerland plays an important intermediary role between Washington and Tehran as it represents US interests in Iran and shares messages between the two countries.