A Swiss citizen arrested in Iran and accused of espionage has died in prison, according to Iranian state media.
The man was being held with another prisoner in a prison in the eastern city of Semnan when he “committed suicide” on Thursday, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.
The judiciary-run Mizan news agency said prison officials immediately took action to save the Swiss national’s life, but their efforts were unsuccessful.
Mizan did not provide further details about the man’s identity.
“This morning, a Swiss national committed suicide in Semnan prison,” said a statement on Mizan’s website, attributed to Mohammad Sadegh Akbari, chief judge of Semnan.
The statement added that he was “arrested by Iranian security forces for espionage” and that the case was “under investigation”.
In recent years, Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards have arrested dozens of nationals and foreigners with dual citizenship, mostly on espionage and security charges.
Switzerland plays an important intermediary role between Washington and Tehran as it represents American interests in Iran and shares messages between the two countries.
