A Swedish citizen working for the European Union has been imprisoned in Iran for more than 500 days, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell confirmed to reporters in Cadiz on Tuesday.
The identity of the 33-year-old Johan Floderus was revealed by the New York Times, which reported that an employee of the EU External Action Service (EEAS) was detained during a private visit to Iran in April 2022, after which the Iranian authorities accused him of espionage.
“We are working tirelessly to free Floderus,” Borrell said, adding that the Swede was “illegally arrested” in Iran.
The EU High Representative said Swedish authorities and EU institutions are working closely to secure the release of Floderus.
Iran announced last July that it had arrested a foreigner on suspicion of espionage, two weeks after the Iranian citizen Hamid Nouri was sentenced to life imprisonment in Sweden.
In recent years, Tehran has imprisoned several foreigners on espionage and other national security charges, releasing them only as part of a prisoner exchange. In June of this year, Iranian authorities released several convicted Europeans, including a Dane and two Austrians, in exchange for the release of an Iranian diplomat convicted of plotting a bomb attack.
2023-09-05 19:31:00
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