Iran’s judiciary said Thursday a Swiss citizen being held in the country’s Semnan prison has committed suicide.
On the Iran judiciary’s Mizon Online news website, Semnan Province Chief Justice Mohammad Sadeq Akbari is quoted as saying the Swiss citizen had been arrested for espionage and was being held in a suite with another prisoner.
According to Akbari, the Swiss prisoner asked his cellmate to get him some food from the prison buffet and killed himself while he was alone.
Akbari is quoted as saying, “Prison officials immediately took action to save this person, but efforts to save him were unsuccessful.”
The chief justice added, “All evidence and documents from the place where this person is being held have been reviewed, and according to the documents, it is clear that he committed suicide.”
There was no additional information provided regarding the identity of the prisoner or the manner of death.
Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards are known for arresting dual nationals and foreigners, mostly on charges related to espionage and security. Rights groups have criticized Iran for using such arrests to extract diplomatic concessions, a claim Tehran denies.
Reuters news agency reports Switzerland plays an important intermediary role between Washington and Tehran as it represents U.S. interests in Iran and shares messages between the two countries.
Some information for this report came from Reuters and Agence France-Presse.
