Iran Confirms Detention Of Swedish EU Worker

Iran’s judiciary has confirmed that a Swedish national working for the European Union had been detained, the latest known case of a foreign national being held in Iran amid political tension with the West.

Sweden and the European Union Commission said last week a Swedish national was being detained in Iran. Sweden said Johan Floderus was detained in April 2022 for what his family said was alleged spying.

“The Swedish national has been lawfully imprisoned following a preliminary inquiry and the results of a full investigation into his case made by the prosecutor’s office will be sent in the coming days to a competent court,” Iran’s judiciary spokesperson, Masoud Setayeshi, said.

The spokesperson did not detail the precise charges faced by Floderus.

Relations between Sweden and Iran have been tense since 2019 when Sweden arrested a former Iranian official for his part in the mass execution and torture of political prisoners in the 1980s.

He was sentenced to life in prison last year, prompting Iran to recall its envoy to Sweden in protest.

In May, Iran executed a Swedish-Iranian dissident convicted of leading an Arab separatist group Tehran blames for a number of attacks including one on a military parade in 2018 that killed 25 people.

REUTERS/Christopher Ojilere