Politics Iran: Swiss man photographed military site without permission

SDA

22.1.2025 - 13:14

Iran accused a Swiss man of espionage before he allegedly took his own life in a prison. (archive picture)
Iran accused a Swiss man of espionage before he allegedly took his own life in a prison. (archive picture)
Keystone

A Swiss man who died in an Iranian prison allegedly photographed a military compound without permission and cooperated with "hostile governments", according to the Iranian judiciary. This is why he was arrested, a spokesperson for the judiciary said on Wednesday.

Keystone-SDA

The Swiss national entered Iran in October as a tourist in a private car with various devices, the spokesperson told the media. The man was born in Namibia and is a Swiss citizen. He did not provide any further details.

At the beginning of January, Iran declared that the man had committed suicide in Semnan prison in the east of the country. He had previously been accused of espionage.

According to the Swiss Foreign Ministry, the man was a 64-year-old Swiss national who had been traveling in Iran as a tourist. He had not lived in Switzerland for almost 20 years and had last lived in southern Africa. Switzerland demanded a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances of the death.