IAccording to Sweden, Iran has begun the trial of a Swedish EU diplomat who has been imprisoned for more than 600 days. Johan Floderus is on trial in Tehran, Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström said on Saturday. The EU diplomat Floderus was arrested at the airport in the Iranian capital Tehran on April 17, 2022 as he wanted to return home from a private trip with friends. The Swede, who worked for the European External Action Service in Brussels, is being held in the notorious Evin prison.
Floderus was “arbitrarily detained,” emphasized Billström. “There is no reason to keep Johan Floderus in custody, let alone bring him to justice.” The Swedish government and the EU have “made this very clear” to Iranian representatives.
Reason for arrest unclear
In September, the Iranian judiciary announced that Floderus had “committed crimes” in Iran and that an investigation had been opened. An EU official complained at the time that Tehran had given “no clear answer” to questions about the exact reasons for the Swede’s arrest and detention.
Critics accuse Tehran of “hostage diplomacy,” i.e. arresting Western citizens as a means of applying pressure for concessions and the release of imprisoned Iranians.
Just two weeks before Floderus’ arrest, a Swedish court sentenced Iranian Hamid Nuri to life in prison. In 1988 he took part in mass executions of opposition members in his home country. The court found him guilty of crimes against international law and murder.
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