EU diplomats have redoubled requires Iran to free their Swedish colleague, after Iran’s prosecutor demanded the dying penalty for espionage.
”[Johan] Floderus is harmless. There are completely no grounds for holding him in detention,” an EU international service spokesman advised EUobserver on Monday (29 January).
”The EU continues to name for Johan Floderus to be freed instantly. The excessive consultant persistently raises the case at each event and phone with the Iranian authorities,” the spokesman added, referring to Josep Borrell, the EU’s international service boss.
The case is private as a result of the 33-year outdated Swedish diplomat was an worker in Borrell’s Afghanistan part in Brussels when he was arrested in Tehran airport on 17 April 2022 after visiting a buddy who lived in Iran.
And amid the high-level appeals, Floderus’ family and friends are additionally holding an awareness-raising occasion in Brussels for his sake on Thursday.
The Iranian prosecutor stated on Sunday, whereas closing his trial for alleged espionage for Israel, that ”given the essential nature and hostile results of the accused’s actions, I demand the utmost penalty,” in accordance with Iranian state media.
The EU international service stated Sweden, ”with whom we coordinate carefully” and which has an embassy in Tehran, is giving Floderus consular help.
The EU does not have an embassy in Iran, that means that Belgium, the present holder of the EU presidency, speaks on behalf of Europe instead there.
”Typically phrases, EU officers should not required to journey to, or work within the nation [Iran] whereas performing their duties, except for official journeys for particular interactions with the authorities,” the EU spokesman stated.
”Journey for private causes stays below the member states’ consular accountability,” he added.
The Swedish international ministry did not touch upon Monday.
However Sweden suggested its nationals to keep away from Iran after Floderus’ arrest.
”In late 2023, a person with Swedish and Iranian citizenship was detained for no obvious motive,” the Swedish authorities additionally stated in an announcement on 17 January, referring to a second, unnamed Swedish individual.
”The federal government … reminds Swedes of the ministry for international affairs’ recommendation in opposition to all journey to Iran,” it added.
Center East consultants doubt that Iran would execute Floderus and Swedish media have speculated that his abduction was designed to result in a prisoner-swap for Hamid Noury, a infamous former Iranian jail official.
Sweden arrested Noury in Stockholm airport in 2019, mirroring the Floderus’ incident in Tehran airport, and a Swedish appeals courtroom confirmed Noury’s life sentence in December final yr ”for grave breaches of worldwide humanitarian legislation and homicide”.
In the meantime, the Floderus case comes amid a nadir in EU-Iran relations, resulting from Iran’s help for Palestinian group Hamas within the Gaza conflict and following the unravelling of an EU-brokered Iran nuclear non-proliferation deal.
Iran can be holding not less than six different EU nationals on what their households say are spurious prices, together with French and German residents.