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A Swiss citizen arrested in Iran and accused of espionage has died in prison, according to Iranian state media.
The man was being held with another inmate in a prison in the eastern city of Semnan when he “committed suicide” on Thursday, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency said.
The Mizan news agency, run by the judiciary, said prison officials immediately took measures to save the Swiss citizen’s life, but their efforts were unsuccessful.
Mizan did not provide further details about the man’s identity.
“This morning, a Swiss citizen committed suicide in Semnan prison,” said a statement on the Mizan website, attributed to Mohammad Sadegh Akbari, president of the Semnan High Court.
The statement added that he had been “arrested by Iranian security forces for espionage” and that the case was “under investigation.”
In recent years, Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard has arrested dozens of dual nationals and foreigners, mostly on espionage and security-related charges.
Switzerland plays an important intermediary role between Washington and Tehran, representing American interests in Iran and sharing messages between the two countries.
