Tag: Johan Floderus

Iranian-Swedish Dual National Ahmad-Reza Jalali on Fourth Day of Hunger Strike in Evin Prison

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News, Prisoners
Ahmad Reza Jalali, Evin Prison, Hamid Nouri, Johan Floderus, moharebeh, Tehran, Zabihollah Khodaeian

Ahmad-Reza Jalali, a dual-national death-row political prisoner currently held in Evin Prison, began a hunger strike on June 25th in protest of not being included in the recent prisoner exchange between Iran and Sweden.

Vida Mehrannia, Mr. Jalali’s wife, announced on her personal page: “My husband, who faces imminent execution by the Islamic Republic, started a hunger strike on Tuesday, June 25th, in protest of not being included in the recent prisoner exchange between Iran and Sweden.”

Mrs. Mehrannia added: “He has endured nearly 3,000 days in the notorious Evin Prison. The UN and many human rights organizations have declared my husband innocent, confirming that he was arbitrarily detained and used as a pawn in Iran’s cruel hostage diplomacy. They have called for his unconditional release.”

Recently, the Swedish Prime Minister announced the exchange of Hamid Nouri with Saeed Azizi and Johan Floderus, a Swedish diplomat.

Mr. Jalali was arrested by security forces in May 2016 and sentenced to death on charges of espionage. This sentence was ultimately upheld by the Supreme Court in December 2017.

On May 10, 2022, former Judiciary spokesperson Zabihollah Khodaeian stated in a press conference that Ahmadreza Jalali’s death sentence was final. He also claimed that there was no connection between the cases of Ahmadreza Jalali and Hamid Nouri, asserting, “The exchange of these two individuals is not under discussion.” However, Amnesty International issued a statement indicating that Iranian authorities aimed to exchange Jalali by threatening his execution.
Professor Jalali, invited to Iran by the University of Tehran in May 2016, was arrested on charges of “enmity against God (Moharebeh) through espionage for Israel.” The Tehran Prosecutor accused him of “transferring information about confidential projects in research, military, defense, and nuclear fields in exchange for citizenship for him and his family from Sweden.”

Prisoner Exchange; Hamid Nouri Released from Prison and Returned to Iran

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News, Prisoners
Hamid Nouri, Johan Floderus, Karaj, Saeed Azizi

The Swedish Prime Minister, Ulf Kristersson, announced on Saturday that Hamid Nouri had been exchanged for Johan Floderus, a Swedish diplomat imprisoned in Iran. In this prisoner swap, Saeed Azizi, a dual Iranian-Swedish citizen, was also released.

Hamid Nouri was arrested in Sweden for crimes against humanity in the summer of 1988 and the massacre of political prisoners. During this period, his detention was extended several times by a Swedish court. On July 14, 2022, a Swedish court charged Hamid Nouri with “gross and criminal violation of international law (equivalent to war crimes) and premeditated murder,” and he was found guilty on both counts. Ultimately, he was sentenced to life imprisonment and ordered to pay compensation to the survivors and families of the victims of the 1988 executions.

Nouri was a prosecutor at Evin and Gohardasht prisons in Karaj in 1988. That summer, thousands of political prisoners in Iran were executed by the regime and secretly buried in mass graves.

Regarding Johan Floderus, an employee of the European Union’s foreign policy department, the Swedish government and the European Union had previously demanded the “immediate” release of this Swedish citizen from prison, calling his detention “arbitrary.” He faced several court sessions with charges such as “corruption on earth by a wide scale organizing act against the country’s security and territorial integrity, and collaborating with the Zionist occupying regime,” as well as “gathering and conspiring to commit crimes against national security.”

Saeed Azizi, a 63-year-old Iranian-Swedish citizen who was released along with Floderus, was arrested by security forces at his home in Tehran on November 12, 2022, during a trip to Iran. He was later sentenced to five years in prison by Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Iman Afshari.

Arrest of Swedish National in Iran Raises Concerns Amidst String of Arbitrary Detentions

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News, Other
Foreign Ministry, Hamid Nouri, Iran-Sweden, irgc, Johan Floderus, The Swedish Ministry

The Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has disclosed the recent arrest of a Swedish national in Iran within the past two weeks.

The detainee, whose identity remains undisclosed, was apprehended in the early days of the new year and is currently held in custody. The Ministry revealed that the individual is a resident of the central regions of the country.

“The embassy in Tehran is in contact with local authorities. The Foreign Ministry is in contact with relatives in Sweden,” as reported in an email statement to Reuters.

This arrest is part of a concerning trend of arbitrary detentions of foreign citizens by the Iranian regime. It comes in the wake of the trial and life sentence conviction of former IRGC official Hamid Nouri in Sweden for his involvement in the mass execution of political prisoners in 1988. Notably, another Swedish national, Johan Floderus, was arrested by the Iranian regime in April 2022 and is presently on trial, facing espionage charges. The situation underscores growing international apprehension regarding the safety of foreign nationals in Iran.

Swedish National Johan Floderus Faces Fourth Court Session While in Detention

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News, Other
Iman Afshari, Johan Floderus, Mizan

On January 14, 2024, Mizan, the judiciary’s news agency, reported that Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, led by Judge Iman Afshari, conducted the fourth court session addressing the charges against detained Swedish citizen Johan Floderus.

The court session included the board of judges, the prosecutor’s representative, defense attorneys, an interpreter, and the Chargé d’affaires of the Swedish Embassy. Floderus is accused of various charges, including “spreading corruption on earth” and “espionage.”

After previously refuting the charges in the last session, Floderus responded to questions from the prosecutor’s representative during this court meeting.

Mizan reported that the proceedings focused on Floderus’ communications, including “documented” emails from his cell phone, his associations with the Swedish Ministry of Defense and Army, as well as his meetings with intelligence agents from several European countries. The defendant was also questioned about his motive for learning Farsi.

Furthermore, the prosecutor’s representative stated that no new charges or re-interrogations would be introduced.

In April 2022, Floderus visited Iran. As he was departing Iran on April 16, 2022, he was detained by the Ministry of Intelligence at the airport on charges of espionage.

In July, the Ministry of Intelligence issued a statement asserting that Floderus had made multiple trips to Iran. During his last visit, he was allegedly on a mission to uncover the identity of another spy who had been apprehended in Iran. Intelligence agents monitored his communications and, after accumulating evidence, arrested him under a warrant issued by the judiciary.

It is worth noting that on May 6, 2022, the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed his detention in Iran. The Swedish daily newspaper Aftonbladet described his arrest as a retaliatory move by Iran’s regime in response to the trial of Hamid Nouri, a prominent figure involved in the 1988 executions of Iranian political prisoners. Nouri had been arrested in November 2019 in Sweden and subsequently convicted of crimes against humanity.

Trial Commences for Swedish National Johan Floderus

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Other
Aftonbladet, Iman Afshari, Johan Floderus, Mizan, Sweden, Tehran Revolutionary Court

On December 10, 2023, Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court initiated proceedings in the trial of Johan Floderus, a Swedish citizen facing charges of “spreading corruption on earth” and “espionage,” as reported by Mizan, Iran’s judiciary news agency.

Presided over by Judge Iman Afshari, the court session saw Floderus, accompanied by his legal representative, contesting the array of charges leveled against him, which include “spreading corruption on earth” and “undermining national security by collaborating with Israel to gather intelligence.” Throughout the proceedings, the prosecutor asserted that Floderus had allegedly “established a network in Iran in conjunction with the Swedish Intelligence service, engaged in activism aimed at overthrowing the regime, disguised fund transfers to Iran as part of a project, traveled to Israel, and collaborated with Israeli Intelligence within the European Union.”

Floderus was formally indicted in November of the current year.

In April 2022, Floderus visited Iran. As he was departing Iran on April 16, 2022, he was detained by the Ministry of Intelligence at the airport on charges of espionage.

In July, the Ministry of Intelligence issued a statement asserting that Floderus had made multiple trips to Iran. During his last visit, he was allegedly on a mission to uncover the identity of another spy who had been apprehended in Iran. Intelligence agents monitored his communications and, after accumulating evidence, arrested him under a warrant issued by the judiciary.

It is worth noting that on May 6, 2022, the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed his detention in Iran. The Swedish daily newspaper Aftonbladet described his arrest as a retaliatory move by Iran’s regime in response to the trial of Hamid Nouri, a prominent figure involved in the 1988 executions of Iranian political prisoners. Nouri had been arrested in November 2019 in Sweden and subsequently convicted of crimes against humanity.

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Swedish Johan Floderus Faces Indictment in Iran

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News
Hamid Nouri, Johan Floderus, Mizan, Sweden

The Iranian Judiciary spokesperson has announced the indictment of Swedish Diplomat Johan Floderus, as reported by Mizan, the judiciary’s news agency.

In a press conference, Setayeshi revealed that Floderus’s case has been forwarded to the court.

In April 2022, Floderus visited Iran. As he was departing Iran on April 16, 2022, he was detained by the Ministry of Intelligence at the airport on charges of espionage.

In July, the Ministry of Intelligence issued a statement asserting that Floderus had made multiple trips to Iran. During his last visit, he was allegedly on a mission to uncover the identity of another spy who had been apprehended in Iran. Intelligence agents monitored his communications and, after accumulating evidence, arrested him under a warrant issued by the judiciary.

It is worth noting that on May 6, 2022, the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed his detention in Iran. The Swedish daily newspaper Aftonbladet described his arrest as a retaliatory move by Iran’s regime in response to the trial of Hamid Nouri, a prominent figure involved in the 1988 executions of Iranian political prisoners. Nouri had been arrested in November 2019 in Sweden and subsequently convicted of crimes against humanity.