Swiss prosecutors close inquiry into death in Iranian prison

Switzerland’s Office of the Attorney General has closed its investigation into the death of a Swiss man in an Iranian prison, saying it found no concrete evidence of homicide. The Federal Intelligence Service had questioned the account that he died by suicide, SRF reported.

The man, who was 64 at the time, was arrested in Iran in late 2024 on suspicion of espionage. Iranian authorities said he took his own life on January 9, 2025, at a prison in Semnan, east of Tehran.

The Federal Intelligence Service told prosecutors that the alleged suicide raised questions and that its information cast doubt on the account given by Iran. It also pointed to the Iranian government’s use of arrests as political leverage and recalled the unexplained death of a Swiss diplomat in Tehran in 2021.

That diplomat, a 51-year-old employee of the Swiss embassy, died after falling from the 17th floor of her home. Prosecutors closed their investigation into her death in late 2024. Swiss forensic reports could not establish the exact cause, but found no signs of violence; suicide was considered the most likely explanation.

After the intelligence service raised its concerns, prosecutors opened a criminal investigation and ordered an autopsy. The Iranian authorities had embalmed the man’s body before sending it to Switzerland, limiting the forensic examination. The findings were consistent with death by hanging, but investigators could not determine whether he was alive or unconscious when his body was suspended, or whether this happened after his death. They found no signs of a struggle, evidence of sedation or indication of another cause of death.

The allegations of espionage remain unresolved. According to a relative, the man was on a two-year trip in a vehicle converted into a camper and carried photography equipment. He had apparently also taken photographs with a drone and was carrying several mobile phones and a satellite communications device. Prosecutors said use of some of that equipment may be prohibited in Iran.

The relative received images from him showing what appeared to be transmission masts, petrol stations, buildings, roads and the wreckage of a military vehicle. The Federal Criminal Police believed the images had not been taken in Iran. It said, however, that his equipment and conduct may have exposed him to increased risk.

The Swiss embassy was informed of his arrest in December 2024. He had not lived in Switzerland for about 20 years and had most recently been living in southern Africa. The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs said he had not worked for the Swiss government.

Swiss diplomats were denied access to him in custody. The department said this was common practice by Iranian authorities in espionage cases but violated international law. Switzerland repeatedly intervened and tried daily to contact him and obtain information about his arrest. On January 9, 2025, the embassy was told he had died by suicide. Switzerland then asked Iran for detailed information about the arrest and a comprehensive investigation into his death.

Prosecutors said they could not determine whether the arrest had been entirely arbitrary. They found no concrete evidence that Iran had used it to exert political pressure on Switzerland.