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Iran has begun the trial of Johan Floderus, a Swedish national employed by the European Union, on charges of spying for Israel and committing “corruption on earth,” an offense punishable by death.
Floderus, 33, was arrested on April 17, 2022, at Tehran airport upon returning from a trip. He works for the EU diplomatic service and is currently detained in Tehran’s Evin prison. Iranian authorities allege that Floderus engaged in extensive activities against national security and intelligence cooperation with Israel.
Iranian state-controlled media released photos of Floderus, handcuffed and clad in prison attire, appearing before judges as the charges were announced. The Iranian judiciary argues that his actions involved intelligence gathering for Israel through projects associated with the US and European institutions.
The Swedish government acknowledged the commencement of Floderus’s trial but did not specify the charges. Sweden’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson refuted the allegations, asserting Floderus’s arbitrary detention and the falsity of all charges. He said, “We have conveyed this clearly to Iran at different levels and times,” the spokesperson stated. The EU’s top foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, and Sweden’s Foreign Minister, Tobias Billstrom, have both demanded Floderus’s immediate release, questioning the legitimacy of the charges and trial.
Sweden’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson refuted the allegations, asserting Floderus’s arbitrary detention and the falsity of all charges. He said, “We have conveyed this clearly to Iran at different levels and times,” the spokesperson stated. The EU’s top foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, and Sweden’s Foreign Minister, Tobias Billstrom, have both demanded Floderus’s immediate release, questioning the legitimacy of the charges and trial.
This trial occurs amid strained relations between Sweden and Iran, dating back to Sweden’s 2019 arrest of Hamid Noury, a former Iranian official, for his role in the 1980s mass execution of political prisoners. Noury received a life sentence in July 2022, with a pending verdict from the Swedish Court of Appeals. Additionally, in May, Iran executed Swedish-Iranian dissident Habib Farajollah Chaab, accused of leading a separatist group responsible for multiple attacks within the country.
