A Swiss citizen arrested in Iran and accused of spying has died in prison, according to Iranian state media.
Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that the man was being held with another prisoner in a prison in the eastern city of Semnan when he “committed suicide” on Thursday.
Mizan News Agency, which is run by the judiciary, said that prison officials immediately moved to save the Swiss citizen’s life, but their efforts failed.
Mizan did not provide further details about the man's identity.
A statement on the Mizan website attributed to Muhammad Sadiq Akbari, head of the Supreme Court in Semnan, said: “This morning, a Swiss citizen committed suicide in Semnan prison.”
The statement added that Iranian security forces “arrested him on charges of espionage” and that the case is “under investigation.”
In recent years, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard has arrested dozens of dual nationals and foreigners, most of them on espionage and security-related charges.
Switzerland plays an important mediating role between Washington and Tehran because it represents American interests in Iran and exchanges messages between the two countries.
