A Swiss national accused by Iran of spying has been found dead in prison after what officials say was a suicide.
The Mizan news portal, which is linked to Iran's judiciary, said the Swiss national was "arrested by security agencies for espionage and his case was under investigation" when he took his own life in a prison in the eastern Iranian city of Semnan on Thursday.
The Swiss Minister of Foreign Affairs confirmed in an email to Radio Farda (RSE's Iranian service) that Switzerland has been informed of the case and is seeking additional details.
"The FDFA (Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs) confirms the death of a Swiss citizen in Iran. The Swiss embassy in Tehran is in contact with local authorities to clarify the circumstances of the death in an Iranian prison," said ministry spokesman Pierre-Alain Elchinger.
Mohamed Sadek Akbari, the chief judge of Semnan province, said, as reported by Mizan, that the person took his own life when another prisoner with whom he shared a cell was not present.
Akbari did not name the Swiss national or provide further details, saying that the investigation is ongoing and that for now "suicide is certain" as the cause of death.
Details of the charges against the Swiss national have not been disclosed.
Several European countries and the United States have characterized the arrests of Western citizens and Iran as "hostage diplomacy," arguing that Tehran uses such detentions as bargaining chips with the West.
Three years ago, the Swiss diplomat died under mysterious circumstances. Iranian media reports that a person died after falling from a high-rise building not far from Tehran. Swiss authorities did not identify the victim, nor did they provide details about the incident.
In December, the Swiss State Prosecutor's Office announced that the case of the diplomat's death was closed and that the investigation had not proven any "criminal involvement of a third party".
The investigation was reportedly complicated by the absence of organs from the victim after the first autopsy in Iran.
Switzerland has represented the US diplomatically in Iran since Washington and Tehran severed ties after the Islamic Revolution in 1979.
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