Khamenei’s Mouthpiece Warns Of Severe Punishment For Swede

Iran's hardline newspaper Kayhan, has warned that Johan Floderus, a Swedish man currently held in Iran, would receive "significant and regrettable convictions".

The publication, recognized as the official mouthpiece for the leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, likened the cases of Floderus and Hamid Nouri, a former Iranian prison official held in Sweden for his role in the 1988 massacre of political prisoners.

Floderus, like most foreign prisoners, has been accused among other crimes of "collaboration with Israel". He is one of an unknown number of foreign nationals or dual-nationals held in Iran under its policy of hostage diplomacy.

Currently facing charges of "corruption on earth," a serious Sharia accusation that could lead to a death sentence, Floderus is ensnared in a case that mirrors the lack of transparency characterizing numerous detentions of foreigners in Iran.

Detained in April 2022 on espionage charges during a visit to Iran, Floderus is navigating a legal process marked by limited transparency, raising concerns about a potential hostage situation. His detention has now surpassed 600 days.

Last week witnessed a Swedish court upheld the conviction of Nouri in a first of its kind. It is the first time a member of government has publicly been brought to justice for the tragedy which saw the murder of thousands.