Sweden Addresses Escalating Detention Of Citizens In Iran

The Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs is intensifying efforts to release Swedish citizens unlawfully detained in Iran as the number of arrests climbs.

Although the ministry has declined to specify the number of detainees believed to be held by the Iranian regime, recent reports suggest an increase in the number of detained Swedes. The latest was a 60-year-old dual Swedish-Iranian citizen arrested on January 19.

The Swedish foreign ministry summoned Iran's charge d'affaires on January 17 urging the release of all detained Swedish citizens and expressing concern over the missile attack on Erbil, Iraq, on January 15.

On January 16, a Swedish man in his twenties residing in central Iran was also arrested. The ministry cited consular confidentiality for not disclosing further details about the detainee's identity.

TV4 Sweden reported that the charges include "complicity in murder" and "weapons-related crimes" in connection with a fatal shooting, with an arrest warrant issued in late December.

In a separate case, Johan Floderus, a 33-year-old Swedish EU diplomat, has been detained in Iran since April 2022. His trial began in December.

Iran is known for regularly arresting foreigners and individuals holding dual citizenship as part of a tactic to gain leverage in negotiations with Western nations. The United States released $6 billion of Iran's blocked funds in 2023 to secure the freedom of five hostages.

The situation has escalated since Sweden upheld a life sentence for a former Iranian official convicted last year for his part in a mass execution of political prisoners in Iran in 1988, making Swedish citizens particularly vulnerable to Iran's hostage diplomacy.

In 2022, the Stockholm District Court ruling found Hamid Noury guilty of murder and serious crimes against international law.