A Swiss national who had been imprisoned on espionage charges in Iran’s Semnan province was found dead on Thursday, Iranian officials reported.
Mohammad Sadegh Akbari, the head of the province's justice department, confirmed the incident in a statement, according to Mizan Online, a news agency affiliated with Iran's judiciary.
Akbari claimed the detainee took his own life this morning at Semnan prison, around 180 kilometers (112 miles) east of Iran's capital, Tehran
He also noted that "there was substantial evidence and documentation supporting the espionage charges against the individual and the case was under investigation."
Akbari described how the Swiss national had been held in detention alongside another prisoner.
according to the Iranian official, early in the morning, the detainee had asked the other inmate to bring him food. It was during a brief period of being left alone in his cell that he reportedly took his life.
The identity of the Swiss national and the exact date of his detention have not been disclosed.
