TEHRAN -- Iran’s Judiciary spokesman said Wednesday a Swiss national who took his own life in an Iranian jail in Semnan earlier this month had photographed military sites before being arrested on suspicion of espionage. Asghar Jahangir said the Swiss national had entered Iran in October as a tourist using his personal vehicle through the Dogharoun border crossing, which connects Afghanistan’s Herat with Iran’s Mashhad. 

He said the individual passed through several provinces before entering the Semnan province and was arrested in a military-restricted zone.
“This person was born in Namibia and was a Swiss citizen. While photographing in the Delta military area, he was arrested on charges of photographing restricted areas and collaborating with a hostile state. Following the arrest, they were transferred to prison, and simultaneously, the Swiss embassy in Tehran was informed of the matter,” the spokesman added.
Jahangir noted that with the cooperation of the Iranian Prisons’ Organization, the detainee’s requests, including his vegetarian diet, were accommodated while he was in jail.
“On the day of the incident, after having breakfast, in the absence of his cellmate, he turned off the cell’s electricity and, in a spot not covered by cameras, cut a curtain in the restroom and managed to hang himself. Prison staff immediately responded upon being informed of the incident and arrived at the scene, but despite their efforts, the individual passed away,” he further said.
“With the permission of the Iranian Prisons’ Organization, a delegation from the Swiss embassy, along with a trusted physician, was present at the scene, examined the body, and confirmed the suicide. The body was then transferred to the Tehran Forensic Medicine Organization and, in the presence of Swiss embassy representatives, handed over to them,” Jahangir said.