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Iran accuses jailed Swedish EU diplomat of conspiring with Israel

Iranian authorities have accused a Swedish EU diplomat, held in a Tehran prison for more than 600 days, of conspiring with Iran's arch-enemy Israel, the judiciary said Sunday.

Published: 10 December 2023 17:20 CET
Swedish EU diplomat Johan Floderus (C) attends a court session in Tehran
Swedish EU diplomat Johan Floderus (C) attends a court session in Tehran on December 10, 2023. (Photo by Amir Abbas GHASEMI / MIZAN NEWS AGENCY / AFP)

“Johan Floderus is accused of extensive measures against the security of the country, extensive intelligence cooperation with the Zionist regime and corruption on earth,” the judiciary’s Mizan Online news agency said.

Corruption on earth is one of Iran’s most serious offences and carries a maximum penalty of death.

Floderus, 33, was arrested on April 17, 2022, at Tehran airport as he was returning to Iran from a trip with friends.

The Swede, who works for the European Union diplomatic service, is being held in Tehran’s Evin prison.

His arrest came while an Iranian national, Hamid Noury, was being tried in Sweden over the mass executions of dissidents in Tehran in 1988 — ultimately receiving a life sentence in July 2022.

The Court of Appeals in Sweden is expected to announce a verdict in the case on December 19.

Mizan published photos of a handcuffed Floderus, who is being held in Tehran’s Evin Prison, appearing before judges in a pale blue prison uniform as the charges were read.

The prosecution claimed Floderus had gathered information on Iran’s “nuclear and enrichment programmes”, carried out “subversive projects” for the benefit of Israel and established a network of “agents of the Swedish intelligence service”.

It further claimed he was involved in “intelligence cooperation and communication with the European Union” and exiled opposition group, the People’s Mujahedin (MEK), according to Mizan.

The next date of the trial was not yet known.

EU’s top foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called Sunday for his immediate release, saying “there are absolutely no grounds for keeping Johan Floderus in detention.”

Sweden’s Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom added: “There is no basis whatsoever for keeping Johan Floderus in detention, let alone bringing him to trial.”

READ ALSO: Iran demands Sweden act against Quran burnings and free prisoner

Other prisoners

Tehran-Stockholm ties soured after the execution in May of Iranian-Swedish dissident Habib Chaab, convicted of “corruption on earth” after being vanished during a visit to Turkey in 2020.

Academic Ahmadreza Djalali, another Iranian-Swede, was arrested in Iran in 2016 and sentenced to death on espionage charges. He remains under threat of execution.

Several other Europeans are detained in Iran, including four French citizens.

One of them, Louis Arnaud, was sentenced in November to five years in prison for propaganda and endangering the security of the Iranian state.

Iran’s relations with the EU improved after a nuclear deal in 2015 that lifted sanctions and looked set to boost trade.

But they have worsened considerably since the US effectively scrapped the deal in 2018.

The EU has imposed new sanctions on Iran after accusing it of providing Russia with drones for use in the Ukraine war, which Tehran denies.

It also sanctioned Iran over its response to nationwide protests last year triggered by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a young Iranian-Kurdish woman arrested in September 2022 for allegedly violating the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code for women.

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2024 EUROPEAN ELECTIONS

10 things you should know about the European Parliamentary elections

From June 6th to 9th, millions of people across Europe will go to the polls to elect members of the world's only multinational parliament. So what's at stake and how do the elections work?

Published: 30 May 2024 16:01 CEST
10 things you should know about the European Parliamentary elections

Why is there a European Parliament?

The European Parliament is one of three institutions of the European Union that makes laws. The European Commission proposes laws that are then debated, amended and approved (or rejected) by the EU Council, made of government ministers, and the Parliament. As it is a legislative chamber, it was decided that the Parliament should be directly elected. The first election was in 1979, before then members were appointed by national parliaments.

How many countries are represented?

Citizens from the 27 EU countries elect the European Parliament (MEPs), the only multinational parliament in the world.

How does it work with languages?

There are 24 official EU languages used in the European Parliament, even though English is increasingly used in meetings. The idea is that every MEP can express themselves in the native languages, because every EU citizen can stand for election. Also, EU citizens should be able to access legislation in their respective languages. Hundreds of interpreters and translators work at the European Parliament.

How many members are elected?

720 members will be elected in 2024 for a 5-year mandate. The distribution of seats takes into account each country’s population. Germany will elect the largest number (96), while Cyprus, Luxembourg and Malta the smallest (6). France will elect 81, Italy 76, Spain 61, Sweden 21, Austria 20 and Denmark 15. Ireland will elect 14.

Where is the European Parliament seat?

While the common reference is to Brussels, where most EU institutions and a parliament seat is located, the official seat is in Strasbourg, where the majority of plenary sessions take place. This is because the European Parliament was initially hosted by the Council of Europe (a separate international institution not related to the EU). A change in the current arrangements requires changing the treaty, which can only be decided unanimity by EU countries.

If you want to know why the parliament is in two different places you can listen to our team from France explain it in this podcast below (head to the 12 minute mark).

What does the European parliament do?

The European Parliament passes – together with the EU Council – laws that apply across the EU. Examples include rules on consumer protection, on air and water quality, on artificial intelligence, on digital privacy and on moving within the bloc. Unlike other parliaments, it cannot directly propose legislation, but can make recommendations in this regard to the European Commission. Sometimes these are based on petitions from citizens or special inquiries. The Parliament also approves trade agreements with non-EU countries and the EU budget. It has an oversight over other EU institutions and votes the confidence (or censure) of the European Commission.

Are MEPs from national or European parties?

The elections take place at country level with national parties running. These can be affiliated to European parties and join political groups in the European Parliament with others of similar ideas. There are currently seven political groups in the European Parliament.

Who will come out on top in the 2024 election?

In the current parliament, the European People’s Party (EPP), the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) and the liberals of Renew Europe make up the majority. Polls suggest that the right and far right will make significant gains in 2024, but it is not clear yet whether this will change the existing majority. Key to determine new alliances will be the EPP, if they move to the right. French far right leader Marine Le Pen recently suggested an alliance of the European Conservative and Reformists (ECR) and the far-right Identity and Democracy (ID) group, but even with the EPP they will not reach a majority based on current polls.

How many people vote?

More than 370 million people are eligible to vote. In 2019 the turnout was 50.6%, more than in the previous three elections, but less than the 61.9 percent turnout in 1979. Turnout is usually lower than in national elections.

Who can vote?

EU citizenship is required to vote in the European Parliament elections. The minimum voting age varies between 16 in Belgium, Germany, Malta and Austria, 17 in Greece, and 18 in other EU countries. The modalities of the vote are decided by each country and not all allow citizens abroad to vote. EU citizens who live in another EU member state can choose to vote in their place of residence or the country of origin, but it is illegal to vote twice. People with dual citizenship have to make sure they are registered with the authorities of their EU nationality to be able to vote. All the details on how to vote are available here.

For more on the 2024 European elections across Europe visit The Local Europe’s special election web page.

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