The Iranian Prosecutor’s Office demands a “severe sentence” for the EU diplomat tried for espionage

The Iranian Prosecutor’s Office has requested this Sunday a “severe sentence” for the European Union diplomat Johan Floderus, currently on trial for espionage in the Islamic republic, although it is still not clear whether the court will apply the most serious accusation, that of “corruption on earth”, which could carry the death penalty. Floderus, a Swedish national, has once again been singled out for maintaining “intense contacts with the Zionist regime”, in reference to Israel. “Due to the actions and effects of the accused’s misdeeds, according to the indictment issued, (the Prosecutor’s Office) requests punishment and the issuance of a severe sentence with respect to what was previously mentioned,” according to the report collected by the agency Iranian Mizan, linked to the country’s Judiciary. Floderus’ lawyers have one week to present his final statement to Iranian courts. His client faces, if the court decides to convict him solely for espionage, a long prison sentence. The Swedish citizen has assured on numerous occasions that he is innocent and that the trip to Tehran in which he ended up detained, in the summer of 2022, was a private visit to the country. Swedish experts cited by the DPA agency link the Floderus case to one taking place in Sweden against a 62-year-old Iranian citizen convicted in Stockholm two years ago for his role in the execution of political prisoners in Iran in the late 1980s. A Swedish appeals court last year upheld the life sentence he received at the time.