EU diplomat Johan Floderus freed by Iran in prisoner exchange

Brussels: Swedish EU official Johan Floderus, who has been held in an Iranian prison for more than two years, was released as part of a deal with Tehran, the Swedish government announced Saturday.

Saeed Azizi, another Swedish citizen, who was arrested by Iran in November 2023, will also be permitted to leave the country as part of the swap, with Stockholm handing over a former Iranian prison official convicted of crimes against humanity.

“The Swedish government has worked intensively for them to be released,” the office of Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said in a statement. “Today, they will land on Swedish soil and be reunited with their families and loved ones. Welcome home!”

As part of the deal, Sweden will release Hamid Nouri, who was handed a life sentence for crimes against humanity after being detained in Stockholm in 2019. Nouri was involved in the 1988 prison massacres, ordered by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, that saw as many as 5,000 inmates executed.

“It’s been more than 30 years that survivors and families of the victims [of the 1988 massacres] have been trying to seek truth and justice both inside and outside of Iran — and the prosecution of Nouri in Sweden was really the first time any Iranian official was held accountable,” said Nassim Papayianni, a campaigner focusing on Iran with Amnesty International.

POLITICO previously reported that Floderus was being considered as part of a potential prisoner exchange that would see Iran exchange him for Nouri. But Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström had declined to shed light on the deal.

On Saturday, Kristersson said Iran had turned both prisoners “into pawns in a cynical negotiation game” to ensure the release of Nouri.

“As prime minister, I bear a special responsibility for the security of Swedish citizens,” Kristersson said. “The government has therefore worked intensively on the issue, together with the Swedish security service, which has been negotiating with Iran,” he said.

“It has always been clear that the operation would require some difficult decisions,” he added. “Now we have made those decisions. Soon, two Swedish citizens land in Sweden and are finally reunited with their relatives.”

Floderus, an employee with the EU’s European External Action Service (EEAS), was arrested in Iran in April 2022 during a personal trip to visit friends. His arrest was kept under wraps for over a year, until it came to light in September 2023. He was accused of espionage by prosecutors, who never presented any evidence to support the claims.

“We don’t know what tools are available for the government, but we want them to use all the tools available in the toolbox,” Floderus’ father, Matts, told POLITICO in April. “We just want one thing: We want Johan back home as soon as possible.”

EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell on Saturday thanked Swedish authorities, as well as Oman — which reportedly helped mediate the deal.

“Other EU citizens are still arbitrarily detained in Iran,” Borrell said. “We’ll continue to work for their freedom” together with EU member states, he added.